Bosch

      Tamara and I have been watching the Amazon series Bosch.  It's a police procedural, a cop-detective show, based on a series of books.

     I've read some of the books.  It's interesting how the eponymous lead character has been updated -- a Vietnam War vet in the books, a Desert Storm and Global War On A Noun veteran in the TV series.  The plots are interesting, too; the books are tightly plotted, often with several narrative lines interweaving, and so is each season of the TV series -- but the TV version takes a Mixmaster to the books, picking and choosing among parts of several for each season's arc.  Generally this is all to the good, updating the stories and adding complexity.  A ten to thirteen-episode TV season nicely accommodates a novel's worth of story.

     At times the basic setup is a little too pat; Harry Bosch is a veteran detective who has little patience with bureaucracy and the self-protective nature of LAPD.  It is largely redeemed by his personality (Bosch has much in common with Philip Marlowe and Travis McGee) and background, plus a well-rounded and believable cast of supporting characters who provide an excellent sense of team interaction.  The whole thing is a cut above the usual "TV cop show."

     While carefully plotted, the books at times show evidence of having been written in some haste -- occasional once-through-the-typewriter stuff, minor continuity and research fluffs.  The TV series does not; continuity is consistent and settings are always spot-on.