History Literature / TheNarrows

* ContinuityNod:

** Buddy complains about his representation in the movie, and after confirming that he got paid for his story, Harry tells him to "put your money in the bank and forget about the rest." Long ago, Harry got a big payday after having one of his cases made into a movie: it's how he can afford the house in the Hollywood hills.

* HesBack: In-universe, the call Rachel gets at the beginning of the book.

** Bosch mentions taking saxophone lessons from an old jazz man that he met during a case. That's the plot of short story "Christmas Even".

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!!Tropes:

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: The backstory reveals that after Bob Backus got a BackAlleyDoctor to perform plastic surgery on his face, he murdered the doctor and his wife.

* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Harry and Rachel do some mattress dancing the day after they are nearly blown up by Backus's booby trap bomb.
--> “We fell onto the bed and made survivors’ love. It was quick and maybe to some degree even brutal—on both our parts. But most of all it satisfied the primal urge in both of us to fight death with life.”

* ContinuityNod: While visiting his ex-wife and daughter in Las Vegas, Harry lives in a short-term apartment next to a woman who is strongly implied to be Cassie Black, heroine of previous Connelly novel ''Literature/VoidMoon''. Later Connelly novel ''Literature/TheClosers'' confirms that this is in fact the case.

* PosthumousCharacter: Terry [=McCaleb=], where one of the mysteries is how he died, and Bosch uses [=McCaleb=]'s notes for his investigation.

* ATrueStoryInMyUniverse: In this novel, ''The Poet'' is a true-crime story and ''Film/BloodWork'' is a true-crime film.

''The Narrows'' is a mystery novel by Creator/MichaelConnelly.

* ATrueStoryInMyUniverse: In this novel, ''The Poet'' is a true-crime story.

* ContinuityNod: While visiting his ex-wife and daughter in Las Vegas, Harry lives in a short-term apartment next to a woman who is strongly implied to be Cassie Black, heroine of previous Connelly novel ''Literature/VoidMoon''. Later Connelly novel ''The Closers'' confirms that this is in fact the case.

Meanwhile, former LAPD detective Literature/HarryBosch (Connelly's most frequent protagonist), now a PI, is investigating the death of his old friend and former FBI agent Terry [=McCaleb=]. [=McCaleb=], a heart transplant recipient, died when his body rejected the donor heart. The authorities have written it off as natural causes, but his widow suspects foul play. Bosch starts to suspect foul play as well when his investigation reveals that [=McCaleb=] had a stalker--who turns out to be the Poet.

* {{Sequel}}: To ''The Poet''. While all of Connelly's books are in the same universe, this is the only one where a villain returns.

Meanwhile, former LAPD detective Literature/HarryBosch (Connelly's most frequent protagonist), now a PI, is investigating the death of his old friend and former FBI agent [[Literature/BloodWork Terry McCaleb]]. [=McCaleb=], a heart transplant recipient, died when his body rejected the donor heart. The authorities have written it off as natural causes, but his widow suspects foul play. Bosch starts to suspect foul play as well when his investigation reveals that [=McCaleb=] had a stalker--who turns out to be the Poet.

* ShoutOut: To TheFilmOfTheBook of ''Film/BloodWork''. Creator/ClintEastwood is said to have attended Terry [=McCaleb=]'s funeral. Terry's old friend Buddy appears in this novel and complains about how he was portrayed in the ''Blood Work'' movie.

* TitleDrop: The storm drains that Bosch and the Poet wind up falling into are called "the Narrows".

Meanwhile, former LAPD detective Harry Bosch (Connelly's most frequent protagonist), now a PI, is investigating the death of his old friend and former FBI agent Terry [=McCaleb=]. [=McCaleb=], a heart transplant recipient, died when his body rejected the donor heart. The authorities have written it off as natural causes, but his widow suspects foul play. Bosch starts to suspect foul play as well when his investigation reveals that [=McCaleb=] had a stalker--who turns out to be the Poet.

* ContinuityNod: While visiting his ex-wife and daughter in Las Vegas, Harry lives in a short-term apartment next to a woman who is strongly implied to be Cassie Black, heroine of previous Connelly novel ''Void Moon''. Later Connelly novel ''The Closers'' confirms that this is in fact the case.

Meanwhile, former LAPD detective Harry Bosch (Connelly's most frequent protagonist), now a PI, is investigating the death of his old friend and former FBI agent Terry [=McCaleb=]. [=McCaleb=], a heart transplant recipient, died when his body rejected the donor heart, and the authorities have written it off as natural causes, but his widow suspects foul play. Bosch starts to suspect foul play as well when his investigation reveals that [=McCaleb=] had a stalker--who turns out to be the Poet.

* SwitchingPOV: Switches back and forth between Bosch narrating his own story in first person, and a third person narrative following Rachel Walling and the Poet.

It is a sequel to previous Connelly novel ''The Poet''. Serial killer The Poet, whose death was suspected but not confirmed, turns out to be still alive, and active. And what's more, the Poet has sent a message to FBI agent Rachel Walling, who tried but failed to catch him. Now the Poet is back and has ensnared Walling in a new game of cat-and-mouse.

* SerialKiller: The Poet is up to his old tricks, although this time, he's doing it in part to settle an old score with Rachel Walling.