The Late Show (Abridged / CD-Audio)

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The Late Show By Michael Connelly, Katherine Moennig (Read by) Cover Image

The Late Show (Abridged / CD-Audio)

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Staff Reviews


Michael Connelly’s latest detective novel, The Late Show, his 30th, introduces a new female detective, Renee Ballard.

She’s banished to the night shift in Hollywood after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor. 

Any skepticism I had lifted like the morning fog on a steamy LA beach. Breaking with stultifying routine, Ballard is called to the bed of a mangled prostitute at the ER. Then, within minutes, she and her partner are called to a Hollywood Boulevard nightclub where there has been a multiple homicide. Among the dead is Ballard’s former partner.

These haunting scenes drive Ballard to seek answers. She obsessively works outside the rules and under the radar, pursuing leads officially at night and as a rogue during the day. More on the job than off, and practically homeless, she naps in a portable tent pitched on Venice Beach as her dog faithfully keeps watch.   

Ballard’s quest finds her winding through the narrow roads of Laurel Canyon, on the beautiful, if seedy, boardwalk of Venice, in a science lab at USC, and navigating the maze of police department office cubicles, where getting the best computer and crime data requires as much calculation as taking down a suspect.

Michael Connelly’s depiction of the adrenaline-fueled nature of detective work is equal parts dangerous, risky and satisfying. Renee Ballard may not be one of the guys, but that works in her favor, and assures her place among the best female characters in contemporary crime fiction.

Sarah's review first appeared on 89.1 KMUW. You can listen to the review HERE.  

— Sarah Bagby

#1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly introduces Renee Ballard, a fierce young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD's toughest beat--the Late Show.
Renee Ballard works the midnight shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing few, as each morning she turns everything over to the daytime units. It's a frustrating job for a once up-and-coming detective, but it's no accident. She's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.But one night Ballard catches two assignments she doesn't want to part with. First, a prostitute is brutally beaten and left for dead in a parking lot. All signs point to a crime of premeditation, not passion, by someone with big evil on his mind. Then she sees a young waitress breathe her last after being caught up in a nightclub shooting. Though dubbed a peripheral victim, the waitress buys Ballard a way in, and this time she is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the investigations intertwine, Ballard is forced to face her own demons and confront a danger she could never have imagined. To find justice for these victims who can't speak for themselves, she must put not only her career but her life on the line. Propulsive as a jolt of adrenaline and featuring a bold and defiant new heroien, The Late Show is yet more proof that Michael Connelly is "a master of the genre" (Washington Post).
Michael Connelly is the author of thirty-eight previous novels, including #1 New York Times bestsellers Desert Star, The Dark Hours, and The Law of Innocence. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renée Ballard series, have sold more than eighty-five million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He is the executive producer of three television series: Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, and The Lincoln Lawyer. He spends his time in California and Florida.
Product Details ISBN: 9781549194450
ISBN-10: 1549194453
Abridged: Yes
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication Date: August 14th, 2018
Language: English