Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is a man who has always thought about what he wanted to be and what he needed to do to get there.

Born in 1956, Michael Connelly wanted to follow in the footsteps of Raymond Chandler and become a crime writer. He knew, though, that he needed his crime to be realistic, so he took up the study of journalism and creative writing at the University of Florida. From there he became a reporter for newspapers in Florida and California. While writing in Fort Lauderdale, he wrote a magazine article about an airline crash that was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize.

From there he became a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times. While working on the crime beat, he began writing his first novel, the novel that would introduce his detective hero Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch, a detective who would soon capture the interest and devotion of mystery lovers around the world.

When his first book was published in 1992, it won an Edgar Award for Best First novel. He would go on to be nominated for three other Edgars, one Dagger Award, and a Richard and Judy Best Read for the Year. He's won Anthony, McCavity, Nero, Barry, Dilys, Audie, and Ridley awards and has earned numerous international awards, including the Maltese Falcon, .38 Caliber, Grand Prix, and Premio Bancarella awards.

While his hero Harry Bosch has yet to hit the silver screens, his non-series thriller, Blood Work, was adapted into a movie directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.

Michael Connelly is not solely a print man, though. He was one of the creators and writers of Level 9, a UPN television show about a task force that fights cyber crime. He's also released CDs of music featured in his books and produced a number of book videos that are available on YouTube. His Web site also features photos of sites found in his books with excerpts replacing traditional captions.

Michael Connelly has now returned to Florida where he lives with his family. However, he keeps an apartment in Los Angeles and makes frequent trips there as research for his novels.

Read Book Help Web's Exclusive Interview With Michael Connelly

Bibliography

-- B. Redman