I would rate this 3.75 out of 5 stars.

I requested this book from NetGalley never expecting to actually be approved and, when I was, I was beyond pumped. I have been reading this series for years and I was so excited to get to read this latest release. The only downside to being approved and reading it so close to the release date, it will be an even longer wait until the next book is released.

I very much enjoyed this instalment in the series. There are three main threads to this story and I enjoyed them all equally and I really enjoy how well crafted Connelly's investigations are and how the stories unfold. I also love seeing that the Bosch part of the series may be moving to the next generation, despite how sad it makes me to see Harry getting on in years.

Can't wait for the next Connelly novel!

The Waiting by Michael Connelly offers readers multiple bangs for their buck. Or rather, several mysteries in one book. Renee Ballard and her open-unsolved crimes team are pursuing several old crimes and in the present Renee is hand-delivered an unwanted case of her own when her gun and badge are stolen. We're also offered two Bosches for the price of one as Harry's daughter Maddie - a cop herself - brings an old unsolved crime to Renee's team.

I sometimes get antsy when there are several plots on the go - particularly if they end up converging in some far-fetched coincidence. Thankfully it's not the case here and it does actually make sense that the team is working on a couple of different investigations to which we're exposed to varying degrees. The main ones however include that of the Pillowcase Rapist who committed a spate of rapes before murdering a woman two decades earlier. And the case Maddie presents to the team is fell into her lap when the manager of a storage facility approached her after a gruesome discovery of photos of a woman before, during and after her murder. The Black Dahlia case was well known and - the photographs indicate - actually only one of many murders committed by the same killer, with most going undetected.

Connelly, well... Ballard explains to Maddie (and us) earlier in the book that her team focuses on crimes committed after 1976. Obviously closing any unsolved case is a cause for celebration but many committed prior to that mean the killer's already dead and often the family and friends of the victims are also not around to see justice served. Maddie's case here took place in 1947 so the killer is dead, but Ballard and Maddie are conscious that the photographs they found means there are more victims and families unaware of the fate of their loved ones.

As is usually the case, the journey to justice doesn't go smoothly for Ballard and her team. The seemingly straight forward case involving the Pillowcase Rapist offers up a few twists including one that's quite shocking; and the DA seems to have minimal interest in the Black Dahlia case despite it being handed to him on a platter.

There's a lot happening here but Connelly keeps each of the cases ticking over and the book's well-paced. I couldn't really remember much about Ballard's team of volunteers and would probably appreciate the chance to know some of them a bit better if they're to continue to play an ongoing role in the series.

I'm really enjoying spending time with Ballard though I'm conscious I still think of her as being quite young - the cop we first met who slept in a tent on the beach - but here she plays the role of mentor to Maddie and I gather Connelly intends to replace the ageing Bosch in the annals of crime fiction royalty with his daughter... which seems fitting.

The Waiting is the 6th book to feature LAPD detective Renee Ballard, but it’s part of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch universe. More and more Ballard is exhibiting the same willingness to circumvent the rules as Bosch himself. It makes for a lively investigation process and it’s all in the name of solving her cases and bringing closure for the victim's families.

Ballard heads up LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and has put together a strong team of volunteers adept at working through the massive list of cold cases still on the books. Although the team members don’t have a badge, they all have strong backgrounds for the work they do and the results have been good, granting Ballard quite a high level of autonomy.

There are 3 significant threads to follow in the course of The Waiting’s storyline.

The first kicks off while Ballard is enjoying a morning surf. Her car is broken into and she’s robbed of her police ID, her badge and her service weapon. She chooses not to let her superior know, rather, she does her own off-the-books investigation. Following the trail from thief, to stolen goods fence to illegal goods buyer, she finds that she’s about to uncover a potential terror attack. But she’s got to tread very carefully considering how she first learnt of the threat.

The second involves one of the cold cases being worked by the team. The case was dubbed the Pillowcase Rapist and the person they’re after was a serial rapist with the final rape victim also murdered. The team has come up with a familial match from a man arrested on a domestic violence call. If the DNA match comes through, the man’s father could be charged as the Pillowcase Rapist.

The only problem is, the potential suspect is the presiding judge of the superior court.

The third arm, and possibly the most significant for Bosch and Michael Connelly fans, is Maddie Bosch joining the Open-Unsolved team for one day a week. She’s hoping to fast-track her rise to detective. Maddie comes to Ballard with a possible stunning chance to solve the infamous Black Dahlia murder. Solving it may also solve a series of other Open/Unsolved murders along the way.

The Waiting exhibits all of the superior storytelling qualities that has made Michael Connelly so popular. Although the three main storylines unfold concurrently with Ballard at their center, they’re allowed to each develop at their natural pace, building to an absorbing conclusion. It’s all held together effortlessly to form another extremely tightly plotted story typified by the logical police work employed in each case.

It was nice to get another small dose of Harry Bosch here. Although his role is of a minor nature, his influence on Ballard remains large. And then there’s the introduction of Maddie Bosch, giving her a much larger role with the promise of more to come. There’s already an indication that we’re in for a treat in future books that involves this whip-smart police investigator.

Naturally, there are hitches, roadblocks and, at times, members of the team are placed in mortal danger, but that’s to be expected when there are so many big personalities involved. Another totally absorbing Los Angeles thriller delivered by a master of his craft.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.

LAPD Detective Renée Ballard was enjoying her surf, which she tried to do most mornings before heading in to the Open-Unsolved Unit for her day's work, but the morning she returned to her vehicle and it had been broken into, with her badge, wallet and gun missing, was shattering. She couldn't report it, so investigated it surreptitiously, where she found there had been various burglaries of vehicles along the surf coast. Bringing in Harry Bosch as backup when Ballard discovered there was much more to the burglaries than it first seemed, she hoped she wasn't putting him in danger.

Ballard's Open-Unsolved Unit worked tirelessly on cold cases and when a DNA match came up to a twenty year old rape and murder case, it was obvious the Pillowcase Rapist was the father of the match. The work involved to find that person turned up secrets, lies and trouble - both for Ballard's unit and others within the force. And the unit's newest recruit - Officer Maddie Bosch, Harry's daughter - had a fierce passion, and when she took a cold case which was seventy plus years old, Maddie proved her worth. With danger circling Ballard's unit, and several cases on the go, Renée did her utmost to keep her team safe and close.

The Waiting is the 6th in the Renée Ballard series by prolific, and much loved, author Michael Connelly and it was brilliant! Renée's character is filled with determination, strength and courage, and while we didn't see a lot of Harry this episode, what we did see was heartwarming. His daughter, Maddie, is a chip off the old block and I can see her having a much stronger role in the future. I've always loved Michael's stories, and this one was no different. My husband read this one before me, and gave it 5★s as well. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin AU for my ARC to read and review.

Another riveting instalment of the Renee Ballard series, The Waiting is three stories in one blended seamlessly by Michael Connelly. When Renee Ballard has her gun and badge stolen while surfing, she ends up discovering a much bigger case requiring help from Harry. Harry’s daughter Maddie, keen to fast track becoming a detective volunteers for Ballard’s unit bringing with her a potential perpetrator of a famous cold case. All while the team discover the son of a judge has DNA links to a rapist and murderer.

At first I thought it seemed too coincidental that Renee and Maddie would stumble onto those big cases, but Michael Connelly has such an effortless prose that engages you and makes you believe it. There’s no over-the-top tension for the sake of it, instead he lets his characters do the investigative work to draw you in. While Harry is sidelined, I still appreciate that he plays a big role in the book, with Maddie obviously being set up to take a bigger role. All we need is Hayley Haller to join in the next generation.

I do have some minor quibbles though with the story. It’s not explained how Coleen knew the genetic mapping wasn’t a match given she had no access to the DNA test that they’d put into the lab. Also why didn’t they just look at the photos of Purcell to match the three men they were looking into?

Renee has taken some big steps over the past few books. She’s going to therapy and working through her parental issues. While she’s still a loner, she’s much healthier and is tenacious and savvier in dealing with police politics. I appreciated her passing the torch on by mentoring Maddie, having had Harry’s guidance in her career.

This is yet another winner that cements why Michael Connelly is such a compelling crime writer. He creates stories where you care about the characters and understand all the political systems that undermine justice.

Thanks to Allen & Unwin And NetGalley for the ARC.

Former 'Late Show' Hollywood detective Renee Ballard returns to the fore in The Waiting, Michael Connelly’s riveting new novel that sees the now-head of the Open-Unsolved Unit juggling three career-threatening cases. When beach-loving Ballard’s personal items (including her gun and badge) are stolen when she's surfing early one morning, she feels compelled to conduct an off-the-books investigation to retrieve them before those in the department that may want an excuse to oust her find out. This leads her and retired detective Harry Bosch into the sort of harm they couldn't envisage for some car thefts by the beach, but has been simmering barely beneath the surface of post-Trump America. Meanwhile, Ballard’s volunteer-based cold case unit gets a familial hit on a long-dormant killer, the Pillowcase Rapist, that points to a high-ranking judge. Harry’s daughter Maddie, an LAPD patrol cop, offers to volunteer for Ballard’s unit, having uncovered startling new evidence relating to one of LA’s most infamous unsolved crimes, the Black Dahlia case. While the three cases provide plenty of page-turning intrigue, along the way The Waiting also deepens readers understanding of Ballard; her family history, what drives her, the cracks in her armour. Vintage Connelly, another great read.

The sixth book in the Renee Ballard series sees Renee collaborating with her team now including Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter. Maddie excels in tracking down clues to assist in solving the infamous Black Dahlia case, it is blatantly obvious that she is a product of her father with excellent detective skills and a natural manner about her regarding solving crimes.

Meanwhile Renee is in all sorts of trouble after her gun, badge and ID are all stolen, her main fear is that the powers that be will find out about this and then remove her from the current case she is working on which she is determined to solve. I love that Michael Connelly continues to include Bosch in this spin off, Harry has his own way of extracting the necessary information required to solve crimes and it is a talent he is renowned for and excels at.

Another excellent book that I devoured in an afternoon, skillfully told and a particularly good crime thriller. I have to say my preference would be to have Bosch play a much larger role in future books, I like Renee but have to say that the two together do make a talented team. If you are looking for another enjoyable book from Connelly you will not be disappointed in The Waiting.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

This is another of Connelly’s wonderful Ballard and Bosch novels, although here the story belongs almost entirely to Renee Ballard. I loved both the investigation contained in this novel, and the continuing advancement of the characters’ personal stories.

Ballard is now in charge of the Cold Cases Unit in Los Angeles. She loves her job, and she’s good at it. Her drive to find answers for survivors, and a measure of justice for victims and perpetrators, combines with excellent investigative skills to produce results.

When a DNA hit on a recently arrestee suggests a familial link to a serial rapist and murderer, Ballard and her team find themselves investigating a case that is very cold – but still very sensitive. Ballard is not always the best at stepping lightly, but here she must find a way to do it, while pushing the investigation forward.

On a more personal level, her badge, identity card and gun are stolen. She needs to recover them quickly, and quietly. Again she’s challenged: a small time theft leads her to something bigger and darker, and possibly more than she can handle.

To top it all off, Bosch’s daughter Maddie begins volunteering at the Cold Case Unit. Within days she comes to Ballard, saying that she has solved one of Los Angeles’ most notorious and enduring cold cases.

Connelly’s novels feature detailed descriptions of investigative steps, and what the detectives are thinking at each stage. They’re so detailed that the word “forensic” comes up for me whenever I’m reading. It’s one of the great strengths of these novels: it makes them feel utterly grounded and very, very real.

The plotting makes the novel very compelling, with the three main plots wound around each other, and then further entangled with the personal stories of those investigating. I found it really hard to take a break from this novel, because I wanted to know how each element worked out.

In bringing Maddie Bosch to the foreground, Connelly gives us a “replacement” Bosch, as Harry Bosch is now in the final stages of cancer. More importantly, he opens up the opportunity to explore some of the conflicts between a father and daughter, particularly when the daughter both wants to emulate her father and forge her own path. Although this was a very minor part of the novel, I appreciated it. I think it’s opened up a new part of the personal stories of these ongoing characters, and may be explored more in future novels.

Connelly’s many fans have probably already abandoned this review to rush out and buy “The Waiting”. But if you’re still reading: this is a wonderfully constructed crime novel with smart plotting, strong characterisation, and some advancement in the personal stories of ongoing characters. Every crime reader should read at least one Michael Connelly, and this would be a good place to start.