The Night Fire: A Ballard and Bosch Thriller (Ballard & Bosch 2)

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Bosch brings the murder book to Reneé Ballard and asks her to help him find what about the case lit Thompson’s fire all those years ago. That will be their starting point.

Excerpt: Set the Night on Fire by Mike Davis, Jon Wiener". Los Angeles Review of Books. April 14, 2020 . Retrieved September 28, 2020. Your Honor, where is he going with this?” she asked. “This is beyond the scope of my cross-examination.” One of the main themes of the book is neo-Nazism and white supremacy groups who hate the recent Muslim immigrants. If you're uncomfortable reading characters who are obviously and unapologetically racist you may want to read elsewhere.Can you tell this jury for a fact that he did not take his dosage after the murder but before his blood was drawn at the hospital?” Left Hanging: The case of the 11-year-old-girl committing suicide is never resolved, and Renee never makes a definite determination as to whether it was suicide or murder. Lindell has no standing to investigate, but she makes inquiries in an effort to assist her former colleague, Sammy Nilsson, of the Violent Crimes Unit. The author spends a great deal of time exploring Lindell's and Nilsson's angst. Ann has had problems with alcohol and still drinks, although not as excessively as she had in the past. Nilsson's marriage is crumbling and he is finding his job increasingly depressing. Eriksson's plot is labored and slow-moving, and most of the characters are dreary and unlikeable. Caterina Cava's crooked smile reminds Bosch of an actress whose name he can't remember, but she was in Diner and Sea of Love—that is, Ellen Barkin.

Buddy Cop Show: Harry Bosch the grizzled old ex-cop, and Renee Ballard the current LAPD cop less than half his age, working cases together, "off the record and below department radar." Haller played the part beginning at the twenty-minute mark, where Herstadt seemed to shut down physically and mentally. He sat frozen, catatonic, staring down at the table. He didn’t respond to multiple questions from Gustafson, and the detective soon realized that something was wrong. Ann Lindell retired from her position as a police inspector in Uppsala for a quieter life as a farmer/cheese maker when a fire breaks out in an old village schoolhouse that is now used for asylum seekers. They assume arson, and Ann finds herself becoming more involved in the investigation as the stakes become higher and more personal.

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The main character Harry Bosch is now retired but still investigates cold cases with Renée Ballard, who was exiled to the Hollywood Division night shift when she complained of being sexually harassed by her supervisor. I would, yes,” Stein said. “I was just going to say that the blood scan from the hospital showed a proper level of the drug in his bloodstream. Any scenario other than proper administration doesn’t add up. Whether he was hording and then overmedicating, or not medicating and took a pill after the crime, it would have been apparent in the levels on the scan.” Amoral Attorney: Taken to the extreme. It turns out that the law firm of Michaelson and Mitchell, and specifically Michaelson and his underling Clayton Manley, have been using a hit woman to murder for them. The homeless man was killed by the hit woman because he was actually the heir to a lot of money that his brother, a Michaelson and Mitchell client, wanted. And Manley had Judge Montgomery murdered because Montgomery embarrassed him in court and damaged his career. And there's a lot to admire about the plot. Eriksson delves into some serious issues such as racism and nationalism and what happens in times of transition. Considering our current environment, these topics are extremely relevant and intriguing.

Connelly continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest crime writers of all time, and reading one of his books is an experience unlike anything else the genre has to offer. Look for The Night Fire to make everyone’s “Best of” lists at the end of the year . . . right where it belongs.” Real-Person Cameo: Detective Mitzi Roberts, the Real Life LAPD cop who served as Connelly's inspiration for Renee Ballard, is briefly mentioned. The Civil Rights Movement is the primary overall focus of the book. Chapters include essays on Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam (Chapter 4); the inequalities between White and minority communities (Chapters 5–7), with a special focus on the struggle against segregated housing; the roles played by the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Maulana Karenga and the US Organization, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the United Civil Rights Committee; the Watts Uprising and Watts Renaissance (Chapters 13 and 15); the story of Communist Party USA activist Angela Davis (Chapter 27); and the birth of the Chicanx movement in East Los Angeles (Chapters 31–32). [6] [7] The Night Fire glows with the instincts and intelligence Bosch and Ballard bring to their pursuit of the truth.” Meanwhile, Ann's former partner Sammy Nisson is heading the investigation into the second fire. He is still adjusting to his new partner Bodin who does not reveal much of what he is thinking. Sammy is also having trouble in his longtime marriage as his wife continues to distance herself from him. Sammy misses working with Ann and she provides interesting insight into the village and its residents.

Ballard walked away, ending the debate. Dvorek might be the patrol supervisor, but Ballard was in charge of the crime scene. Until it was determined that the fatal fire was an accident, she would treat it as a crime scene. Mr. Haller, I think you know I don’t like working half days when I have scheduled full days of court.” Definitely a gripping read even as we have to grapple with the fact that our beloved Bosch is getting older. The ending gave me some hope, though, and I hope Bosch and Ballard are around for quite some time. 4+ stars. They could make a good team, they are both interesting characters. Hopefully in future investigations Connelly won’t make Renée a female version of Harry; but let her evolve into a fully developed character of her own.

Chekhov's Gunman: Laurie Lee Wells, a juror, seen entering the courthouse right before Judge Montgomery. Dismissed by the cops because she didn't see or hear anything (she was listening to headphones). It turns out she's the murderer, and she isn't really Laurie Lee Wells. Mr. Haller, that’s all well and good, but there are highly qualified DNA experts right here in Los Angeles. Why is it necessary to fly your expert in from New York?” After the death of Harry Bosch’s mentor, his wife gives Bosch a murder book that has been in her husband’s possession for years. Bosch seeks Ballard’s assistance in looking into the 20 year old murder case as she is on the LAPD staff and he is not. The big question, however, is why did his mentor have this in his possession? Was it to solve the case or to hide the murder book so no one else would take an interest?

The deeper they dig, the the more their bond grows in the face of the dark twists awaiting them. The Slow-Burning Thriller Yeah. I read through it. I started when I got home from the funeral, then took it to you as soon as I finished.” Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Renee Ballard come together again on the murder case that obsessed Bosch's mentor, the man who trained him -- new from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly It is a subtype of schizophrenia in which the affected person can appear during stressful situations to go into seizure or what is called negativism or rigidity,” Freud said. “This is marked by a kind of stupor, a resistance to instructions or attempts to be physically moved.” Exactly,” Freud said. “He wanted to survive the interview unscathed. Detective Gustafson was an authority figure who held Jeffrey’s well-being in his hands. Jeffrey knew this and I could see his fear on the video. In his mind he was in danger and he just wanted to survive it.”