The Late Show by Michael Connelly (on CD)

The Late Show
by Michael Connelly [Compact Disc Connelly] 

In 2017, author Michael Connelly launched a new series, featuring L.A.P.D. detective Renee Ballard, ostracized from many of her co-workers after a failed sexual-harassment suit, and assigned to the Hollywood bureau’s late shift (a.k.a. The Late show). Connelly is best known for his 20+ novels featuring L.A. detective Harry Bosch (also adapted into a streaming TV series from Amazon Prime), and Bosch’s half-brother, the “Lincoln Lawyer”, Mickey Haller. Connelly loves telling stories focusing on police work, but Bosch had aged enough that he was no longer with the police department, so Connelly needed to create a new police character he could tell stories with. And in Renee Ballard, he’s created a winner — a strong-willed, highly competent and extremely motivated officer. In The Late Show, several seemingly unrelated incidents from one night on the late shift all stick in Ballard’s mind, and she can’t let go of any of them, working various angles to see if she can create viable cases. In the process, she comes up against: an ex-partner who let her down, institutionalized bias, bureaucratic red tape, societal homephobia, and a psychopath with a penchant for physical violence.

I absolutely loved The Late Show, which the libraries’ Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group read for our January 2018 discussion. Ballard is a dynamic and compelling character, who holds her own in a male-dominated field. One thing that many readers were wondering about was how soon it would be before Connelly would cross Ballard over with either of his other continuing characters. The answer: Not long, as a Renee Ballard & Harry Bosch crossover novel – Dark Sacred Night – is scheduled for release this October!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try pretty much anything else written by Michael Connelly!]

[ official The Late Show page on the official Michael Connelly web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Don't miss tonight's monthly Just Desserts book discussion group meeting -- we may not be discussing Michael Connelly, but you'll still pick up some great reading ideas, if you're a mystery fan. The book actually being discussed tonight will be Robicheaux by James Lee Burke, followed by a "round robin" in which all attendees can mentioned what other mysteries they've been reading lately that they'd like to recommend!

 

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