The Late Show, Michael Connelly
The Late Show, Michael Connelly
198 Rating(s)
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The Late Show

Bestseller

Author: Michael Connelly

Narrator: Katherine Moennig

Unabridged: 9 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/18/2017

Synopsis

In this first installment of the Renée Ballard series, #1 bestselling author Michael Connelly introduces a determined young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD's toughest beat. Renee Ballard works the midnight shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing few, as each morning she turns everything over to the daytime units. It's a frustrating job for a once up-and-coming detective, but it's no accident. She's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor. But one night Ballard catches two assignments she doesn't want to part with. First, a prostitute is brutally beaten and left for dead in a parking lot. All signs point to a crime of premeditation, not passion, by someone with big evil on his mind. Then she sees a young waitress breathe her last after being caught up in a nightclub shooting. Though dubbed a peripheral victim, the waitress buys Ballard a way in, and this time she is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the investigations intertwine, Ballard is forced to face her own demons and confront a danger she could never have imagined. To find justice for these victims who can't speak for themselves, she must put not only her career but her life on the line. Propulsive as a jolt of adrenaline and featuring a bold and defiant new heroine, The Late Show is yet more proof that Michael Connelly is "a master of the genre" (Washington Post). "The pacing of Ballard's debut story is breathless ... Ballard is complicated and driven enough to sustain the series Connelly doubtless has in mind for her." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

About Michael Connelly

Author Michael Connelly was born in Philadelphia PA in 1956. His genre of choice are crime fiction and thrillers. The term "detectiveis used to describe many of his works, such as those featuring LAPD Detective HieronymusBosch or criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Most every reader is familiar with those characters. A fun fact is that Connelly recreated a lot of publicity when President Bill Clinton was exiting a bookstore carrying the Connelly novel, "The Concrete Blonde "Harry novels

Connelly wrote which was adapted to film with Cline Eastwood as director and playing the lead actor as character FBI agent Terry McCabe. The book and movie were based on the "survivorsthat a person has after a heart transplant. s interest in the world of crime investigation come when he was 16 and one night on his way home from working as a dishwasher, he witnessed a man throwing an object into a hedge. Curious, he retrieved the object which ended up being a gun wrapped in a flannel shirt. A great happening for a future fictional crime novelist.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Susanne on July 23, 2017

5 Stars. Michael Connelly at his Absolute Best. Detective Renee Ballard is Cop. Plain and Simple. Except that she is anything but. She works “the late show” at the “Hollywood Division” of the LAPD after being shipped off there for filing a complaint against her former boss (Lieutenant Olivas). A Sex......more

Goodreads review by James on May 25, 2020

With this book, Michael Connelly adds yet another character to the Harry Bosch Universe, LAPD detective Renee Ballard. Ballard has much in common with Bosch who remains Connelly's principal protagonist. Like Bosch, Ballard is a loner. Like Bosh, she had a difficult childhood and lost her mother earl......more

Goodreads review by Mary Beth on September 28, 2017

Renee Ballard lost her sexual harassment case against her supervisor and because of this she has to work the 11:00 pm-7:00 am shift called the late show shift. She starts the investigations and then sends them to the morning shift to finish them. Ballard and Jenkins first call on their shift was a b......more

Goodreads review by Sam on July 09, 2017

Michael Connelly is labelled a “thriller” writer and it used to be an accurate description for a lot of his books. Ten years ago I loved novels like The Lincoln Lawyer, The Scarecrow and Echo Park for their fast-paced plots with Connelly throwing his characters into tense situations against murderer......more

Goodreads review by Baba on March 21, 2022

(Renée Ballard, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #29)… the 29th book in the Harry Bosch universe, so surely this will be formulaic and just an average page turner? How about not at all. Meet American-Polynesian Renée Ballard, consigned to the Late Show (night shift) after losing a sexual harassment case ag......more

Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE LATE SHOW
"The Late Show introduces a terrific female character: Detective Renée Ballard. . . The pacing of Ballard's debut story is breathless. . . Ballard is complicated and driven enough to sustain the series Connelly doubtless has in mind for her." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"The most intriguing mystery in The Late Show, though, is Ballard herself. Connelly is too skillful to hand us her resume in one document dump; instead, he fills out her portrait with a subtle hand over the course of the novel, a little background here, a glimpse of her temperament there, the revelation of her unusual living conditions sketched in between."—Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times

"Det. Renée Ballard is a formidable character, an insightful and tenacious investigator with an unusual background and a sturdy personality to carry a series... Connelly has achieved success as one of the top mystery writers by continuing to keep his storytelling fresh. In The Late Show, he delivers an exciting police procedural with a unique character."—Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Few writers can capture the gritty streets of L.A.-and the inner workings of the LAPD-like Connelly."—Entertainment Weekly

"It's a sharp move that allows him to shift his perspective in fresh and meaningful ways. Writing about the instantly appealing police Detective Renee Ballard also recharges Connelly, who has never been in better form."—Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Tribune

"Ballard is a force that with just one novel will easily be as beloved. There's no doubt Connelly is a master of crime fiction, and The Late Show cements that reputation."—Jeff Ayers, Associated Press

PRAISE FOR MICHAEL CONNELLY:

"Michael Connelly is an undisputed master."—Chuck Leddy

"Any new book by Michael Connelly is a cause for celebration."—Jackie Cooper, Huffington Post

"A masterpiece."—Steve Forbes, FORBES

"Welcome Renée Ballard to the City of Angels' crime fighting pantheon. . . Connelly excels at writing principled outsiders, and Renée Ballard hews to this archetype."—Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times

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