Desert Star: The Brand New Blockbuster Ballard & Bosch Thriller

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There are 2 old unsolved cases that Bosch are Ballard are pursuing. 3/4th of the book invested in the first mystery and the 2nd one was rushed. The identity of the killer of the first mystery was a big letdown (spoiler-y reasons in the comments). The ending of the 2nd mystery was clumsy. Michael Connelly’s continues the partnership of Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch and Renee’ Ballard, two of our favorite law enforcement officers. It has been a year since their last outing, “The Dark Hours” which ended with detective Ballard quitting the police force in an act of rebellion against the old boy’s political network and blatant sexism. Desert Star is a 2022 novel by Michael Connelly. It is the fifth novel to feature Connelly's newest protagonist, LAPD detective Renee Ballard, and the 24th to feature his oldest protagonist, retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch. It appears Harry may be coming to the end of his detective career, but I hope he doesn't hang up his credentials just yet.

Now twelve months later Ballard has changed her mind after considering the personal offer she received from the chief of police, who offers her the opportunity choose any role she wants in the LA police department. That decision has led her to resurrect the same Open-Unsolved unit that Bosch used to be an integral part of. In addition, Ballard has reached out to Bosch and made him an unrefusable offer to join her team as a volunteer investigator. Ballard and Bosch will be forced to face new tensions, old resentments, and personal secrets that will drive Bosch to behave in ways that she never would have expected from him in the pursuit of two psycho killers that could create incredible political fallout and destroy both of their law enforcement careers.Renee has broken up with Garrett Single, her EMT boyfriend from the previous book. She so wants to be rid of him that she has also stopped eating red meat, because Garrett liked to barbecue. New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly delivers another winner with his latest tag-team effort between longtime hero Harry Bosch and fan-favorite Renee Ballard, who work together when two cold cases suddenly heat up—offering Bosch a chance to finally take down a killer he’s been chasing for years.

Murphy, the editor-in-chief of CrimeReads who now lives in Miami, adds to “An Honest Living” the smell and feel of old books as well as a few well-placed crimes, such as conspiracy, which the lawyer says is sometimes “just another word for life carrying on without you.”

Tropes:

Contractor Stephen Gallagher, his wife, and two children disappeared in 2013, and their bodies were discovered a year later, buried in the desert. By then Gallagher's business partner Finbar McShane had sold off all the company's assets and disappeared. Harry is certain McShane killed the Gallagher family and still hopes to bring him to justice.

Harry gets the chance to do just that when his former partner, Detective Renée Ballard, offers him a volunteer position in her new Open-Unsolved Unit (cold case squad). As Bosch makes some headway, he relies on Ballard to clear the way for him to make his move, in hopes of adding a positive stat to the LAPD column. However, anything can (and does) happen on the rough streets of LA, something both Bosch and Ballard know all too well. It’s the final chapters that impact the story most, sure to pique the interest of Bosch fans. Connelly proves to be a master with this chilling story that accentuates two of his well-developed protagonists. She frowned as though she had expected a warmer reception. But Bosch didn’t know why she would have, after the way things had ended last year. Miles Davis (1926-1991) (no specific music mentioned, only that Bosch went to a jazz club to hear the Pharez Whitted Quintet do a Tribute to Miles Davis) Bosch studies the murder books associated with Sarah Pearlman and suggests that, with modern technology, the palm print of Sarah's killer may yield DNA.

Retired Los Angeles police detective Harry Bosch, now seventy-years-old, likes to listen to jazz, schmooze with his police detective daughter, and mull over haunting cold cases, like the brutal murder of the Gallagher family. Renee has returned to the LAPD, and been given the lead to head up a cold case unit primarily staffed with volunteers. A local politician has been instrumental in getting funding for the unit. He has a personal reason, wanting the cold case of his sister to finally be solved. Renee taps Harry to work in the unit. He’s got his own agenda, wanting to be able to finally solve his personal white whale, the unsolved case of a murdered family of four.