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The Late Show

by Michael Connelly
Little, Brown & Co., July 2017, $28

A quarter century ago, neophyte novelist Michael Connelly introduced himself and dogged LAPD Detective Harry Bosch to the mystery world with The Black Echo. In the years since, Connelly cemented himself as the modern king of California crime, and one of the world’s greatest living mystery writers.

In his 30th novel, Connelly swerves. There’s no Bosch, nor maverick attorney Mickey Haller. Instead, a new hero emerges: Renee Ballard, a paddleboarding Hawaiian who’s been relegated to the midnight shift in Hollywood after a failed sexual harassment complaint against her supervisor. Often flying solo, she’s the detective called in to all manner of overnight cases, big and small, before handing them over to various daytime detectives. Ballard starts cases, rarely finishes them. But when a trans woman is put in a coma and a bar worker is caught up in a nightclub shooting, she finds it hard to let go.

Connelly absolutely nails the tricky balance between familiarity and freshness with The Late Show. For longtime fans, Ballard has some Bosch-like characteristics (trouble with superiors, extremely driven, solving crimes in LA) while being a fascinating, fully formed character all of her own. Ballard is fierce, has a different way of looking at the world, and faces issues as a female detective that haven’t been addressed in other Connelly tales. The Late Show starts well and gets even better as the pages turn, as we learn more about Ballard and her LA world, and are handcuffed by a sublimely wrought crime tale.

A brilliant start to a new series from a true master of the craft.

Craig Sisterson

connelly lateshowThere’s no Bosch, nor maverick attorney Mickey Haller. Instead, a new hero emerges: Renee Ballard, a paddleboarding Hawaiian who’s been relegated to the midnight shift in Hollywood after a failed sexual harassment complaint against her supervisor.

Teri Duerr
5794
Connelly
July 2017
the-late-show
28
Little, Brown & Co.