The Late Show Hardcover – July 18, 2017

THE LATE SHOW is Michael Connelly’s dazzling new novel. It introduces a new series character, Renée Ballard. Renée is unmarried; she has Polynesian ancestry; she lost her father in a surfing accident, but she herself continues to paddle and surf. She has no fixed address except for her grandmother’s home in Ventura. She carries a tent with her and sleeps at Venice Beach with her rescue dog, Lola, a boxer-mix with great loyalty, deep wounds, a loving heart and good instincts. Renée has been transferred to the ‘late show’, the late night detail which holds the LAPD together during the wee hours and then hands off the important work to the daytime shifts. Her assignment there is punishment for her filing of a harassment complaint against a (guilty but exonerated) lieutenant, who is still on the job, bedeviling her.The key event of the story is the execution of three criminals in a restaurant by an as yet-unidentified fourth individual. In the massacre (recalling the famous Nite-Owl case in Ellroy’s L.A. CONFIDENTIAL) a bouncer and waitress have also been killed. Renée is on the periphery of that case, principally investigating the death of the waitress. At the same time and in a different location she is investigating the brutal assault of a transsexual hooker, a Latino man, now woman, who was beaten with brass knuckles and barely survived. Renée suspects that the multiple homicides and singular assault may be related.All the while she investigates she is fighting the division establishment, which seeks to keep her on the sidelines. Her partner, a decent sort, is about to retire and is taking care of his cancer-afflicted wife. He wants to do his job and get back home first thing each morning to minister to his wife when she awakes.The biggest challenge in the book is to keep the acronyms straight. The acronyms (RHD/robbery homicide division, e.g.) reinforce the procedural thrusts of the narrative and also add humor and texture. Her former partner, e.g., identifies some witnesses with the acronym DSS (= didn’t see s **t). Needless to say, Connelly knows the geography of Los Angeles, the divisional layers of the LAPD and the procedural paperwork intimately and, as with the Harry Bosch novels, takes us into the jungle with ease and to great effect.Renée is a very attractive character. We will most certainly want to be there for her next case. As noted, the setting is fully realized and the entangled, complex plot beautifully presented. It is clear that the novel has been very carefully contemplated and planned. There is a memorable passage on the nature of good and evil and the darkness within, but the novel is seldom philosophic or reflective. It is a tight, even riveting story that the reader will want to consume in as few sittings as possible. This is state-of-the-art crime fiction that remains faithful to genre.Highly recommended.

I’ve read at least a dozen of MC’s works. They’re beyond reproach in terms of authenticity. You can trust that they will be plotted with a sure hand and a seasoned imagination. They are satisfyingly intricate, suspenseful and dotted with obligatory romantic interludes. I would have given it five stars had there been more nuanced contrasts between the heroine and the villains.

Great authors hook repetitive readers with the construction of great characters. If you're reading this review, you've probably read the Michael Connelly books that feature Detective Harry Bosch. And if you're a Bosch fan, you've probably also read these authors for similar strong characters: James Lee Burke (Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell), Robert Crais (Joe Pike), Lee Child (Jack Reacher), John Sandford (Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers), John Connoly (Charlie Parker), Jeffry Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme), Stephen Hunter (generations of the Swagger clan), and probably my favorites, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Agent Pendergast). If you have read them, you know what I mean. And if you haven't picked up on them, this is a not so subtle suggestion that you do. These authors and their respective characters keep bringing me back again and again --unless/until the characters and plots go stale.I'm convinced that good authors know when their work is going stale, either they get tired of writing about the same character or they've played out the story options they've come up with. Sometimes they might notice that the reviews on their most recent work have become a bit jaded, and sometimes they see their book sales trailing off and want to get back ahead of the curve. While I don't know the reason why Michael Connelly brought out this new character, he introduces us to Renee Ballard in "The Late Show", a young, attractive, energetic and intelligent female LAPD detective now working the night shift. Many LEOs (law enforcement officers) work the night shift because that is where the action is. Others are demoted to it in the same way that corporate executives might be relocated to Fairbanks, Alaska (no offense intended), the lowest rung on the totem pole that there is typically no recovery from. That is what has happened to Detective Ballard.Say what you will about sexual harassment, it still rears its ugly head in many work environments. It is simply 'wrong' but is firmly entrenched in what have been considered male dominated industries. Find yourself being taken advantage of by a superior in today's day and age and the superior often pays with his/her job. Vamoose, good-bye, nice knowing you. But in some environments strings are pulled, good old boys protected, and the victim finds himself/herself victimized once again. The payback for not succeeding in a sexual harassment case is that the accused retains his/her position and the accuser pays the price. This is what happens in this fast moving story by Michael Connelly. It sure isn't pretty.Mr. Connelly has changed gears only as far as the sexual orientation of his main character. Like Harry Bosch, Renee Ballard works for one of the largest law enforcement units in the country. In fact, the City of Los Angeles Police Department is the third largest in the country, following only New York City and Chicago. The size of local law enforcement usually follows the extent of crime in that jurisdiction. Go figure. So the author has pretty much stayed with what he knows. And why shouldn't he? Enough crazy situations occur out there that it's easy to use and justify the phrase that "you can't make this stuff up". Several interesting cases are part of the story line and the author successfully leads us through them to their ultimate conclusions. Prostitution, sexual ambiguity, violent actions followed by grim investigations, bad language and inappropriate humor, theft, murder, corruption and manipulation of facts, sadism, and the willingness of a determined (and maligned) detective to take on these investigations.This novel has a little bit of something for everyone. It is well-written, humorous, and pushes the envelope. It will be a bumpy but interesting ride for you as you follow the human motivations and try to figure out where this whole thing is heading. Think that you've got it? Sorry -- think again!

Police procedure intricately woven into a great story. A well written and rewarding read that will have you desperate to get your hands on book 2. A heroine to become a favourite.

Michael Connelly never lets you down, the definitive crime writer. Intensely plotted with realistic characters. Highly recommended, to all crime fiction fans or to those just looking for a great read.

An excellent story line and an excellent read by one of our favourite writers

“The Late Show”. Marvellous Novel.Indeed. I just finished reading “The Late Show”.A lot of details about how the Police Operates, especially involving a woman Detective (Ballard). The end is somewhat abrupt. Did Ballard reached safety from Paddling.

KIND OF SLOW, WE'LL SEE ONLY ABOUT A THIRD THROUGH, GOT INTERESTED BECAUSE IT WAS A BOOK BY CONNELY OF A NEW CHARACTER.