The Late Show by Michael ConnellyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing none as each morning she turns her cases over to day shift detectives. A once up-and-coming detective, she's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.
But one night she catches two cases she doesn't want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her own partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the cases entwine they pull her closer to her own demons and the reason she won't give up her job no matter what the department throws at her.
Read as an audio book.
I've read and reviewed Connelly's Harry Bosch series, which I have for the most part enjoyed, with the exception that Bosch is a total git. I was on the fence about picking up The Late Show, but needed something to read for my commute and it was on sale.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the first installment with Renee. I found her to be an interesting character, fairly well balanced in her approach to being a detective, treats her fellow detectives with respect but isn't afraid to push. I also liked the double mystery in this installment.
There were a handful of things that rubbed me the wrong way - not enough to set aside the book or stop reading the series - but notable on their own:
Her dog Lola. Not wild about how the dog spent most of the time with the dog sitter. Pick up the dog, then dump the dog off. That's not fair to the dog and I fully admit, my quirk.
Repetitive statements such as "the late show". Yeah, I got that "the late show" is police jargon for working the night shift after the first 10 times it was used. After that, it just felt forced.
I am not a fan of turning the female protagonist in any book into a sexual victim. It's demeaning and not necessary.
There is a scene in the book where Renee paddles out into the fog on the ocean...for someone as skilled on the water as she is - a dumb move. Yes, the scene has meaning, but given her knowledge of surfing, it was dumb.
So perhaps a bit nit-picky, but that's what a review is about - just an opinion and discussion about what worked for the reader or didn't work. I thought this was a strong and engaging read, the twists and turns were well done, the narrator did a very good performance, and I am looking forward to checking out the next installment.
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