Setting

“Cielo Azul” by Michael Connelly was published in 2005, so the events in the narrative probably take place around the time of publishing, in modern times. The time setting also focuses on past events that had occurred twelve years ago, when detective Bosch was assigned to the case of the dead girl found on Mulholland Drive.

Physical setting

Mulholland Drive is proved to be important for Terry McCaleb’s criminal profiling. He argues that the culprit was probably someone local who knew the area well, but who also wanted to make an impact and to taunt the police by leaving the body provocatively in a public place.

Another important part of the physical setting is the San Quentin State Prison in California, the place where Seguin awaits his death sentence:

I kept moving, into the rainbow-painted tunnel and through the mountain. Soon enough I could see San Quentin up on the right. A foreboding-looking place in an idyllic spot, it housed the worst criminals California had to offer. And I was going to see the worst of the worst. (p. 24, ll. 27-34)

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Social setting

First, we get to know the detectives who work on the case and the motivation behind it, which follows them across the years. However, note that it was only Bosch and McCaleb who remained obsessed with the thought of not being able to know the girl’s identity and not Sheehan. This is probably because Sheehan is different from Bosch and McCaleb, who are most likely idealists and more sensitive.

Then, the social setting focuses on the psychology of the murderer, as portrayed by Victor Seguin. Through the criminal profiling made by McCaleb, we find out what pushes and motivates Seguin to kill, ...

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