Is Los Angeles really Hell? Is it purgatory haunted by a legion of fallen angels, victims and succubi lead by Elizabeth Short lying in wait to snag first the eye and then the heart and eventually the soul of any knight errant brave, noble or doomed enough to look into yet another missing girl? Is it as perverse a jungle of wailing souls and gnashing teeth as say Hieronymus Bosch may have painted?
I dunno, but when I pick up a Michael Connelly book, I’m already prepared to believe that it is. Why? Because I’ve devoted a fair amount of gray matter to the consumption of Inferno tours by Virgils from Raymond Chandler to Walter Mosely, Roman Polanski to Charlie Huston? No, because, Connelly made a fantastic choice when naming his main character Harry Bosch.
When the detective’s got a moniker like that, I infuse him subconsciously with a world-weary nobility and competence to stare down all the horror the world may throw. Cheeky? Nah, I think it’s an inspired choice for a character to hang a series on. Hits a romantic note and sets a somber tone before the cover’s even cracked – neat trick. And Harry Bosch? Let’s face it, sounds cooler than Bobby Munsch, yeah? (Seems to run with writers named Connelly - or Connolly - don’t it? John Connolly’s Charlie Parker catches my imagination too. ‘Bird’ is just about the coolest nickname for a detective, let alone a musician, that I can think of, and yeah, I think it helps get me properly in the mood.)
The Drop is out now, so what’s next for Harry? He’s been a cop, a private dick and a cop again, and Connelly’s been aging him in more or less real time. Three years before retirement, and he’s looking to make the most of ‘em. I predict more killers, twisted souls driven by bat-winged tormentors to unspeakable acts and I predict a certain poise in Harry’s pursuit, after all his name says it all.
How about you? You like a well-placed allusion in your character names? Got an example?
Jedidiah Ayres writes fiction and keeps the blog Hardboiled Wonderland.
Harry is one of my faves and I agree about the name, I place John Corey in the same basket there's just something about the name that makes you believe the character.
Jack Reacher - "Jack" it just oozes quiet strength or perhaps Its just me infusing that other awesome Jack(Bauer) onto the Reacher character.
Stephanie Plum is a well named character, I mean a juicy fruit genius
Dirk Pitt - With a name like that you would have no choice but to be a world saving adventurer right ;p it was either that or a porn star 
Really just swung by to say Thank you for all the blog posts throughtout the year, theres just something about the way you write about a book that always makes me want to buy it ! Not good for my bank balance by the way
Merry Christmas
Mel - Perth Aust.
Twitter - Melmoy77
