**edited 12/12/13 
 When I picked this up, it had been a while since I read an honest-to-goodness, down-to-earth, straightforward police procedural/noir. Connelly's debut is very much a card-carrying member of the hardboiled/noir police detective novel, from the traumatized protagonist, to the ice-cold blonde love interest, organized crime, and antagonistic cops from "the system". However, Connelly is one of those very rare writers who captures the pure voice of noir--the combination of stark prose and rich imagery; a vivid portrayal of a grey world. 
 ...And that's all I'm going to post here. 
 The rest of my (rather verbose) review is posted over here at Booklikes. 
 Why? Because I disapprove of GoodReads' new policy of censorship, I am no longer posting full reviews here.