"As he ate and drank he opened the cards, studied them briefly and thought of their senders. This was the ritual of a man who was alone, he knew, but it didn't bother him. He'd spent many Christmases alone." Chapter 1, pg. 4

"Bosch drove down out of the hills into Hollywood, traveling mostly on deserted streets until he reached the Boulevard. On the sidewalks there were the usually groupings of runaways and transients. There were strolling prostitutes—he saw one with a red Santa hat on. Business is business, even on Christmas night." Chapter 2, pg. 8

"Bosch wished he had a fedora like the ones the detectives in the old movies had always had; that way he could hold it in his hands and fiddle with it and let his fingers trace its brim, give him something to do." Chapter 4, pg. 30

"Calexico Moore had apparently answered a question that...