Nightshade, Michael Connelly

 

The Book

Detective Stilwell, Stil to his friends, has been sent to Catalina to rot. That's where the LA County Sherriff's Office sends all of their troublesome, but not fireable employees. Because he's a full grade detective, Stilwell is in charge of the substation on the island. And what did Stilwell do to earn such an "awful" assignment? He disagreed with his partner about closing a case. His partner filed to close the case, Stilwell filed a complaint against some corrupt players, and lost. But though this banishment is meant to keep Stilwell down, he's okay with it. 

Sure he's a divorced detective and an outsider on an island where California's rich and snooty love to play. But he fell in love with the harbor master, a lady named Tash, who was born and raised on the island. Life is slower than it is on the mainland. There's a lot less crime. And for the moment he's happy. Until a boat scraper finds a body anchored at the bottom of harbor floor. Stilwell knows he can't keep the case, but he's intrigued. And he knows he'll do a better job than Ahearn (his ex-partner) and his partner Sampedro. 

As usual, Ahearn is being incompetent, so Stilwell advances the murder case, despite the fact that he should be working a decapitated buffalo case, because of a reported robbery and the highly snooty Black Marlin Club. Stilwell's instincts tell him that the former employee accused of stealing a valuable statue is the woman whose body they pulled out of the harbor. So, he tracks down as much information on her, under the theory that she's the thief. We he's certain that she's the victim, he turns over the information to Ahearn, who blows him off. 

Without an identity on the body, Stilwell keeps going, investigating the theft. He follows the leads. Ahearn finds out and tries to get Stilwell fired. It doesn't work. Stilwell has covered his tracks. 

From here, the plot gets more complicated, with the stakes being raised at Stilwell's personal and professional lives until it looks like he might lose everything, merely for the sin of being right in a corrupt world. 

My Thoughts

Well, I've attempted to do what Connelly does. There's no doubt about it, he's a great writer. And only a great writer is going to get away with a character only having one name (Stilwell) and with as many clearly contrary to policy moves Detective Stilwell makes. He's newer school than Harry Bosch, but not as new school as Rene Ballard. 

Here Connelly clearly has something to say about Catalina, California's quirkiness, and what he sees as internal politics in police departments. As he gets farther from his reporter days, it seems the internal machinations of the LAPD became more...mysterious? Or perhaps policy just aligned to keep those things that had fallen through the cracks when Connelly was still reporting onto the straight and narrow. Now they're back, with a backstory and a detective. He has things to say, and he's gonna say them. 

But I don't know how I feel about Stilwell. I am downright squeamish about Bosch, who I think as a character is a morally neutral man. I dislike Bosch's flaws. Stilwell, well, the jury is still out on this character. I like Mickey and Rene more. There's another book coming out this spring with Stilwell. And I will be reading it. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

This book was purchased at my local Barnes & Noble for $15. I know because it was half priced this summer. I was bored and angry about editing choices I had to make. I'd usually wait for the library to send me a copy. God knows Connelly doesn't need my money, not to put too fine a point on it. But, I wa intrigued that Connelly was trying a new character, something of a risk when two of his characters are going like gangbusters on TV these days. I was impressed. But I don't pay full price for any book that isn't indie authored these days. Sorry trads.

Having said that, I spilled coffee on it and I ben the cover. The inside cover is doing something strange. I clearly can't be trusted with books that aren't library books. I might have taken it to my local bookshop for store credit, but I can't do that now. Oops. 

This Book                                                          $0.00

Items Reviewed This Year                             $649.99

Private Books

This Book                                                       $15.00

Total of Private Books                                    $67.88

Total of All Items Reviewed This Year         $717.87

Still Here? 

 I am now a published author. You can pick up a *FREE COPY* of my novella The Big Intersection here.