A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel, Book 6
From the Publisher:
LAPD Detective Renée 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.
Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet twenty years ago. The arrested man is only twenty-four, so the genetic link must be familial: 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 department ammunition to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, but her mission draws her into unexpected danger. With no choice but to go outside the department for help, she knocks on the door of Harry Bosch.
At the same time, Ballard takes on a new volunteer to the cold case unit: Bosch’s daughter Maddie, now a patrol officer. But Maddie has an ulterior motive for getting access to the city’s library of lost souls—a case that may be the most iconic in the city’s history. Complex, satisfying, and full of dexterous twists, The Waiting demonstrates once more that “you can’t do better than Michael Connelly” (Forbes).
“Unputdownable . . . White-hot suspense guaranteed to please his fans. This ranks with Connelly’s best.”―Publishers Weekly (starred)
“A Hawaiian coda provides the best news of all: This distinguished series has plenty of miles to go. Aloha, and hooray.”―Kirkus Reviews“Connelly’s name on the cover guarantees a great read; his latest is no exception. The story follows the cases methodically and realistically, and the characters continue to grow. With a TV series on Amazon Prime coming soon starring Maggie Q as Renée Ballard, this novel will generate more interest than usual.” ―Library Journal (starred)
Let me start by saying this: Michael Connelly has never phoned it in, or slacked or in any way. Every one of his books is carefully researched and written with the sort of sensibility we expect from Connelly, yet he never panders. If you haven’t read Connelly, you are in for a treat. If you have, this book is everything you would expect; totally engrossing and fast-paced, with twists and red herrings laid out much like the freeways in Los Angeles with its extensive network of interconnected highways, until the supremely satisfying ending.
While Harry Bosch has his name on the front cover, he has but a few pivotal scenes. On the other hand, his daughter, Maddie, is more prominent. Maddie has a significant lead on the infamous Black Dahlia murder, which was never solved. She takes what she knows to Renée Ballard, head of the Open-Unsolved unit in the Los Angeles Police Department, and asks to volunteer for the unit. But because she is already a cop, the union insists she must be paid and cannot work as a volunteer. Luckily, Ballard has a grant with enough discretionary money to pay Maddie, plus she welcomes having another badge in the unit. But politics rears its ugly head when the District Attorney won’t close the Black Dahlia case.
The squad has been working on an old serial rapist case as well, and they get a jolt when a DNA match comes up – not for the perpetrator, but for a family member, almost certainly his son. They follow every lead which takes some interesting turns along the way.
Ballard is also working on another case, but she is keeping it to herself and Harry Bosch. Ballard is a surfer; that’s where she finds peace in her life. But after a morning ride, she gets back to her car to find her badge, gun, wallet, etc have been stolen. The thief was kind enough to leave her hide-a-key on the seat so she could at least get herself to work. But she is afraid if she reports her badge and gun have been stolen, her job will be in jeopardy. So she investigates on her own, eventually with a little help from Harry.
All these cases keep the pages turning, and these characters bring life to the investigations. I don’t read many mysteries or thrillers these days; I prefer to escape into the silliness of romcoms and the happy endings of romance. That said, there are a couple of authors I won’t miss, and Connelly leads the list. This is another excellent read from one of my favorite authors.
10/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE WAITING by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (October 15, 2024). ISBN: 978-0316563796. 416p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 
— i’ve read them all, loved them all — “the waiting” is disappointing — using a fictitious “solving” of the black dahlia case as a major plot line left me feeling cheated, and the fight to get the case officially closed felt contrived, using O’Fallon as a cheap and easy straw man — character development of maddie bosch seemed like an afterthought — thought knocking off colleen hatteras was a lazy and gratuitous way to get to the end of the book — felt like he threw a pile of scattered thoughts on the wall and said “good enough” — better than anything i could ever write, but still …
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m sorry you were disappointed.