The Late Show

Michael Connelly

Jul 2017 · Renée Ballard Book 1 · Sold by Little, Brown

About this ebook

In this first installment of the Renée Ballard series, #1 bestselling author Michael Connelly introduces a "complicated and driven" young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD's toughest beat (The New York Times).
Renee Ballard works the midnight shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing few, as each morning she turns everything over to the daytime units. It's a frustrating job for a once up-and-coming detective, but it's no accident. She's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.
But one night Ballard catches two assignments she doesn't want to part with. First, a prostitute is brutally beaten and left for dead in a parking lot. All signs point to a crime of premeditation, not passion, by someone with big evil on his mind. Then she sees a young waitress breathe her last after being caught up in a nightclub shooting. Though dubbed a peripheral victim, the waitress buys Ballard a way in, and this time she is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night.
As the investigations intertwine, Ballard is forced to face her own demons and confront a danger she could never have imagined. To find justice for these victims who can't speak for themselves, she must put not only her career but her life on the line.
Propulsive as a jolt of adrenaline and featuring a bold and defiant new heroine, The Late Show is yet more proof that Michael Connelly is "a master of the genre" (Washington Post).

Ratings and reviews

While it starts a little slow, due to the introduction of a new character, it picks up the pace and just keeps going. He's brought us a young female Bosch and I look forward to reading more stories based on this character.

Connelly has a way with words in his books that keep you engaged in the story. The first book I picked up that he wrote was The Black Echo. I have been reading through all his books. He captures your attention fast and no matter where you stop at in the book it's calls you back to find out what happens in the story. If you haven't read the Detective Harry Bosch series I highly recommend it's a great read.

This is a writer. One of the best. He writes with authority, clarity and always a sense of fun. I am trying to read every crime thriller he has written. I always hope each story does not end. They are all great and well worth reading.

About the author

Michael Connelly is the author of twenty-nine previous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Wrong Side of Goodbye and The Crossing. His books, which include the Harry Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer series, have sold more than sixty million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels and is the executive producer of Bosch, starring Titus Welliver. He spends his time in California and Florida.