The Night Fire (Harry Bosch #22)

I am mystified by all the 5 star reviews. I’ve read and enjoyed almost all of Michael Connelly’s novels. Some I have read multiple times. I think he’s a great crime novelist. That being said, this is absolutely one of his worst books. He uses a plot device that John Sandford used in a novel 20 years ago. That book is one of my all-time favorites. Connelly’s attempt is mediocre and lackluster. Harry is shoehorned into the plot and again we are reminded (several times) that he is old and his health is an issue. He and Renee Ballard make numerous boneheaded mistakes while tracking a killer. It’s so disappointing to see a favorite character treated this way. There are also a few ancillary cases that aren’t interesting, as well as a long portion of the novel devoted to Mickey Haller’s courtroom antics. Also, Renee Ballard is just not compelling enough to carry a series and her continued animosity for Olivas is boring. Her lifestyle choices are ridiculous. An LAPD detective sleeping in a tent on the beach? Just can’t suspend disbelief about that. Ballard’s case work on the late show isn’t interesting and takes up a lot of pages in the book. If Connelly has lost interest in writing novels because he’s been working on the Bosch TV show and his podcast then maybe it’s time to take a break. I know I will be taking a break from buying his books.

When I reviewed the previous Renee Ballard/Bosch book I gave it one star and stated that I would not be buying any more of these books. I lied. I decided to try one more. That was a mistake. This book is as bad if not worse than the previous book. Please, please, drop Ballard. That character is boring and annoying.

I thought I was incapable of leaving less than a 5 star review for anything Michael Connelly does. But here we are.

Just before this one came out, Connelly described in an interview the effect that writing the Amazon series had had on structuring his novels. For the series, he said he learned to write several different story lines at once, and he decided that was a good thing to impose on his novels. This one shows that is a bad decision.

The power of the Bosch novels, and in fact all of Connelly’s novels until now, is the relentless through-line of the main plot. It usually tips off on the first page and is tied up on the last. It builds tension and involves the reader in the main character’s challenges. There are other intrusions — Harry’s search for his mother’s killer, intrigue with his daughter, relationships, conflict with other cops, and even other investigators and other cases. But in these other novels our main character — even when it isn’t Harry — is laser-focused on the main storyline.

The Night Fire is not that. It’s almost “A Day In The Life” as our characters, both of them, dart around from here to there, often for no plot-related reason at all. There is a subplot with Harry’s daughter which has nothing whatsoever to do with the story. If it were cut along with the other subplots that weave throughout, there would not be enough left to publish. I wouldn’t mind if the main story had the same power as in the other novels, but here it is just another plot line lost in the shrubbery.

I think the book probably deserves four stars because it is well-written and diverting, but it is so far below my expectations of this author that I just can’t. He’s raised my standards, and I’m sticking by them.

Connelly fans will not be deterred by this mis-step. For new readers, please start with any of the other novels, any one, but leave this one for last.

I have not read a detective story for over a year so was glad to see this one written by Michael Connelly. The chapters alternate between Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Ballard. Detective Ballard shows that she is one bad a** detective and can also hold her own in the male dominated world of police work.

An unsolved murder case was given to Harry Bosch when his mentor, John Jack Thompson passed away. This case was at least 30 years old when Harry received it…So, the investigation is on with both Bosch and Ballard on board. And, yes the plot does indeed thcken.

Toss in an arson case of a homeless man and also the murder of a Superior Court Judge…just in case you need a little more excitement and mystery!

The entire novel is outstanding as it is full of good old ‘pounding the pavement’ detective work.. Toss in the Black Widow for that extra adrenaline rush.

Excellent character development, solid plot and a strong female lead character. Doesn’t get any better than that for me when reading a novel.

Most highly recommended.

The Night Fire is Michael Connellys third novel featuring LAPD detective Rene Ballard, and his second pairing Ballard with Harry Bosch. I like the pairing for many reasons. Ballard is a great character, as is Bosch. But Bosch is aging, so Connellywho is my favorite murder mystery authorneeds a new lead character. Thankfully, hes got Ballard.

The novel begins with an arson-related death that Ballard is assigned on Hollywood Divisions late shift. It looks accidental, so she files a report and hands it off to day detectives. Boschs story begins when John Jack Thompson, his mentor as a young detective, dies and leaves him with a murder book that he had stolen from LAPD when he retired. The murder is a cold case from 1990. At the same time, Bosch helps his half-brother Mickey Haller question the guilt of an alleged a confessed murderer whom the police have dead to rights because of DNA, leaving open the question of who the real killer is. Ballard and Bosch co-work these cases, leading them into surprising discoveriesand danger.

The Night Fire is a slow burn. The danger part doesnt really come in till the last 30 pages of the book. So, if youre looking for explosive action, this isnt your book. But as a police proceduralcarefully following the evidence where it leadsthis book kept me turning pages, which is my number-one criteria for whether I like a murder mystery.

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