The Late Show

If there's one book I've read this summer that I would recommend everyone read, it's Michael Connelly's The Late Show. The character of Renée Ballard blew me away. She's from the same mold as Harry Bosch: Everyone counts, or nobody counts. She's intensely private and spends many of her mornings when she's just gotten off shift paddleboarding with her dog Lola. Renée graduated from the University of Hawaii with a degree in journalism, but the first time she had to cover a crime scene, she realized that she didn't want to write about crime, she wanted to catch the bad guys.

Her journalist's background means she's fantastic at mowing through the mounds of paperwork every police officer has to deal with, and she's become a pro, not only show more with paperwork but with her timing as well so she can work the cases that will get short shrift by the overworked day shift. (Everybody counts....) As a result of what she continues to deal with after her unsuccessful sexual harassment complaint, Renée has no time for people who won't stick up for her when they know she's right. But she's not all sharp edges and hostility; she can be thrilled to find a bookstore she didn't know existed when walking in downtown Los Angeles-- and there are her grandmother and Lola, too.

As you can tell, I did fall hard for Renée Ballard, but it wasn't just the main character that makes this book so special. The story itself is compelling, and Michael Connelly absolutely blindsided me with whodunit. Yes, The Late Show is so darned good that I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. Write faster, Mr. Connelly! show less

I found myself looking for ways not to like the new cop on the scene - Renée Ballard. But she's too much like Bosch not to like. In many ways, she's the female version of Bosch, with some idiosyncrasies of her own to keep it fresh (essentially homeless and sleeping on the beach between midnight shifts so that she can surf int he mornings). Even though she's supposed to hand off the cases at the end of her shift, Ballard can't let go. She works a near homicide of a sex worker and noses into a shooting in a diner that involves her old partner. Bosch doesn't make an appearance, but it was good to read this one to get the set-up for the upcoming books featuring both.

4 bones!!!!

Michael Connelly’s newest book The Late Show introduces us to a new character, Detective Renee Ballard and she’s one heck of a badass. Having been banished to the night shift (the late show of the title) after filing an unsuccessful sexual harassment complaint against her boss, she is now expected to just do the scut work with her new partner, Jenkins, conducting the opening investigation of a crime but then having to turn it over to other departments just as things look to be getting interesting. Jenkins is more than happy to do this but Ballard can’t let things go so easily. Fortunately, Jenkins would rather spend his time at home whenever possible so Ballard is able to go out on her, investigating cases, some no one else is show more interested in, but most she is supposed to have handed over but just can’t walk away from.

The Late Show is one compelling adrenaline rush of a story and Ballard is the perfect protagonist to match the furious speed. She’s a complicated woman - brash, brave, and willing to buck authority when she thinks, no, knows she’s the woman for the job even while realizing she is putting, not only her job but her life on the line but she also has flaws that make her sympathetic. She may not be Bosch but she’s plenty good enough to get the job done and keep the reader’s attention. A high recommendation from me for fans of Connelly or anyone who likes fast-paced thrillers and strong female protagonists.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

This book almost became a DNF for me! I haven’t read many “procedurals” so I don’t have much to compare. I do watch TV cop and detective shows and that may be why I felt this was written with stage directions for such a show. The author provided way too much detail in terms of physical movements for the detective. I almost gave up on it a number of times. I kept going because that is what I do and also because the plot was interesting enough that I wanted to see how it played out. I have learned that most (not all) books are worth the effort to complete and I am glad I persevered. I really enjoyed the second half of the book. I felt like the narrative took over and I was finally free of all the stage directions. The characters show more became much more real and their emotions and their motivations were revealed. The mystery was interesting with a few good twists. I came away really liking the detective character who I understand is the focus for this new series. show less

So I really enjoyed this new character created by Michael Connelly. Renee Ballard is a LAPD detective who has been bounced to "The Late Show" i.e. the night shift that means she no longer gets to work hot cases. We find out that when Renee filed a sexual harassment case against her supervisor, her ex partner failed to back her up, which caused her to get booted to the late show. When Renee starts working two cases that brings her back into the periphery of her ex-supervisor and ex-partner, Renee finds out that she doesn't want to just be pushed out and ignored anymore. In the current climate that is going on (women coming forward with sexual harassment complaints) Connelly could not have written a more topical novel. I really loved the show more character of Renee. She obviously has a lot of issues, but she is smart and refuses to back down. I can see her going down as a fan favorite just like Harry Bosch.

When Renee catches the first of the two cases we follow in this book, we get to see her not just going by the numbers like her current partner Jenkins is doing. Getting to investigate who left a prostitute near death, has Renee wanting to catch "the big evil" that she thinks the perpetrator has to be. When Renee and Jenkins are called to another crime scene at a nightclub that left several people dead, she runs into her ex-partner Chastain and her former supervisor Olivas.

The characters in this one really do come alive. I liked Renee a lot. You definitely get that she's smart. And I liked that something in her would not just allow her to write off an attack on a prostitute. With her going back to figure out what happened to the victim and doing the groundwork needed to figure out who the perpetrator was interesting. And I am glad that Renee got to redeem herself in this book though she really didn't need to be redeemed. It sucks her career got derailed because she refused to have sex with her supervisor. I can see that Olivas is going to be set up to be a thorn in her side (unless Connelly kills his terrible ass) for at least one more book.

Renee's partner Jenkins is just sticking around til retirement trying to take care of his sick wife. Unlike with Bosch though, Renee truly seems to value his partnership and even though Chastain betrayed her, she still knows the ins and outs of him long after their partnership is over. I always felt like Bosch was just a lone wolf who didn't need anyway. I liked Ballard having to bring in people with what she was doing through both cases.

Renee's grandmother was barely in this book, hope we see more of her in the future.

The writing was really good. It took a bit though for me to get a handle on Ballard. I honestly didn't know if I even liked her at first. She seemed to be pretty hard and when you read about what all happened to her (losing her father, not having her mother around, dealing with her partner betraying her) I can see why she was so prickly. I don't know if I would be done with just sleeping on a beach most nights though.

I really did love how this book calls back to a few things from the Bosch series. Many long time readers should realize who Chastain is, his father appeared in several of the Bosch books, "The Black Ice", "Trunk Music" and "Angels Flight." We also have references to Bosch himself and a series based on his life. That part cracked me up though. Can you imagine Bosch wanting to be part of a tv series?

The ending left things with Ballard at a crossroads of sorts. I am curious what she is going to do, stick with "The Late Show" or finally be called back up to Homicide. I do hope that she runs into other characters from the Bosch universe. show less

I don't think I've read a Michael Connelly before, but I was in the mood for a police procedural. When I saw this was available at my library, I grabbed it. I'm glad I did.

There was a lot of good action in here and it's set in LA. I really liked and appreciated the main character, detective Renee Ballard. She's been downgraded to the late shift in a different unit after reporting a star senior detective in a different unit of sexual harassment. Her old partner and others failed to speak up and support her, so she's with a new male partner and has a 'black eye' in the male-dominated force.

Her relationships - with other men she works with, her new and her old partner, and her grandmother who raised her are all well-handled and seem show more authentic. Most importantly, as a main character, she's assertive, loyal, determined, intelligent and career-driven - all good traits. However, those attributes often come at a cost in male-dominant professions and that is handled with truth and sensitivitiy

All that and a twisty and satisfying story, too. If you like police procedurals or want to try one - highly recommended.

Warning - Graphic, but realistic portrayals of sexual assault and violence for sensitive readers. show less

The bar for Michael Connelly novels isn't set very high for me. The guy who was once my go-to crime writer had slipped considerably over the last few years. However, 'The Late Show', with a new major character (Renee Ballard), is a strong comeback. Maybe it's the excitement of having a new protagonist that has re-energized Mr. Connelly?

Ballard is a detective on 'the late show', or the night shift. It's not a good thing for a detective to be assigned to that duty, but she's been victimized by internal politics and is making the most of it. She's extremely competent and is chafing at the bit to do more. She grabs an assignment to investigate a violent sexual assault but is also drawn into a multi-victim homicide at a bar that has some show more ominous undertones.

As with most of Connelly's work, the procedural stuff is rock solid. The writing is just OK... Connelly favors straightforward declarative sentences for the most part but will never be considered Hemingway-esque. The passages with dialogue sometimes seem to be a bit 'off', but that wasn't a huge problem. The plot was good, which I think separates it from some of his recent stinkers. The interaction between law enforcement personnel at different levels is always interesting, and when corruption is involved it's really complicated. 'The Late Show' has these interactions and their after-effects in spades.

I've docked 'The Late Show' a star since the first hundred or so pages were very boring, but the remainder kicked it up a notch. It's not one of Connelly's best (you'd need to go back a long way for that....) but it's very good and hopefully a return to form. show less