The Waiting by Michael Connelly

 

First Line: She liked waiting for the wave more than riding the wave.

 

It's not a good way to start the day: when Renée Ballard goes back to her car after a morning's surfing, she finds it broken into and her badge, gun, and ID stolen. She can't report it without giving her enemies in the department ammunition to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, finally going to Harry Bosch for help.

 

In the meantime, she and the Open/Unsolved Unit of the LAPD have gotten a DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and killer who went quiet twenty years ago. Could this young man be the son of the infamous Pillowcase Rapist? Even Renée doesn't expect the secrets and legal hurdles their investigation kicks up.

 

While all this is going on, Renée 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 accessing the city's old records: she's uncovered new evidence in a case that may be the most iconic in the city's history.

 

~

 

It's always a bit like Christmas when there's a new Ballard & Bosch mystery, and The Waiting put a big smile on my face. As Harry Bosch ages, I cherish every scene he's in, and although I know our time with him is undoubtedly limited, I really appreciate how Connelly is passing Harry's torch on to Renée Ballard and Harry's daughter, Maddie. 

Renée is more than happy to add Maddie to her handpicked team. Having another person with a badge will make her own job easier. Now if another team member, Colleen Hatteras, would stop being a bit of a thorn in Renée's side! Renée has done a fantastic job with her team. Since many of the cold cases are so old that the killers the team identifies are already dead or incarcerated, Renée has put a limit to the ones they'll work-- none should go back further than 1975.

The various cases that the team works are woven together beautifully, and Connelly always manages to teach me something about the bad guys. (Beware of some of those apps you love to use...) The case that Maddie came to the cold case team to work is indeed probably the most iconic in Los Angeles' history, and it was interesting to see how Connelly worked that out.

With another engrossing story under my belt, I'm back to waiting for the next time I'll see Renée, Maddie, and Harry. It can't be soon enough for me.

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

eISBN: 9780316563819

Little, Brown and Company © 2024

eBook, 387 pages

 

Police Procedural, #6 Ballard & Bosch

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley