My post on The Hollow by Michael Connelly has my Quick Take on the book, plus my thoughts and a Q and A with spoilers for the Hollow.
The Hollow by Michael Connelly | Quick Take | Q and A
Jen’s Quick Take on The Hollow
- The Hollow is book 21 in Connelly’s Harry Bosch series
- As always, the story incorporates a cold case (two, in this book!) with a threat in the present
- Publication Date: October 27, 2026 by Little Brown. Thanks to them for my advance copy
What is The Hollow About?
Bosch is aiding Ballard in finally getting justice for Jennifer Talbot. Her 2001 murder remained unsolved, but they believed that her husband Gregory was the killer.
At the same time, Bosch’s brother Mickey has big news. Bosch will be receiving a payout as part of a (real) lawsuit against the (real) MacLaren hall, a horrific orphanage Bosch lived at after the death of his mother.
But Bosch doesn’t want money. He wants to find out who killed his childhood friend (and fellow MacLaren resident), Charles “Chops” Lamb.
What I Thought of The Hollow
Recently, Connelly has been incorporating real cases in his books. (Remember the way the Black Dahlia case was part of The Waiting? Here’s more information on that case from Michael Connelly’s website.)
In The Hollow, Bosch’s pursuit of Chops’s killer leads to a 1981 mass killing known as The Wonderland Murders. Here’s some background on the case from Michael Connelly’s website.
I hadn’t heard of the Wonderland, but apparently it inspired a movie starring Val Kilmer. For a while, I worried that I would have to do a deep dive into this case, but I didn’t
I liked the themes of this book: the dogged pursuit of justice and the bond between a murder victim and the person who tries to solve their case. I’m sad as I watch Bosch age and face his mortality.
The Hollow Q and A
Do you have questions about the book? Leave me a comment and I’ll try to answer them!
Hidden spoilers; just click the arrows to uncover the ones you want to read!
These are legal issues, so if you’re a lawyer and want to add a better explanation, leave a comment!
I don’t understand the arguments over the vase of flowers in the Jennifer Talbot case
I’m not a lawyer and this is way beyond me, but as I understand it, Bosch and Ballard were told by the caretaker of the cemetery that Jennifer Talbot’s husband visited her grave and confessed. In an attempt to get a confession on tape on the anniversary of her murder, Bosch and Ballard put a bug in a vase of flowers and leave it on her grave. But Talbot and his new wife take the flowers home and discuss her murder. Then Talbot’s lawyer tries to get the vase confession thrown out, as they had an expectation of privacy in their home. But the state argued that the bug was placed in a public place with no expectation of privacy.
What were Ballard and Bosch scheming about with Novak in the end of the book?
Again, just my understanding, but Novak cut a deal with the FBI to give information on the missile heist and the Spool (the Czech mafia) in exchange for a forty-two year sentence at a cushy Federal prison. Ballard and Bosch get Novak to confess to being part of the Wonderland Murders AND killing both Chops and MacLaren resident Lorraine Henderson. After taping that confession, they tell Novak they are going to ask the President to pardon Novak so his deal is void and they can prosecute him for the other six murders. This feels a bit outlandish to me, but okay. What did YOU think?