2017 is shaping up to be another great year of top-notch mysteries and thrillers. But, if it’s going to top 2016, it’ll have to do it without one of the genre’s most beloved, long-running characters: Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch.
Speaking with Jim Sullivan of WBUR.org, Connelly touched on a variety of topics–including what he’s planning to write next. As it turns out, the #1 bestselling author just recently got to work on his thirtieth novel, following his recently released The Wrong Side Of Goodbye. However, for the first time in a long while, Connelly’s new book will not feature either of his two most famous, best-known characters.
So, what–or who–might Connelly be writing about if Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller are on the bench right now? For starters, the author made it clear he’s introducing a new character. He also said his new protagonist is a woman, though he stopped short of offering any additional details.
When Connelly publishes his next novel in the fall of 2017, we’ll be reading about a new crime fighter: A detective in the LAPD, based on cold case specialist Detective Mitzi Roberts, who has consulted with Connelly on the books and TV series. (She also played a detective, named after her, on one episode of the first season of “Bosch.”)
Connelly then continued by acknowledging that creating a female lead is a bit of a challenge.
“It’s going to be a challenge because it’s a female protagonist,” Connelly says. “For the last month I’ve been noodling around and working on it.”
Fear not, though, Bosch fans. It doesn’t sound like Connelly is ready to retire Harry Bosh just yet, but rather he’s taking a little break before he revisits the character down the road.
“You want to give them a rest so those batteries recharge,” Connelly says. “It’s always helpful because when I’ve been away from these characters for a year or two, I can’t wait to start writing about them again. But on the other hand, on the creative, artistic level, I turned 60 this year. I don’t want to just keep writing and alternating between two characters that I’ve had around 25 years. I want to create new things and I think this is the right time to do that.”
We definitely recommend reading the entire article, which also offers an update on the new season of the Amazon-produced television show, Bosch, which stars Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch.