Michael Connelly uses real-world events in startling ways.
In a recent novel, he had one of his main characters involved in an investigation of the Black Dahlia killing. Now (with "The Hollow"), Connelly is looking into the "Wonderland" murders--unsolved killings of four people in a particular house. Also, for whatever reason, Connelly is intrigued by "Gifts for Putin," an organization that raises funding for Ukrainian missiles. Missiles intended for use against Russia. "Gifts" for Putin.
An additional "spark" for Connelly. The MacLaren Children's Center. This actually existed in Los Angeles. A kind of prison for orphaned kids, kids waiting to be adopted. Connelly treats the space as a haunted house. (It has just recently been razed.) The inciting event in the new Bosch novel is the impending death of Bosch; as the former cop gets older, he finds himself thinking more and more about his time at MacLaren. There was a particular death he can't stop ruminating about. He believes the death was linked to a certain dinner plate--a plate that was used as a weapon. Locating an abandoned plate on the MacLaren premises leads to a major win; Bosch is able to use the plate in a hypnosis session with a dying former MacLaren guard.
Some writers just share your interests. Connelly's inventiveness always hooks me. His novels make me think of "behind-the-scenes" accounts of major movies and Broadway musicals; the pleasure comes from seeing an artist solving many crazy creative problems. In his way, Bosch is an artist. One of my all-time favorite characters.
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