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A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel, Book 2
From the publisher:
PEOPLE Best Books of Fall 2019
“A darkly thrilling tale of survival and obsession. Lisa Unger never disappoints.” —Riley Sager, bestselling author of Lock Every Door
Even good people are drawn to do evil things…
Twelve-year-old Rain Winter narrowly escaped an abduction while walking to a friend’s house. Her two best friends, Tess and Hank, were not as lucky. Tess never came home, and Hank was held in captivity before managing to escape. Their abductor was sent to prison but years later was released. Then someone delivered real justice—and killed him in cold blood.
Now Rain is living the perfect suburban life, her dark childhood buried deep. She spends her days as a stay-at-home mom, having put aside her career as a hard-hitting journalist to care for her infant daughter. But when another brutal murderer who escaped justice is found dead, Rain is unexpectedly drawn into the case. Eerie similarities to the murder of her friends’ abductor force Rain to revisit memories she’s worked hard to leave behind. Is there a vigilante at work? Who is the next target? Why can’t Rain just let it go?
Introducing one of the most compelling and original killers in crime fiction today, Lisa Unger takes readers deep inside the minds of both perpetrator and victim, blurring the lines between right and wrong, crime and justice, and showing that sometimes people deserve what comes to them.
Connelly keeps cranking out these exceedingly well-written police procedurals. When the publicity comes out introducing a new series, inevitably he manages to tie his characters together. Renée Ballard was supposed to have her own series, as was Mickey Haller, the “Lincoln Lawyer.” All three are tied together in this new book.
Ballard and Bosch have an interesting dynamic. He’s old school, retired LAPD; she’s LAPD but on the late show, the graveyard shift, where she works alone, and that’s how she likes it. Ballard has a terrific back story, and while Connelly includes enough here to keep a first-time reader up to date, these books are best read in order. No, you don’t have to start with the first Bosch book, but maybe with a couple of those, then the Lincoln Lawyer, then The Late Show, Dark Sacred Night, then this one. I don’t feel the least bit guilty telling anyone to read at least half a dozen Connelly books because they are that good. I would read them all over again if I could. I love his characters, his writing style, and his stories. Just read them and say thank you. And if you haven’t watched Bosch on Amazon Prime, do yourself a favor and do so immediately! Start with Season 1.
This time out, Bosch is helping Mickey Haller get his murder defendant acquitted, which pisses off Ballard. See, all together now. It also pisses off the detectives who were on the case. But of course, Bosch is on to something. Hooking up with Ballard to work another cold case may actually help with the new murder investigation. Lots of personalities clashing, political shenanigans within the police force, some good, some bad. Somehow different murders in different states and timelines are solved, and I bought all of it. Even the cliffhanger ending, or maybe especially the ending; I can’t wait for the next Ballard & Bosch book. The master proves his worth once again.
10/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE NIGHT FIRE by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (October 22, 2019). ISBN 978-0316485616. 416p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 
Another for my bookshelf. Thanks!
Hope you enjoy!