The Last Coyote

The Last Coyote is the fourth novel by American crime author Michael Connelly, featuring the Los Angeles detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was first published in 1995 and the novel won the 1996 Dilys Award given by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Explanation of the novel's title
Bosch has seen and then dreamed about a lone coyote at his home near Los Angeles and discusses it during a departmental required therapy session. The psychologist interprets it that Bosch believes that there are not many policeman like himself left and that he feels the same threat to his existence as the coyote.

Plot summary
Following an incident at work, the LAPD puts Harry Bosch on involuntary stress leave and is required to undergo therapy sessions with a police psychologist, Carmen Hinojos. Meanwhile, he decides to investigate the murder of his mother, Marjorie Lowe, a prostitute who was strangled when Harry was twelve. He visits Meredith Roman, a friend of his mother's, and learns that she was going to meet local prosecutor Arno Conklin at Hancock Park on the night of the murder.

With the help of Los Angeles Times crime reporter Keisha Russell, Harry investigates Conklin; his close associate Gordon Mittel; and Marjorie's pimp, Johnny Fox. He discovers that Fox was apparently killed in a hit and run while distributing campaign literature for Conklin. He also learns that Mittel is now a political fundraiser. Harry crashes Mittel's fundraising party and, identifying himself as his adversarial boss Harvey Pounds, asks for an envelope to be delivered to Mittel, which contains a copy of the newspaper article about Fox's death.

Looking at city records, Harry finds out that only one of the original investigating officers, Jake McKittrick, is still alive and residing in Florida. Visiting McKittrick, he learns that at the beginning of the investigation, his senior partner, Eno, was called into the Assistant DA's office and was told not to investigate Fox; the only way they could interview him was in Conklin's office, in the presence of Conklin and Mittel. After that interview, the investigation went nowhere and was left unsolved.

In order to gain entrance to the gated community where McKittrick lives, Harry pretends he is interested in a house for sale. He eventually has a romantic encounter with the homeowner, Jasmine Corian. Harry then stops in Las Vegas to visit Eno's widow. Harry intimidates the woman posing as the widow's sister, who is taking care of the ninety-year-old invalid, into letting him take some of Eno's old files. From the files, he discovers that Eno had been receiving $1,000 a week since the murder via a dummy corporation, the officers of which included Eno, Mittel and Conklin.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Harry learns that Pounds has been murdered in his absence and is brought to Parker Center for questioning. He realizes that using Pounds' name when trying to scare Mittel at the fundraiser resulted in his death. Keisha gives Harry the identity and address of Monte Kim, the writer of the article on Fox. Kim tells Harry that he had photos of Conklin and Fox in the company of Marjorie and Meredith, using them to blackmail Conklin into giving Kim a job.

Confronting Conklin, Harry learns that he and Marjorie were planning to get married on the day of the murder, with Conklin believing Mittel killed her. However, Harry is soon abducted and held captive by Mittel, who tells him that Conklin is dead. Harry manages to overwhelm Mittel's henchman, Jonathan Vaughn, and knock him out with a billiard ball. A pursuit and struggle with Harry causes Mittel to take a fatal fall off a cliff. Harry returns to the house but finds Jonathan missing. He arranges to have Mittel's fingerprints compared to those belonging to his mother's killer but finds they do not match.

During a therapy session, Hinojos looks at Marjorie's crime scene photos and notices a discrepancy in her clothing. This causes Harry to realize that Meredith killed his mother. He visits Meredith's house, only to learn that she has committed suicide. Jonathan confronts him with a gun and reveals the truth: he is Johnny Fox, having faked his death. It was Fox who had killed Pounds and Conklin. The police arrive, and Fox is shot while trying to escape. Harry visits Jasmine in Florida.

Characters in The Last Coyote

 * Carmen Hinojos — Psychologist for the Los Angeles Police Department
 * Meredith Roman — Prostitute friend of Bosch's mother
 * Keisha Russell — Reporter for the Los Angeles Times
 * Lieutenant Harvey "Ninety-Eight" Pounds — Bosch's supervisor
 * Jerry Edgar — Bosch's partner
 * Irvin Irving — Assistant Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
 * Arno Conklin — Former District Attorney
 * Gordon Mittel — Lawyer
 * Jake McKittrick — detective who investigated the murder of Bosch's mother.
 * Jasmine Corian — A painter with whom Harry becomes romantically involved during a trip to Florida.
 * Monte Kim — former Los Angeles Times reporter

Reception
The Library Journal said that The Last Coyote had "prose that cuts to the quick, a masterfully interwoven plot and gripping suspense".

Awards and nominations
The Last Coyote won the 1996 Dilys Award given by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association

The Last Coyote was a nominee for the 1996 Anthony Award, the 1996 Macavity Award and the 1996 Hammett Prize.