I've been a fan of Michael Connelly from the first book. For me, he's never written a book I didn't enjoy. And that's also the truth for this latest - The Waiting.

"In cold cases, it’s not the hope that kills you. It’s the waiting".

Detective Renée Ballard runs the cold case unit in the LAPD with volunteers and retired staff. A new member has joined to replace the now retired Harry Bosch. But don't count Harry out - he still has the skills and the nerves that Renée needs when her badge and gun are stolen. She can't report them as she's on thin ice with her superiors. The politicking that seems to be seething underneath the public eye has always been part of the books, but is quite blatant in The Waiting.

The cases in The Waiting are brilliantly written. A historical case that you may recognize is one. Another uses new and modern methods to chase down a old case. I was fascinated by the description of these tools. And the hunt for Renée's badge uncovers an unexpected case.

I had to actually put the book aside when the suspense ratcheted up! I didn't want to skim either. So I got the breathing under control and picked it back up! The writing is so very, very good.

The lead roles have changed over the years as Connelly keeps the series (plural) moving forward. I thought the this was the 'Ballard" book so far.

Mr. Connelly continues to interest the reader with strong character development. Harry Bosch is getting older but he still is driven to be of service and his service is his motto. "Everybody counts or nobody counts." Please read this novel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Michael Connelly’s The Waiting is a riveting addition to the Ballard and Bosch series, showcasing his unparalleled skill in crafting intricate crime narratives. This novel not only deepens the lore of Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch but also introduces new dynamics that refresh the series.

In The Waiting, Renée Ballard is faced with a challenging burglary case that quickly spirals into a dangerous investigation. When the stakes become too high, she turns to the seasoned Harry Bosch for assistance. The plot thickens as Bosch’s daughter, Maddie, now a patrol officer, joins the cold case unit.

Connelly excels in character development, and The Waiting is no exception. Renée Ballard is portrayed with a blend of determination and vulnerability, making her a compelling protagonist. Harry Bosch, though aging, remains a formidable presence, and his interactions with Ballard are poignant and powerful.

This novel explores themes of justice, legacy, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Connelly’s writing is methodical and realistic, capturing the procedural aspects of crime-solving with precision. His ability to weave together multiple storylines while maintaining suspense is masterful.

The Waiting is a testament to Michael Connelly’s enduring talent. It’s a meticulously crafted thriller that will satisfy long-time fans of the Ballard and Bosch series and newcomers alike.

Renee Ballard, who is in charge of the Open-Unsolved Unit of the LAPD, shares many of the characteristics of her mentor, Harry Bosch. Like Harry, who retired after a long and legendary career, Renee is courageous, tough, and obsessed with seeing that justice is done, even if doing so means bending the rules. In Michael Connelly’s “The Waiting,” Renee is juggling various cases and is continuing to search for her mother who abandoned her when she was thirteen.

Ballard and her team of part-time volunteers are looking for the “Pillowcase Rapist,” a predator who attacked women in L. A. over a period of five years and strangled one of his victims. Now, the investigators are using DNA and investigative genetic genealogy in an effort to track him down. In addition, while Renee is surfing, someone steals her gun, badge, and wallet (containing her credit cards, ID, and driver’s license) from her car. She prefers not to report this incident to her boss, because losing one’s gun and badge can lead to disciplinary action. She chooses to look for the thief herself, a decision that will have serious consequences.

Harry Bosch makes a few cameo appearances, and his daughter, Maddie, joins Renee’s unit, mostly because she has information that could break open one of the most notorious cases in California history. This is a thrilling and engrossing police procedural in which the author once again sheds light on the role that politics and personal vendettas play in law enforcement. Renee is a savvy and fearless heroine who likes to ride big waves at the beach. At work, she takes risks that might pay off, but her rash actions could just as easily place her in danger or end her career. “The Waiting” is a hard-hitting, haunting, and thought-provoking novel that is a must-read for fans of the immensely talented Michael Connelly.

A other good detective novel by Connolly but not his best work. It wasn’t quite as much of a page turner as his usual books but I still enjoyed it.

Terrific book in the Renee Ballard series with Harry Bosch making an important contribution to the story. The open-unsolved unit that Renee leads is hard at work closing some of these long-unsolved cases. The pieces fit together wonderfully. To a satisfying conclusion. Unfortunately, one member does not make it to the end and will be missed in subsequent books.

It's always a bit like Christmas when there's a new Ballard & Bosch mystery, and The Waiting put a big smile on my face. As Harry Bosch ages, I cherish every scene he's in, and although I know our time with him is undoubtedly limited, I really appreciate how Connelly is passing Harry's torch on to Renée Ballard and Harry's daughter, Maddie.

Renée is more than happy to add Maddie to her handpicked team. Having another person with a badge will make her job easier. Now if another team member, Colleen Hatteras, would stop being a bit of a thorn in Renée's side! Renée has done a fantastic job with her team. Since many of the cold cases are so old that the killers the team identifies are already dead or incarcerated, Renée has put a limit to the ones they'll work-- none should go back further than 1975.

The various cases that the team works are woven together beautifully, and Connelly always manages to teach me something about the bad guys. (Beware of some of those apps you love to use...) The case that Maddie came to the cold case team to work is indeed probably the most iconic in Los Angeles' history, and it was interesting to see how Connelly worked that out.

With another engrossing story under my belt, I'm back to waiting for the next time I'll see Renée, Maddie, and Harry. It can't be soon enough for me.

This latest installment of Connelly’s Bosch series centers on Renée Ballard and an intense hunt for a serial rapist and murderer whose crimes remain unsolved after twenty years. A car break-in results in Ballard’s gun and badge being stolen, an act she doesn’t report so she can continue on the rapist case. Connelly takes time to build appearances by Harry Bosch and his daughter Maddie but Ballard is the main show here. Chock full of DNA and other forensic digging, this novel is for anyone who likes the NCIS television series but much more in-depth. Tension builds as Maddie becomes invaluable in the hunt for the long-dormant rapist long with other famous unsolved murder/rape cases. Ballad is sassy and takes no crap from anyone as her investigation gets wildly twisty with some shocking results.

Renee, Maddie, and Harry remain true to their characters, as does Michael Connelly with this excellent offering. He weaves multiple story lines and character backgrounds effortlessly, while presenting action, drama, and suspense. This is one of his best.

I'm a huge Michael Connelly fan and look forward to a new release every fall. I am sure some people find them a little formulaic but I love the characters and can't get enough. I know he can't keep writing Harry Bosch forever but I hope we see a few more to come!

THE WAITING is the newest book by Michael Connelly in the Harry Bosch Universe, featuring characters that have appeared in previous books. I’ll admit upfront that I miss Bosch having a central role in these books. He remains a favorite of mine. Connelly chose to age his characters across the series and while this provides excellent character development, for readers who really enjoy certain characters, the books become increasingly like life. We lose friends little by little to aging. I’m sure other readers enjoy the novelty of new characters having increasing roles, such as Bosch’s daughter Maddie or Renee Ballard. This book provides all the basics that make the series so popular and each book a treasure. The steady reliance on detective work and plots that keep readers glued to the text until the very end. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Well I’m a little late to the Michael Connelly party but wow can’t wait to read more. Great plot with an all star cast. This one kept me flipping pages long into the night. Expert storytelling.
Thank you NetGalley, Michael Connelly and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is book 25 of the Harry Bosch project, with Connelly basically dropping a new Bosch every fall for a quarter century. This is fifth book of the Bosch and Ballard subseries. With Harry Bosch in his mid 70s and long retired from the LAPD he is a supporting character at this point, with the lion’s share of the story being about Renee Ballard a surf enthusiast and leader of a cold case squad. Renee gets her badge and gun stollen at the beginning of the book, and enlists Harry to help her get it back, while simultaneously trying to solve a recent cold case murder, and with the help of Bosch’s daughter Maddie, the famous Black Dahlia murders of the 1940s. It is the kind of step by step police procedural that Connelly has made famous, as a writer he is still going strong even as his protagonist approaches his dotage. I don’t have the history with Ballard that I have with Harry Bosch, and always found Maddie Bosch kind of irritating, so I was a bit disappointed that the big guy was sidelined so much here, but Connelly rarely missteps and this worked well for me.

From their beginnings in print, I've been a fan of retired Los Angeles Police Department Detective Harry Bosch, with or without his half-brother, "Lincoln Lawyer" Mickey Haller. And since LAPD Detective Renee Ballard joined the cast of characters, I've come to enjoy her as well (after a bit of a rocky start, if I'm being honest). These days, Renee is still on the job, heading up the mostly volunteer department's Open-Unsolved Unit. His glory days as the "star" of a series faded, Harry, now in his 70s and dealing with serious health issues, remains friends (if unofficially) with Ballard, so it's always a treat when he shows up. This book also brings Bosch's daughter, LAPD Patrol Officer Maddie Bosch, into the limelight - as one of those who wants to help with cold cases.

The story begins with Renee, who gets more of a jolt from early morning surfing than from her coffee, has her department badge, gun and ID card stolen from her car while she's out on the water. That presents all sorts of problems in and of itself - she'll take serious heat if she reports the theft. What to do? For Renee, there's only one option: turn to old friend Harry to help her track down her valuables and nab the guy who took them.

That in and of itself proves to be a challenge, and on top of that, Renee continues to search for the mother who long ago abandoned her - now more of an urgent issue because it's possible she was a victim of the devastating fire on Lahaina in the Hawaiian Islands. All that is put on the back burner, however, when Renee learns that a man thought to be the son of the so-called Pillowcase Rapist - who spread his terror at the turn of the century - has been identified.

Given a mostly volunteer staff, Renee is in serious need of more help; it shows up in the form of Harry's daughter, who begs Renee to plead her case with the higher-ups. Renee, afraid that taking her on will upset Harry, isn't so sure; but gradually, Maddie's expertise makes her an indispensable member of the crew. She even manages to uncover evidence that could lead to solving yet another cold case that has been languishing for years.

The twists, turns and connections among all the investigations makes reading a treat, although like Renee, I worry a lot the troubles with Harry - in the end, making me even more eager to read the next Renee-Harry story (soon, please)? Meantime, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to be thoroughly entertained by a pre-release copy of this one.

The Waiting by Michael Connelly is a triple treat! The trio of Renee Ballard, Harry and Maddie Bosch (Harry’s Daughter), is a great addition to the Ballard and Bosch series.

We start off with Ballard out for an early morning surf.. While out on the waves, her car gets broken into and the thief takes off with her identification as well as her police badge. She knows this could possibly get her fired, so she enlists Harry to help her track down the thief. We have two big cases that Ballard is working on, one recent and one a cold case. Maddie comes in to help, hoping that a major solve can get her off her current job of patrolling the streets and into a detective position, Each case is interesting and you’ll love the twists and turns. Don’t miss this great story!

Thank You to NetGalley, the Author Michael Connelly and the Publisher, Little Brown and Company for allowing me to read this advanced copy for my honest review.

Best entry in the Renee Ballard series so far. Loved how the main cold case was not the only focus and we had the extra plotline of Renee recovering her badge and the introduction of Maddie Bosch to the unit

THE WAITING by Michael Connelly is the sixth book in the Renée Ballard series, and it is the best by far. This latest installment had me hooked within the first 50 pages, and it did not let me go until I read through to the very end. Connelly proves that he has come a long way since the beginning of his career, and he is still interested in trying new things, in testing how far he can take the genre without breaking it. He writes about history, mystery, and current events, making it all look effortless in the final published draft.

While out surfing one morning, Ballard’s car is broken into. Someone has stolen her id, badge, and sidearm. Already walking on thin ice, Ballard knows that she has to retrieve what was stolen and quickly before the powers that be use it as an excuse to demote or, even worse, fire her. Ballard cannot let that happen because she knows that she is doing good work heading the LAPD’s Open/Unsolved Unit, closing cold cases. When she returns to the office after what happened at the beach, it turns out that there was a DNA hit showing a link between a recent arrest and a serial rapist known as the Pillowcase rapist who was never caught. Then patrol officer Maddie Bosch walks in the unit’s doors, hoping she can volunteer with the unit. Thinking that it will provide her with much needed experience and help fast track her to becoming a detective, it turns out that Bosch has a cold case that she wants to look into herself — and readers will never guess what infamous LA case has her chomping at the bit.

Connelly knows that detectives never work one case at a time. They have to compartmentalize, prioritize, and keep all of the balls in the air as they juggle to close whatever and however many cases they are working. How he weaves all of these threads together into a coherent tapestry is spectacular. However, there are two features of this novel that makes it far superior to many of his earlier works: the references to contemporary events without sidetracking the narrative and contaminating the prose with subtle political statements, and the author takes the time to explore Ballard’s psychological issues as she is suffering from insomnia. Because of this characteristic, Ballard feels more real than Connelly’s other more well-known heroes, Bosch and Haller. And that deserves to be applauded.

Michael Connelly's newest book, The Waiting, has everything I love in a Connelly novel. Harry Bosch is still around, thank goodness, and he helps LAPD Detective Renee Ballard when her badge, gun and ID are stolen. This is only one of three threads in the plot. I was so happy to see Harry again, even though his health is not the best. I don't know if Connelly is going to slowly move Harry out, but I hope he keeps him around for more adventures to come.

Renee also has her hands full with the Open-Unsolved Unit, a nice touch that goes back to the work Harry Bosch has been doing in recent books. With the help of a genetic researcher, Renee is able to track down a relative of the Pillowcase Rapist, a crime that has been quiet for 20 years. This is the second thread in the book. Ballard brings Harry's daughter, Maddie, a patrol oficer, into the unit to help her since Maddie has so many of the instincts of her father, Harry. But Maddie is also on a search for the third thread in the plot: a famous, but very old case that has become part of the history of Los Angeles.

As always, we hear about the restaurants, the mean streets, and the canyons and freeways of Los Angeles, the milieu for most of Connelly's writing, as he follows his characters through the urban jungle he knows so well.

Thoroughly loved this book. Definitely a 5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read this book for an honest appraisal.

Michael Connelly shows once again why he is a master of the crime novel. The Waiting has been my most anticipated book for 2024, as his books are every year. Even more so after hearing him talk about the direction that the book would be taking when he came to Australia earlier this year. The wait, pardon the pun, was absolutely worth it. As soon as the book arrived I needed to get stuck in, and I did.

I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that my favourite detective, Harry Bosch, is getting older and isn’t in the best of health. He has been such a big part of my reading life and ai am happy that he is still kicking around. He does take a back seat in The Waiting, not only to Renee Ballard but also to his daughter Maddie Bosch. It was a welcome change up and one that see so much potential . As long as Harry is always there for them both, I will be happy.

As always, there is so much going on in a Michael Connelly novel. Renee has he car broken into while surfing one morning, and discovers her wallet, phone, gun and police badge and ID have been stolen. She knows she can’t report this and risk losing her job, so she sets out with Harry’s help to get her things back. This leads them down a dangerous path that they could not have seen coming. At the same time, Maddie asks Renee if she can join the Open and Unsolved Unit, seeing it as a way to help fast track her dreams of becoming a detective like her dad. While all of this is happening, the unit gets a hit on a DNA sample that could lead them to solve a 20 plus year murder case. It is all happening.

Maddie and Renee is.a duo that I didn’t know that we needed. They are such a great team and I am excited to read more of them working the cold cases together. There is so much of Harry in Maddie that is makes me smile.

As I have said before, you just have to read this book and this series. It just keeps getting better every year. Connelly never lets this long time fan down, and I doubt that he ever will.

Thank you so so much to Little, Brown and Company for my early copy of my favourite authors book to read. Publishes on October 15th.

Once again Michael Connelly shows us why he is a master of the crime genre. In The Waiting, the sixth in the Ballard and Bosch series, Renee Ballard and her team charged with solving cold cases are busy working on two unrelated sets of serial killings, including one that included the infamous Black Dahlia murder. Add to that her involvement in a current case that involves the FBI and suddenly she's juggling many balls and, typical of her style, taking some shortcuts to find answers. Connelly weaves these stories expertly, leaving readers on the edge of their seats in a book that just can't be put down. 400 pages flew by in the best way possible. Libraries should reward their readers with access to a sufficient number of copies. Bravo, Mr. Connelly!