The Waiting, Michael Connelly

 

The Book

Bosch and Rene Ballard are at it again. Renee, now the proud owner of a mobile home in the most expensive trailer park in the world after her Tutu's death, decides to hit the breaks before work one morning. While she's surfing, her badge, gun, and police ID card are stolen. When she runs into a dead end, she calls in Bosch to help her. While retrieving her badge, they stumble upon a plot for a mass shooting. They reluctantly bring in the FBI, with deadly consequences. 

Meanwhile, as the head of the OSU (Open Unsolved Unit, I don't get the S either), a cold case heats up when an arrest leads to a familial link to a cold case. Now they have to find the biological father of guy who was arrested. The biggest catch, the guy's father is a sitting judge. The case is fraught with tension, as it has to be handled with care. But Renee knows if she telegraphs her moves, as per department policy, they will get shut down. She walks a tightrope, knowing that one wrong step she will both lose her job and serial rapists and murder will get away. 

As if that's not enough, Bosch's daughter Maddie volunteers to work in the volunteer unit. Renee is ecstatic to have a second badge on the team. In order to get around union rules, Renee pays Maddie four hours a week overtime out of the grant she got to fund her unit. Maddie wants to join the unit because she thinks she may have solved LA's most famous unsolved case, The Black Dahlia. 

As these three cases go through their paces, Renee is in danger, both physcially and professionally. Maddie meets unexpected pushback from the brass. And a killer will stop at no lengths to protect his secrets. Will Renee and Maddie solve it before it's too late? 

My Thoughts

Michael Connelly is at it again, this time weaving three separate cases together. I must say, I like this version of supporting much better than when authors stick to the conventional manner of subplots only to lose me by stretching the character beyond who I believe the character to be in order to do the subplot. Conventional subplots include, romance, foils, nemesis/conflict, and in genres other than mystery, mystery. But Connelly turns this convention on its head by weaving at first two and now three completely viable mysteries into one overarching plot. He manages to make Renee's choice to bring on Maddie into a combination of the mystery and nemesis subplot with Maddie's work being derided by the brass. The brass being a problem in the Bosch universe is nothing new. Bosch himself had problems with authority and the bureaucracy going back to at least the second book. I've never been certain if Connelly himself is a critic of LA's police chiefs or if he is just representing the very human frustration between management and the workforce. Either way, he makes it entertaining. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

This 403 page book came off of the shelves of my library. It is in really great condition, showing virtually no signs of wear. However, the book has clearly been read because the pages have been loosened up enough for them to turn easily in my hand. It entered the collection on December 2, 2024. The inside cover of this book says it originally retailed for $30 so that is the number I will use.

This Book                                                         $30.00

Items Reviewed This Year                             $611.00

Private Books

This Book                                                         $0.00

Total of Private Books                                    $52.88

Total of All Items Reviewed This Year         $663.88

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