Publisher Description
A FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR
A CrimeReads Best Crime Novel Notable selection
Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Renée Ballard come together again on the murder case that obsessed Bosch's mentor, the man who trained him---new from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly
Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who taught him to take the work personally and light the fire of relentlessness for every case. Now that mentor, John Jack Thompson, is dead, and his widow gives Bosch a murder book, one that Thompson took with him when he left the LAPD twenty years before -- the unsolved killing of a troubled young man.
Bosch takes the murder book to Detective Renée Ballard and asks her to help him discover what about this crime lit Thompson's fire all those years ago. As she begins her inqueries -- while still working her own cases on the midnight shift -- Ballad finds aspects of the initial investigation that just don't add up.
The bond between Bosch and Ballard tightens as they become a formidable investigation team. And they soon arrive at a disturbing question: Did Thompson steal the murder book to work the case in retirement, or to make sure it never got solved?
Written with the intense pacing and masterful suspense that have made Michael Connelly "the hard-boiled fiction master of our time" (NPR), The Night Fire continues the unofficial partnership of two fierce detectives determined not to let the fire with burn out.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In Michael Connelly’s 22nd Harry Bosch book, the now-retired detective takes possession of a very intriguing cold-case murder file that was hidden from the LAPD by Bosch’s late mentor. Bosch once again teams up with young detective Renée Ballard, and the two try to uncover why his boss was so interested in the murder of an ex-con, investigating both cops and killers. (We’re always touched by Bosch’s commitment to do right by crime victims, even when they’re from the wrong side of the tracks.) The Night Fire’s gritty nightscape and cast of compassionate characters will hook anyone, whether or not they’re already a Connelly fan.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The sins of the past cast a long shadow in bestseller Connelly's superlative second novel featuring detectives Ren e Ballard and Harry Bosch together (after 2018's Dark Sacred Night). After the funeral of former LAPD Det. John Jack Thompson, the man's widow gives Bosch a murder book that Thompson took when he left the force a couple of decades before. The cold case concerns the unsolved homicide of 24-year-old John Hilton, an addict who was killed in an alley in 1990. What's unclear is why Bosch's old mentor stole the murder book to work the case himself in retirement, or to keep other detectives from working it? Bosch takes the book to Ballard, a kindred spirit; both are outliers with a shared fire for fighting injustice no matter where the trail leads. Meanwhile, defense attorney Mickey Haller enlists Bosch, his half-brother, to assist in defending a mentally ill man accused of murdering a superior court judge. Conflicting DNA evidence and a problematic confession complicate the high profile case. Connelly is without peer when it comes to police procedurals, and once again proves that he's the modern master of the form.
Customer Reviews
The Night Fire
Very entertaining murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns. Lots of unlikely scenarios but still fun. Readers will enjoy I.
Great read
Love the Ballard Bosch books
Another Great Read
Truly enjoyable. Hard to put down. When you think you have it figured out, its like curveball coming.