What is a development?

[AT]

Okay first things first: English is not my first my language and I don't live in LA so bear with me.

I was reading a mystery novel by Michael Connelly (cant recall the title, one of those Bosch books) and one character in the book was living in a development somewhere near Hollywood Hills. Dictionary gave me explanations like suburb, neighbourhood, residential area. Is it really just that or are there any special things that make something a development?

Thanks for your help, it's been two weeks since I finished the book and it's still bothering me.

 

[The Dancing Peacock]

I really like that series of books. Are you reading the newest one? I think it's "A darkness more than night" He wrote the book Blood Work too, which is that movie that Clint Eastwood is in now.

The dictionary is right. A development is just a bunch of houses in a particular area, nothing really special about it.

 

[AT]

I read his latest a while ago but now I'm going through some of his older ones, Angel's flight right now.

In his books I like best the fact that the people are real people instead of these *cough*John Grisham*cough* people that have perfect kids, perfect wife/husband, perfect job, perfect morals, perfect life until something happens and then they perform a miracle.