Michael Connelly has been writing Harry Bosch novels for approximately a quarter-century. If the thought of phoning one in has crossed his mind lately, that certainly is not evident from either the quantity or quality of his work. I present TWO KINDS OF TRUTH, the 20th installment in the series, as Exhibit A in support of that proposition.

Bosch’s past and present don’t just intersect here; they collide. The book begins with Bosch being confronted by three representatives of the City of Los Angeles, his former employer. One is known to him, that being Lucia Soto, his ex-partner on the force. The other two are Lucia’s new partner and a deputy district attorney. They visit Bosch while he is on the job at the San Fernando Police Department, but their purpose is not to help him close a cold case. Rather, Bosch is in potential trouble due to a case he worked on some three decades before. Preston Borders was tried and convicted of murder thanks to Bosch and has been on death row ever since. Now, evidence found in a closed and sealed file box seemingly exonerates Borders, who is claiming that he was framed for the murder by Bosch. If the conviction is overturned, every case that Bosch successfully investigated will be called into question, as will his integrity.

"It is Connelly’s descriptions and Bosch’s investigation that help make TWO KINDS OF TRUTH one of the author’s most intriguing books in a consistently brilliant career."

The trio barely has a chance to deliver the bad news to Bosch when he is summoned by an “all hands on deck” call to a pharmacy, where a double homicide --- that of the father and son who run the establishment --- has been committed. Bosch has the opportunity to solve the crime by doing something he has never done before: going undercover. It’s a dangerous move, one that takes him deep into an underground economy that thrives in plain view and has incrementally become so prevalent that it is now considered an epidemic. Connelly, through Bosch’s eyes, provides a by-the-numbers description of prescription drug abuse, how it occurs, and why it continues to thrive. While the story is set in southern California, the method by which the drugs are obtained, distributed and sold are the same throughout the country. It is Connelly’s descriptions and Bosch’s investigation that help make TWO KINDS OF TRUTH one of the author’s most intriguing books in a consistently brilliant career.

Meanwhile, Bosch still has to deal with the possibility of the Borders conviction being set aside. With his integrity and career at risk, he turns to Mickey Haller, his half-brother who is renowned as a defense attorney and is known as “The Lincoln Lawyer.” Haller begins an investigation into what could be called a “locked box in a secured room” mystery that involves multiple levels of “howdunit” in addition to “whodunit.” Finding the answers to those questions comprises only half the battle. Haller has to create his own opportunity to save his half-brother’s career. What occurs turns TWO KINDS OF TRUTH into a courtroom thriller for much of the book’s final part, which literally has something for everyone.

Bosch and Haller have fans beyond the literary environs of the Connelly novels, thanks to Haller’s cinematic turn and Bosch’s presence on streaming television. The really good stuff, though, remains between the covers of these books, and TWO KINDS OF TRUTH is a sterling example of the full potential of both characters fully realized. Anyone interested in their literary exploits can jump on this particular offering without difficulty and enjoy the ride from beginning to end.