What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedTrunk Music
Michael Connelly · Book · 2006
If you loved Trunk Music, start with Bosch (Eric Overmyer, 2015) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 2 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Trunk Music across media.
What hooked you in Trunk Music was the way a single investigation unravels the deep-seated rot hidden beneath the city's surface.
Films on the same thread
L.A. Confidential
Curtis Hanson · Film · 1997
Shares a thread with Trunk Music: Crime Thriller.
If you enjoyed the gritty urban realism of Trunk Music, this film delivers a similarly masterful examination of institutional corruption and the moral compromises required to survive in Los Angeles.
Donnie Brasco
Mike Newell · Film · 1997
Explores: Loyalty, Betrayal, Identity Crisis.
The internal conflict and identity crisis experienced here mirror the personal toll Harry Bosch faces in Trunk Music as he navigates a world where the line between law and crime blurs.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Brad Furman · Film · 2011
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Redemption, Class Conflict.
This story shares the same DNA as Trunk Music, focusing on a protagonist who operates within a morally ambiguous legal system while seeking redemption in a high-stakes professional environment.
Angel Heart
Alan Parker · Film · 1987
Explores: Moral Decay, Loss of Innocence, Identity Crisis.
Much like the investigation in Trunk Music, this narrative pulls a weary detective into a dark and dangerous underworld where the search for truth leads to devastating personal consequences.
Series on the same thread
Bosch
Eric Overmyer · Series · 2015
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Redemption, Police Corruption.
This series is the natural evolution for any Trunk Music reader, featuring the same detective struggling to maintain his personal integrity while fighting corruption within the LAPD hierarchy.
Bosch: Legacy
Tom Bernardo · Series · 2022
Explores: Moral ambiguity, Father-daughter relationship, Corruption.
This follow-up captures the transition from police procedural to private investigator seen in Trunk Music, highlighting the persistent themes of redemption and the messy reality of modern justice.
Podcasts on the same thread
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
While the tone differs, the focus on forensic breakdown and the sociological observation of crime mirrors the investigative rigor that made Trunk Music such a compelling police procedural.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These stories lean into the moral ambiguity found in Trunk Music, offering brief but intense windows into the human condition that will satisfy your appetite for character-driven suspense.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Trunk Music part of a series featuring Harry Bosch?
Trunk Music features Detective Harry Bosch, who returns to duty in this story after taking an involuntary stress leave. As the protagonist, his investigation into the death of Tony Aliso leads him to follow a money trail from Los Angeles all the way to Las Vegas.
What is the meaning of the term Trunk Music in the book?
In the book Trunk Music, the term refers to a specific type of mob hit. When movie producer Tony Aliso is discovered dead inside the trunk of his Rolls Royce, investigators initially label the crime as trunk music before Harry Bosch begins to look deeper into the case.
Where does the investigation in Trunk Music take place?
The investigation in Trunk Music begins in Los Angeles, where the body of producer Tony Aliso is discovered. As Detective Harry Bosch follows the money trail connected to the crime, the narrative shifts and leads him to conduct further investigative work in Las Vegas.
Who is the primary investigator in Trunk Music?
The primary investigator in Trunk Music is Detective Harry Bosch. The story follows his efforts to solve the murder of Tony Aliso after he returns to work following a period of involuntary stress leave, eventually leading him to uncover a complex trail of money.