Michael Connelly
Little, Brown and Company
July 18th, 2017
Renee Ballard has been working the overnight shift since she ratted her former boss out for trying to pressure her into having sex with him. Cops are an insular bunch.
The overnight shift for detectives is colloquially called The Late Show. She’s gotten used to it, but she’d just like to see a few cases to their end once in awhile.
One night, two cases fall onto her docket. One she talks the daytime staff into letting her keep–the brutal assault of a trans prostitute–and one she’s got to be careful if she wants to dig into. The one she needs to be careful with is the mass shooting of five people at a bar.
When the main detective on the case–Renee’s old partner who didn’t stand up for her against the boss–shows up dead, she just can’t leave this case alone. Something is seriously off about it.
Connelly has done it again. This is the start of a new series, and it’s just as much of a hit as the Bosch series. Ballard is a compelling character who is shaping up to be every bit as rich and nuanced as Bosch. Connelly is a pro at what he does, and it shows. Rather than another addition to the procedural cop murder mystery genre growing a bit stale, he’s written something that’s enjoyable and easy to consume quickly–you read it quickly because it’s entertaining and really good.
Can’t wait to see the next one.
JL Jamieson is a strange book nerd who writes technical documents by day, and book news, reviews, and other assorted opinions for you by night. She is working on her own fiction, and spends time making jewelry to sell at local conventions, as well as stalking the social media accounts of all your favorite writers.