When Bosch states his full legal name on the witness stand, he says Hieronymus Bosch. Hieronymus Bosch was an early influential Netherlandish painter. Bosch's work often dealt with dark and gruesome depictions of hell as well as fantastical imagery. Art historians have described Bosch's work as being 'pessimistic', 'difficult to translate to a modern point of view' and 'insightful into man's deepest desires and darkest fears.'
In the literary world, Bosch is the half-brother of Michael Haller from The Lincoln Lawyer (2011). They have the same father: also a lawyer named Michael Haller. Michael, Jr. is the legitimate son while Harry Bosch is illegitimate.
In the books, Bosch was a tunnel rat in Vietnam not special forces in Afghanistan.
Underneath Bosch's desk pad there are several photos of people, neatly labelled with names. In the Harry Bosch novels it is explained that the depicted people are the victims of unsolved homicides, placed there by Bosch so he would constantly see and never forget to keep looking for the perpetrators. One of the photos in the episode shows a girl named Cielo Azul. In the novels Cielo is the daughter of former FBI agent and friend of Harry''s, Terry McCaleb. Terry named her as an homage to a beautiful unidentified homicide victim Bosch gave the name to. This is related in the short story Cielo Azul by Michael Connelly.
Near the beginning, when Bosch starts following the suspect on foot, clearly visible is the sign pointing out the location as Angels Flight, the title of one of the Harry Bosch novels by writer Michael Connelly.