Jail Cell

In the opening scene of the novel, we see Bosch working on an old case in a barely changed jail cell in the San Fernando police department. Bosch's willingness to work in such non-glamorous conditions shows both his lack of interest in keeping up false appearances and his motivation to pursue closing cases.

Seahorse pendant

The entire re-opening of the Preston Borders case hinges, for Bosch, on the legitimacy of a seahorse pendant that Bosch had claimed to find in Preston Borders' house, belonging to the murder victim. Against apparently steep odds in the case, Bosch's version of the story about the seahorse pendant is the true one. It symbolizes his deep moral convictions about his role.

Salvation Mountain

As Bosch is being flown around by the pill mill bosses while undercover, out the window he sees: "the bright colors painted on the main-made monument...