Not Sure the Character is New, but the Story is Great
I realize I’m still years behind on Michael Connelly’s books, but I feel like I’m catching up. It helps that I remember when The Late Show first came out, and me thinking it would take me forever to get caught up to that point. Yet here I am.
This book represents a change for Michael Connelly since he’s introducing a new character, something he hadn’t done for years at this point. LAPD Renee Ballard has been demoted to the overnight shift in Hollywood, a definitely step down for this detective. The overnight shift, called the late show, is usually a punishment for detectives who have fallen out of favor for one reason or another. Renee is frustrated since it means she never gets to see a case through. Her job is to be the first detective on the scene and then pass things off to the day shift detectives who actually solve the case.
On one night, that changes when three cases fall into Ballard’s lap. The first is a woman who had her credit card stolen. Then, Ballard and her partner are called to the hospital when a transgendered individual is brought in after being left for dead. Finally, they haven’t even left the hospital when they are called on to assist with a shooting at a nightclub. Ballard manages to find ways to stay involved in all three cases. But will she be able to solve them?
While Ballad is technically a new character, she feels like a younger, female version of Bosch. She goes rogue whenever necessary (and it’s always necessary). She’s been sent to Hollywood division after an issue with a supervisor. She has a poor personal life because she is devoted to her work. It will be interesting to see how I feel about these comparisons when Ballard and Bosch start teaming up since the differences will be more obvious then, I’m sure. I also don’t feel like his other lead characters have been as similar as these two are.
Now, don’t misunderstand what I just said. I liked Ballard. She is a compelling lead, and I enjoyed spending time around her as she worked on these cases. Likewise, I enjoyed meeting the rest of the cast, although Ballard is the one we get to know the best.
I also found the plot to be good. I saw some things coming early, but there were some other twists that completely caught me off guard. The three cases wove in and out of each other well, keeping me engaged the entire time. And I didn’t feel like any of them got short changed.
The narrator for the audio version was Katherine Moennig. She did an okay job, although sometimes it was a little hard to tell who was speaking in a scene. She’s still much better than the narrator I heard for the first few Connelly books. (If you suffered through those versions, you know what I’m talking about.)
As always, keep in mind this is a police procedural. There is one scene in particular that I felt pushed things a little further than they needed to go, but on the whole, this is focused on the cases Ballard is investigating without going further than it needs to go.
Connelly loves to put in winks and nods to the various film and TV versions of his books, and this contains the first references to the Bosch TV show. It’s just a quick thing, but it’s still fun. (And I guess I need to find a way to start watching it now. I was waiting until I got the books read first.)
It’s interesting to see Connelly introduce a new character at this point in his career. I’m very curious to see where he intends to go with Ballard. If you haven’t met her yet, you’ll be glad you picked up The Late Show.
Enjoy the rest of the Renee Ballard Mysteries.
Sounds like a good book. I read Michael Connelly years ago, but am way behind. Thanks for reminding me about this author.
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