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A worthy addition to Connelly’s collection
Book Review
By Derryll White
Connelly, Michael (2017). The Late Show.
Michael Connelly exhibits a high degree of courage and creativity with ‘The Late Show,’ not only stepping away from his incredibly successful Harry Bosch series but also creating a new primary character that is female.
Renée Ballard is definitely not the normal detective/police genre lead character and only a few male writers, such as Robert B. Parker, have truly let their readers believe that the females they create are not archetypes but real lead characters.
Connelly devotes a lot of ‘The Late Show’ to police procedures. He makes the reader aware of how a case proceeds, what the internal checks and balances are within the justice system, and just how difficult it is for a female to exist in this world of testosterone-fuelled males.
Renée Ballard is a refreshing new character. She is feminine and yet she is hard, with the nickname “Balls.” She drives hard but has a visible tenderness toward her dog and grandmother. Guys don’t fare so well with her. She has the smarts, integrity and determination to become an ongoing character for Connolly, a new harry Bosch. As the author says, she is fierce and competitive enough to make her mark in a male-dominated profession. She is also clear of the everyday encumbrances of home, marriage and kids. That contributes to her relentless perfection.
‘The Late Show’ is a highly readable novel that mirrors Michael Connolly’s maturity as a writer. It is a worthy addition to his string of 30 published novels.
****
Excerpt from the novel:
PROCESS – The Lyburger admonishment was used to compel an officer to answer questions without an attorney present. It was named after an officer who was fired for refusing to do so. It compelled an officer to talk but had an exclusion that disallowed these statements from being used in a criminal proceeding against the officer.
– Derryll White once wrote books but now chooses to read and write about them. When not reading he writes history for the web at www.basininstitute.org.
