The Waiting

It's always a bit like Christmas when there's a new Ballard & Bosch mystery, and The Waiting put a big smile on my face. As Harry Bosch ages, I cherish every scene he's in, and although I know our time with him is undoubtedly limited, I really appreciate how Connelly is passing Harry's torch on to Renée Ballard and Harry's daughter, Maddie.

Renée is more than happy to add Maddie to her handpicked team. Having another person with a badge will make her own job easier. Now if another team member, Colleen Hatteras, would stop being a bit of a thorn in Renée's side! Renée has done a fantastic job with her team. Since many of the cold cases are so old that the killers the team identifies are already dead or incarcerated, Renée has put a show more limit to the ones they'll work-- none should go back further than 1975.

The various cases that the team works are woven together beautifully, and Connelly always manages to teach me something about the bad guys. (Beware of some of those apps you love to use...) The case that Maddie came to the cold case team to work is indeed probably the most iconic in Los Angeles' history, and it was interesting to see how Connelly worked that out.

With another engrossing story under my belt, I'm back to waiting for the next time I'll see Renée, Maddie, and Harry. It can't be soon enough for me.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) show less

Renee Ballard, who is in charge of the Open-Unsolved Unit of the LAPD, shares many of the characteristics of her mentor, Harry Bosch. Like Harry, who retired after a long and legendary career, Renee is courageous, tough, and obsessed with seeing that justice is done, even if doing so means bending the rules. In Michael Connelly’s “The Waiting,” Renee is juggling various cases and is continuing to search for her mother who abandoned her when she was thirteen.

Ballard and her team of part-time volunteers are looking for the “Pillowcase Rapist,” a predator who attacked women in L. A. over a period of five years and strangled one of his victims. Now, the investigators are using DNA and investigative genetic genealogy in an effort show more to track him down. In addition, while Renee is surfing, someone steals her gun, badge, and wallet (containing her credit cards, ID, and driver’s license) from her car. She prefers not to report this incident to her boss, because losing one’s gun and badge can lead to disciplinary action. She chooses to look for the thief herself, a decision that will have serious consequences.

Harry Bosch makes a few cameo appearances, and his daughter, Maddie, joins Renee’s unit, mostly because she has information that could break open one of the most notorious cases in California history. This is a thrilling and engrossing police procedural in which the author once again sheds light on the role that politics and personal vendettas play in law enforcement. Renee is a savvy and fearless heroine who likes to ride big waves at the beach. At work, she takes risks that might pay off, but her rash actions could just as easily place her in danger or end her career. “The Waiting” is a hard-hitting, haunting, and thought-provoking novel that is a must-read for fans of the immensely talented Michael Connelly. show less

Another terrific Ballard and Bosch novel by Michael Connelly!
It opens with Renée Ballard returning to her car after surfing one morning and discovering that someone has broken in and stole her gun, bullets, wallet, and badge.
Ballard is working with the LAPD Open-Unsolved Unit, a group of volunteers, mostly with no police background, who are using new techniques to solve major crimes that are decades old. A man was recently arrested who had a DNA link to a serial rapist and murderer from more than two decades ago and they began a check of his family relationships.
Maddie Bosch applies to become a volunteer with a group, an offer that Ballard totally supports since it will give her another person with a badge on the team.
Maddie has show more another reason for wanting to be involved the unsolved unit: the savage and rape and murder of a young movie starlet in 1947 who was called the Black Dahlia.
The team has a lot of work to do to sort out what information is accurate and what must be dismissed after being evaluated.
As usual, I found I was losing sleep and neglecting chores while a was engrossed in THE WAITING. show less

LAPD Renee Ballard tracks a serial rapist whose trail has gone cold and enlists a new volunteer to the Open-Unsolved Unit: patrol officer Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter.
Renee Ballard and the LAPD Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet two decades ago. The arrested man is only 24, so the genetic link must be familiar: his father was the Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror in the City of Angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their suspect, they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles.
Meanwhile, Ballard’s badge, gun, and ID are stolen-a theft she can’t report without giving her enemies in the show more department ammunition to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, but her mission draws her into u expected danger. With no choice but to go outside the department for help, she knocks on Harry Bosch’s door. show less

My read through of the Harry Bosch Universe completed before the end of the year - and I'm gonna miss Harry. This was a great end to the read through, highlighting Harry's age and how he's transitioning into this part of his life. It was also a bit of a coming out party for Maddy Bosch, as she joins the Open Unsolved team with Ballard, with a resolution on the long unsolved Black Dahlia case, and the resolution is totally credible. Ballard loses her badge and gun, and goes after it in very Harry-esque fashion, tripping into a mass bombing attack which put Harry undercover again. Connelly is rumored to be writing a new character for his next book - I hope he doesn't leave Harry on the shelf too long.

5 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended!!!!!

The Waiting is another book in the Ballard and Bosch series that Connelly has been developing over the last few years. With each new thriller we gain a deep insight to Renee Ballard and how she ticks and her dedication to her job, and how Bosch is a mentor figure for her especially when she goes off piste.

Renee Ballard is out in the surf where she feels most relaxed, and it is a way for her to remember her father. It also helps to clear her mind and be ready for the day ahead. When she gets back to her vehicle, she finds that it has been broken into and her badge and gun have been stolen. She cannot report it as she knows this would be the excuse LAPD are looking for to get rid of her from the department. Ballard investigates who took show more it, and follows the crumbs which leads her to needing the help of Harry Bosch.

Ballard is leading a team of volunteers in the Open-Unsolved Unit which investigates the murder cases that have gone cold but in the main have been forgotten. She is now on the day shift with a mixed team of talents and their current case is the Pillowcase rapes and murder. A case that has had no leads in a very long time. Then a DNA familial match appears and so begins an investigation into an unknown person. This was the kind of luck the team occasionally got and would give the possibility of an arrest.

Maddy Bosch is not long out of the academy and is now a patrol officer in the Hollywood division when she asks if she can volunteer for the open squad. Ballard is nervous at first but then thinks she does need another officer with a badge to take some of the strain. Bosch has her own reasons for wanting to join the team. Which becomes clear especially when she makes headway in a very historic LA crime. Pity the DA’s office does not want to close it in spite of all the evidence.

The various interwoven stories reflect the life of any detective where they are usually juggling more than once case, all demanding their time. Connelly is a master thriller writer, and he succeeds in The Waiting to keep you guessing all the way to the end. While he does lay a trail of crumbs for the reader, blink and you will miss them. This really is a brilliant and engrossing read. show less

The Waiting, Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch, Book 6, Michael Connely, author; Christine Lakin. Titus Welliver, Madison Lintz, narrators
Renee Ballard is a Detective with the LA Police Department. She is in charge of cold cases. She runs a unit of volunteers that works to solve them. One lovely morning, she is surfing and unaware that while she is centering herself, her car is being broken into by thieves. When her belongings are stolen, she fears she will be fired if the crime is discovered. Her Glock, ID, phone and Badge are missing. Keeping the crime a secret, she opens her own investigation to try and recover the missing items. An unsolved cold case, that took place in the same parking lot, offers her clues to the thieves. She engages show more Harry Bosch to help her solve the crime. Actually, his daughter Madeline Bosch, a patrol officer, has just begun to volunteer with the cold case unit, but she hasn’t told her father yet.
Renee is not only searching for her belongings, she is also searching for her mom, with whom she is estranged. Her mom lives in Lahaina. A tragic fire there has just destroyed the city and has left a very high death toll in its wake. She has not been able to locate her and doesn’t know if she has survived. If she finds her, will they reconcile? She is seeing a therapist hoping to work out her anger issues and to resolve her feelings toward her mother who abandoned her.
Ballard is often manipulative. She bends the rules to obtain evidence and does not present law enforcement in the best possible way. The image of a law enforcement officer that I have is of someone quite different. I expect them to uphold the law, treat people with respect and behave lawfully themselves. Ballard defies those principles with abandon and does not always make herself a likeable character. She seems to consider herself above the law, is often devious, steals evidence, and is rude to Colleen, a devoted genetics expert who works for her unit. The picture of law enforcement that the author is drawing through her, is not very encouraging as it depicts a politically motivated system that often does not deal in justice but is governed by current controversies instead. Individual selfish needs might take precedent over the cases being explored. Sometimes it took a tragedy or scandal to shake things up and correct the process.
In her capacity as an LA Detective, Ballard is working on two other very cold cases. Both involve cold-blooded, violent murders and/or sexual assault. One is about a serial killer called the Black Dahlia and the other is about the Pillowcase Rapist. Occasionally, it got a bit confusing as the narrative seemed disjointed, but in the end, as the crimes were resolved, the book came together. The investigations were detailed and interesting.
At one point in the book, seemingly placed inappropriately, however, the author inferred that the unarmed Ashli Babbitt, the former soldier who was murdered in cold blood on January 6th, was a terrorist. She was in no way connected with the terrorist named DeHaven in this book, than she was related to Mickey Mouse. She was a patriot who had served her country and had been in the military for 14 years. Many of the so-called conspiracy theories that the author may or may not believe, have since been proven to be fact, not conspiracy Therefore, although I love Harry Bosch books, and anytime he is mentioned I immediately have an interest in reading them, if Ballard/Bosch books are going to twist the truth to satisfy personal political beliefs, whatever they may be, I may reconsider by desire to read them. There are two sides to every story and two can play the same game. This last election has shown that more than half the country is rightfully and lawfully questioning current political views and assessments. I hope that authors will continue to write books for all of us to read, without trying to offend any of us. show less