On November 5th, 2024, LAPD Detective Renée Ballard is set to take on her most challenging case in The Waiting, the all-new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.
Even though it was just announced, The Waiting is all but guaranteed to be one of this fall’s most anticipated new thrillers. That’s because Connelly is always a lock to deliver, something he’s done repeatedly, year in and year out. I’d expect nothing less with this latest, which will star Renée Ballard, an LAPD detective who Connelly first introduced in his 2017 novel, The Late Show. In what proved to be a brilliant move by the storyteller, Connelly first established Ballard on her own and then merged his two protagonists when her tracks cross paths with Harry Bosch, Connelly’s iconic character, in 2018’s Dark Sacred Night. That book marked a real turning point in the Bosch series. With Harry getting older and now retired from the LAPD, it made sense to have him team with Ballard, who was still inside the department. That allowed Harry to have a friend on the inside, and for Ballard, well, she became friends with one of the greatest detectives who was ever on the force. It all worked, and it’s kept working for five books to date, including, most recently, in Desert Star (2022).
(It should be noted that while Connelly’s 2023 release, Resurrection Walk, was technically a “Lincoln Lawer” novel, falling under his Mickey Haller series umbrella, but because all of the characters exist in the same universe, Bosch has significant screen time in that book, and Ballard does make a cameo as well.)
The plot description at the time of the book’s announcement doesn’t reveal much; in fact, Harry isn’t even mentioned. See below:
The Waiting by Michael Connelly
LAPD Detective Renée Ballard tracks a terrifying serial rapist whose trail has gone cold with the help of the newest volunteer to the Open-Unsolved Unit: Patrol Officer Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter.
Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet twenty years ago. The arrested man is only twenty-three, so the genetic link must be familial. It is his father who was the Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror in the city of angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their suspect, they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles.
Meanwhile, Ballard’s badge, gun, and ID are stolen—a theft she can’t report without giving her enemies in the department the ammunition they need to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, but her solo mission leads her into greater danger than she anticipates. She has no choice but to go outside the department for help, and that leads her to the door of Harry Bosch.
Finally, Ballard takes on a new volunteer to the cold case unit. Bosch’s daughter Maddie wants to supplement her work as a patrol officer on the night beat by investigating cases with Ballard. But Renée soon learns that Maddie has an ulterior motive for getting access to the city’s library of lost souls.
Whereas the product description does mention Maddie Bosch (in a way that seems to slightly mirror the character arc from Amazon-produced show Bosch: Legacy), Harry is nowhere to be found. Doing a little detective work of our own, we found evidence that does seem to confirm that he will indeed be a “major” character in Connelly’s forthcoming book. For confirmation, look no further than Connelly’s website, which actually lists Renee Ballard, Harry Bosch, and Maddie Bosch as the primary protagonists. So, pre-order with confidence, knowing Bosch (and Ballard) fans are in for another thrilling ride come November.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, is also in bookstores, and his third book, OUT FOR BLOOD, comes out on June 4th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.