Desert Star

Paperback, 388 pages Published: 2022 LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch work together to hunt the killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family. A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. Yet, after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division. For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn’t been able to crack—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him. The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer. Propulsive and unstoppable, this new novel demonstrates once again why “Connelly is the real deal” (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review). "LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch work together to hunt the killer who is Bosch's 'white whale' - a man responsible for the murder of an entire family. A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralisation and endless red tape. Yet after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving 'the Late Show' to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division. For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn't been able to crack - the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his 'white whale' with the resources of the LAPD behind him. The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer."--Publisher LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch work together to hunt the killer who is Bosch's 'white whale' - a man responsible for the murder of an entire family. A year ago, LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny and endless red tape, but then took back her badge after being offered her dream job: building a new cold case unit. She makes Bosch an offer - if he works as a volunteer investigator for her, he can he can pick up the cold case that has haunted him for years, the murder of an entire family by a psychopath still walking free. There's just one catch: they must first solve another murder. Can Harry and Renée put aside their old resentments? Is Harry still at the top of his game? What do you do when faced with a child-murderer who may forever evade justice? United by single-minded determination, Ballard and Bosch blaze fresh life down cold trails in their pursuit of justice.