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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
It was good. I like Michael Connelly's writing so even his not so great books are still better than a lot of others. When Ballard first showed up, I really wasn't wild about her. I am starting to like her more with each new book though. She's still no Harry Bosch though. Harry's daughter, Maddie, makes an appearance and it seems like she's about to become another spin off character. The thing that kept this at a 3.5 star and not higher is that I am not a big fan of doing overly complex stories, just for the sake of over complexity. It starts off with Ballard having her gun and badge stolen. Because of the trail she follows to get those back, she uncovers a huge terrorist plot involving white nationals. But at the same time, Maddie, appears and wants to join the Cold Case squad and brings with her the possible solution to the Black Dahlia case. And there is also a lead in one of the first cases Renee, as a rookie cop, worked, The Pillowcase Rapist. These are 3 substantial cases and I feel like, as I have with recent prior novels, that this many cases is just too much. I wish Connelly had stuck to 2 and deepened the characters more. The wrap ups seem way too rushed (all put in an epilogue). Colleen, the Cold Case member who gets murdered by the Pillowcase Rapist is too one dimensional...she's cloying and stupid and reckless. By the end, you aren't upset that she's dead...or at least I wasn't. Anyway...that's why I didn't rate it higher than a 3.5.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed the series, but there were a few too many story lines going on in this book.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was a really entertaining entry in the Renée Ballard series. And not only does crusty Harry appear to support one of Renée's investigation, but Maddie joins the Open Unsolved Unit.
While surfing, Renée's badge, gun and ID are stolen, and she can't report the loss as there are people in the department always waiting to take her down. Choosing instead to investigate, this leads her to a very unexpected place, and into a situation that demands the support of trained and trustworthy people, so Renée goes to Harry.
At the same time, the results from a DNA analysis yields very unexpected results. A serial rapist and murderer, known as the Pillowcase Rapist, had been terrorizing women, twenty years earlier, with no perpetrator found. The DNA analysis points to a shocking familial connection, but when the Unit begins digging very carefully around their suspect, the case takes some very unexpected turns, leading Renée to an old death and the secrets around it.
And if that weren't enough to keep the Unit occupied, Maddie wants to help out, knowing that this could help fastrack her career to detective sooner with each unsolved case she helps successfully solve. Renée needs another badged officer in the Unit, as she knows she's spread too thin, so it looks like a win-win bringing Maddie in. Though Renée isn't initially aware of Maddie's true intentions for joining, Maddie's interest and efforts once a part of the Unit help Renée and Maddie close a cold case where several women had been kidnapped, horribly mutilated and murdered.
Renée continues to shine as an investigator, and like Harry, once engaged by a mystery, will work it diligently and even somewhat obsessively, sometimes breaking rules to get closer to answers. Here, there are three significant cases splitting her attention, and her experiences on previous cases and treatment in the department are affecting her mental health negatively, making her a little more angry and abrupt than she initially realizes she's being. On top of managing her people and complicated cases, she's also dealing with a shocking loss to her department and the disappearance of her mother in Hawaii, and all the pain of being abandoned years earlier by the woman. All this makes for Renée making some mistakes, arousing her already quick-to-anger Captain's questions and displeasure, but ultimately solving her cases and bringing lots of positive attention to the work of her team.
Maddie proves, like Harry and Renée, to be a grinder on a case, and she works well with the mix of different people volunteering for the Open Unsolved Unit, including a previous member of the Vegas police, a retired FBI agent, a former prosecutor, an IT guy, and a genetic genealogy specialist, who, though too nosy, is damned good at what she does.
The book reads like previous works by Connelly, fast-paced, fascinating, and just so compelling. I could not put this book down, and loved the dynamic Connelly created amongst his characters.
While surfing, Renée's badge, gun and ID are stolen, and she can't report the loss as there are people in the department always waiting to take her down. Choosing instead to investigate, this leads her to a very unexpected place, and into a situation that demands the support of trained and trustworthy people, so Renée goes to Harry.
At the same time, the results from a DNA analysis yields very unexpected results. A serial rapist and murderer, known as the Pillowcase Rapist, had been terrorizing women, twenty years earlier, with no perpetrator found. The DNA analysis points to a shocking familial connection, but when the Unit begins digging very carefully around their suspect, the case takes some very unexpected turns, leading Renée to an old death and the secrets around it.
And if that weren't enough to keep the Unit occupied, Maddie wants to help out, knowing that this could help fastrack her career to detective sooner with each unsolved case she helps successfully solve. Renée needs another badged officer in the Unit, as she knows she's spread too thin, so it looks like a win-win bringing Maddie in. Though Renée isn't initially aware of Maddie's true intentions for joining, Maddie's interest and efforts once a part of the Unit help Renée and Maddie close a cold case where several women had been kidnapped, horribly mutilated and murdered.
Renée continues to shine as an investigator, and like Harry, once engaged by a mystery, will work it diligently and even somewhat obsessively, sometimes breaking rules to get closer to answers. Here, there are three significant cases splitting her attention, and her experiences on previous cases and treatment in the department are affecting her mental health negatively, making her a little more angry and abrupt than she initially realizes she's being. On top of managing her people and complicated cases, she's also dealing with a shocking loss to her department and the disappearance of her mother in Hawaii, and all the pain of being abandoned years earlier by the woman. All this makes for Renée making some mistakes, arousing her already quick-to-anger Captain's questions and displeasure, but ultimately solving her cases and bringing lots of positive attention to the work of her team.
Maddie proves, like Harry and Renée, to be a grinder on a case, and she works well with the mix of different people volunteering for the Open Unsolved Unit, including a previous member of the Vegas police, a retired FBI agent, a former prosecutor, an IT guy, and a genetic genealogy specialist, who, though too nosy, is damned good at what she does.
The book reads like previous works by Connelly, fast-paced, fascinating, and just so compelling. I could not put this book down, and loved the dynamic Connelly created amongst his characters.
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No