book review: The Late Show by Michael Connelly

The backstory: Michael Connelly is my favorite mystery writer. I've read and reviewed all of his books.

The basics: The Late Show is the first in a new series featuring Los Angeles detective Renee Ballard.

"They worked the midnight shift, the late show, moving from case to case, called to any scene where a detective was needed to take initial reports or sign off on suicides. But they kept no cases. They wrote up the initial reports and turned the cases over to the appropriate investigative units in the morning."

My thoughts: One of the (many, many) things I love about Connelly's novels are that they pass in real time. Harry Bosch, the series of his I love the most, was born in 1950. The first mystery featuring Harry, The Black Echo, came out in 1992. I've wondered how and when Connelly will end that series, and what might come next. The Late Show attempts to answer that question. As a character, Renee Ballard thinks and acts a lot like Harry Bosch in her detective work, but her life outside of work looks quite different. Her work on the late show is also an interesting context for mysteries.

The verdict: The Late Show is a dynamite feminist police procedural novel and an excellent start to a series I hope is just as good and just as long-running as Harry Bosch. Connelly introduces a lot of personal and professional backstory about Ballard, but the central mystery is compelling and filled with Connelly's signature twists.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Length: 405 pages
Publication date: July 18, 2017
Source: publisher

Convinced? Treat yourself! Buy The Late Show from Amazon (Kindle edition.)

Want more? Visit Michael Connelly's website, like him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter.

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