Bosch takes up a murder case once thought solved by the LAPD. Maddie's pulled into the department's pursuit of a cop shooter. Chandler wrestles with the fallout of Carl Rogers.
Bosch expects a certain level of professional courtesy. He has plenty of friends on the job who are willing to do favors for him. He has contacts all across the city. He knows what Vance's autopsy report is going to say before it's publicly released. He can call Edgar to help hide the document declaring him the sole executor of Vance's will. As such, Bosch believes people should inherently trust him on this job. And yet, he doesn't operate with the same blind authority he had for decades. He served the city loyally as a detective. He was given the freedom to have the final word on everything. He got to dictate the narrative that was set. He had that ability because he was on the job. He is now on the outside looking in. Several of his cases are in response to the LAPD messing up. He sees a necessity to get things done the right way. He carries that personal responsibility because he recognizes the people trusted to do the job aren't. He was taken up the murder of a beloved doctor. The police want to frame Bosch as the person directly responsible for letting his killer go free. The family is reluctant to talk to him because they have solely been told that narrative. It's one man projecting his sense of importance onto the situation. He needs to be proven right even though the man he arrested for the crime was innocent. Chandler proved that in court. People still lead with the sense that the unhoused man was guilty. They quickly fell into the assumption that the streets were safe once more. Of course, the problems for the unhoused extend far beyond this one killer. It always came across as more personal. Bosch is hunting the killer now. He peeks into details the police were willing to write off because they didn't fit their chosen narrative. This case is full of sloppy detective work. Bosch is ashamed for those on the job. They aren't doing their best. They are still trusted to do that. And so, they can truly say whatever they want knowing they will be believed. Meanwhile, Bosch has to fight the stigma that he is no longer working in support of the LAPD. He is a disruptor who only aspires to make things more difficult. He refuses to let the police close cases quickly. He needs things to be done right. He and Chandler clashed on so many occasions. Now, they are fighting a common battle. They want to ensure the innocent are actually shielded from this heinous system while also hunting down the people responsible for the most sinister crimes in the city. People trust the police to do that job. And yet, the police force can get incredibly distracted.
Every resource is directed to hunting down the criminal who shot an LAPD officer. One of their own has been injured in the line of duty. That puts everything into sharp context. Every other case is repositioned as no longer pressing and relevant. Maddie and Vazquez see a pattern emerging in Thai Town. They know a serial rapist is on the loose. His latest victim luckily fought him off before she could be violated. These are crucial details that highlight a larger pattern. One that the detective in charge must be aware of. However, Maddie is distracted too. She can see the connections amongst humanity in the neighborhood she serves. She's not woefully out of the loop. When the opportunity arrives to arrest the man who shot at the police though, everything else stops. Maddie and Vazquez are allowed into that operation. They are treated as backup. They are quickly pulled into the pursuit. It culminates into a massive shootout where the officers all fire into the car. They kill the suspect as well as his girlfriend who wanted to escape the situation. She just wanted to get back home to her son. Several of the superior officers were made aware of that fact. In the end, her life was treated as disposable. Maddie wasn't the one who made the call to open fire. She still did exactly what was commanded of her. She followed the protocol. She listened to the chain of command. It offers quick resolution to this story. She hopes to check in on her friend as she heals. It still puts everything into sharp perspective. Law enforcement are given wide latitude to do what they need to advance their cases. Chandler sees potential violations of civil liberties. She fears her conversations in prison were recorded despite the legal privilege that should shield that practice. Her problems may be more than that though. She may be personally targeted by the Russian bratva. Killing Carl Rogers may not have been the end goal. They may also be hunting down the people they deem responsible for this investment going awry. That means Bosch and Chandler are in the crosshairs. Bosch is already being followed as he tracks down the living heirs to Whitney Vance. He actually succeeds in that endeavor too. He finally has people who can benefit from this ancestral connection. He can provide clarity even though Vance isn't around to acknowledge it. Of course, people are already willing to kill in that segment of this world to get what they desire. That's evident with the ruling of Vance's death being suspicious. Bosch can read into what that means. It's still a lot to juggle and so many details threaten to slip through the cracks. People are trusted to handle all of it. And yet, it may still be too burdensome for anyone to reasonably manage despite Bosch's skills being amply showcased for several years already.
