LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch work together to hunt the killer who is Bosch’s ‘white whale’ – a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.
A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralisation and endless red tape. Yet after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving ‘the Late Show’ to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.
For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn’t been able to crack – the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his ‘white whale’ with the resources of the LAPD behind him.
The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer. Propulsive and unstoppable, this new novel demonstrates once again why Marilyn Stasio of the New York Times Book Review says, ‘Connelly is the real deal’.
For the handful of readers who are yet to experience a Michael Connelly thriller, you’re in for a ride. Connelly is the megastar bestselling author of the Harry Bosch thriller series, now a hit TV series. His books have sold more than eighty million copies in 40 languages and have won multiple awards including the CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in British crime writing. On top of this, Connelly visited the Better Reading office a couple of years ago and he was so nice that we’re all now huge fans. Nice author, brilliant writing, tick, tick.
Desert Star has all the Connelly signature traits: polished writing, a tight plot and plenty of twists and turns that you won’t see coming. But giving this page-turner grit and depth is the always compelling Harry Bosch, who is aging now, and it shows, physically. Feisty Renee Ballard is heading up a case with the LAPD and she’s asked Bosch to volunteer his time and expertise. These two characters have really grown, both individually and as a team, and it’s an absolute pleasure to follow them here. This was also a surprisingly emotional read, and it will be interesting to see where the next instalment leads Bosch.
As with all of Connelly’s books, you can read Desert Star as a standalone, but this series is such a leader in the crime genre, that you won’t, and shouldn’t stop at one. Michael Connelly truly is the real deal… and the Bosch series is simply the best.
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