Take Sesión Nocturna (Renée Ballard, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #29) Penned By Michael Connelly Expressed As E-Text

many others, I am a huge fan of Michael Connellys books, I mean all of them, not just the Harry Bosch series, With this book, Connelly introduces a new main character, Renée Ballard, I hoped I wasn't going to get a female Bosch, and though there are some similarities, I don't think I did,

Ballard has ten years of experience as an LAPD detective, so shes tough and smart, As a female cop, shes had to put up with sexual assault from a superior, betrayal by her partner who witnessed the incident, and a transfer to nights, the late show, as a result.
Connelly develops his characters so well that it was really easy to get to know Ballard professionally and personally, That is not to say I immediately liked her, She felt prickly and angry, she held a grudge, she crossed lines, she barely took care of her dog, But Connelly got Ballard to win me over! Shes prickly and angry for legitimate reasons, she has regrets, she misses her father, shes lonely, and she does love her dog.


Plotwise, theres never a problem with Connellys books and that goes for this book, There are a handful of cases being investigated here, and Ballard gets some assignments that she works just as tenaciously as those she works off book.
They are interesting with some twists,

It is Renée Ballard that shines in this book, and I look forward to learning more about her in future books!Stars.

Michael Connelly at his Absolute Best,

Detective Renee Ballard is Cop, Plain and Simple. Except that she is anything but, She works “the late show” at the “Hollywood Division” of the LAPD after being shipped off there for filing a complaint against her former boss Lieutenant Olivas.
A Sexual Harassment Complaint. It wasnt well received. Now she is kind of known as a black sheep and she works cases with her new partner Jenkins, Cases that require no follow up, None. Its killing her inside, yet she has no choice, Its this or

nothing. The only good part of working the late show is that it allows her time to surf during the day and spend time with her dog, Lola.


One night however, two cases come in that gain her attention and she wants them, Big time. The first, involves a trannie prostitute Ramona Ramone being beaten within an inch of her life and left for dead the second involves a waitress, Cynthia Haddel being murdered in a nightclub along with a couple of others.
While the waitresses murder seems peripheral to the other murders at the club, Ballard thinks it warrants an investigation, The Lieutenant in charge of the investigation does not, He is, of course, Olivas, And he wants her out,

Ballard, however is tenacious and fiery thus she finds a way to work the Ramona Ramone investigation on company time, Where it leads is dangerous, yet Ballard cant stop herself, As for the investigation into Cynthia Haddels death Well, Ballard investigates that one on her own, despite being warned to stay away,

Renee Ballard is a loner, The only things she needs in this life are her dog and her surf board and her job, Her life hasnt been an easy one but she is pretty great at taking care of herself, Because of that, she has grit and strength and a crazy sense of right and wrong, Further, she cant let go of anything, no matter where it leads or how dangerous it gets, And both of these cases lead down roads, that spell trouble with a capital T, but thats not much of a surprise, is it

With “The Late Show” Michael Connelly does something special here, he creates a new character as almost as likeable as Harry Bosch.
I, for one, didnt think that was possible, I have read every single Michael Connelly novel ever published, He is one of my favorite mystery/suspense authors, And Harry Bosch One of my favorite characters EVER, I will admit that Im not that big of Mickey Haller fan hes a little too smooth and slick for me though Matthew McConaughey, does a great job portraying him.
But Renee Ballard Well, Michael Connelly knocked it out of the park with her character, Somehow, she isnt a female Bosch, Shes vulnerable, yet resilient kind, yet stubborn and frankly she is courageous as hell, And I cant wait to see what Michael Connelly has in store for her next,

I just have to say a HUGE thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, When I receive ARCs that I request of my favorite authors Connelly, Backman, Hoffman, Demille, Atwood, etc, and I get approved, I end up jumping for joy and doing little whoops and when I got this one my first Michael Connelly I could barely contain myself.
Im pretty lucky thats all I have to say, So, thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company and Michael Connelly for this ARC, I am so lucky to have received this, In case it wasnt obvious, I loved it and I recommend it to mystery/suspense fans and all Michael Connelly fans out there.
Dig in guys!

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon on, The start of a new series by a go to author of mine, usually I would be a little alarmed, Would this new series be as good as his others Is he still going to write the Bosch series, my favorite of his.

Well by the third page I was hooked, seems good authors, dependable authors can do that, just pull in a reader, quickly.
Renee Ballard, stuck on the night shift after an accusation against a higher up leaves her in a bad spot, is a very likeable character.
She is strong, more than capable and n a unique twist is a surfer and paddler, Lives on the beach occasionally with her dog, Lola,

The cases are varied, and actually the author got me with a zinger of a twist, in a case big reveal.
Just love when they do that, Definitely a good start to a new series, as always tightly plotted, well written and well researched, First girl lead Connelly has introduced, so I don't have to feel as if I am cheating on Bosch, Also to answer my second question, heard he will come out with a new Bosch n the Fall, so win, win,



Egalley provided through the generosity of Netgalley, Little Brown amp Co, and Author, Michael Connelly.

Michael Connelly is a brave man, Putting aside, for the moment, his long running Harry Bosch Series, Connelly took a chance and hit the ball out of the park with his new Detective Renée Ballard Series.


Ballard's punishment for an allegation of sexual harassment against a highranking official has landed her on The Late Show, It could even be called the graveyard shift, the dead shift where you work your tail off all night only to roll your cases to the real detectives each morning.
A few of the brush strokes, Ballards a loner, her father died while surfing but she continues the sport more often being found paddle boarding.
She uses her Grandmother Tutus address for job profile but lives in a popup on the beach along with her rescued dog, Lola.
Possibly due to the dysfunctional beginnings of her own life she is loyal, organized, fierce and dedicated, Theres a lot of room here for character development and its apparent Connelly is ready to give us more as he prepares us for the nest in this police procedural.


Connelly has blended the LAPD, and the Los Angeles he knows to create Ballard, Though Ballard is a cop just like Bosch, its like giving birth to a baby as he fills in the colors of this new canvas with a fresh eye.


If you like Connelly and you love Bosch, don't be afraid, Give Renée Ballard a chance,
.