Michael Connelly does a sterling job of melding old stager and newcomer together in this cracker of a book which finds the American crime author at the top of his game. We first met LAPD Detective Renee Ballard in 2017 in The Late Show, now she’s back, and soon the night shift worker is running into a familiar face – to crime fans anyway – in the shape of Harry Bosch. It takes a while for the pair to get each other’s measure, but once they pool resources they prove to be a formidable team in a cleverly constructed novel that never lets up on the pace or drama. Read our full review here.