Best-selling crime novelists Connelly, Crais release new books with familiar characters

Ray Walsh
·2 min read
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Two recent bestselling crime novels showcase recurring partnerships that again provide solid literary escapism.

"Desert Star" by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, $29) is the latest in his series starring Harry Bosch, retired LAPD detective, and Renee Ballard, who quit the same department for a variety of reasons.

Ballard gets a chance to come back - and takes over as head of the Open-Unsolved unit of the Robbery-Homicide Division.

"Desert Star" by Michael Connelly is another in the Harry Bosch series.
"Desert Star" by Michael Connelly is another in the Harry Bosch series.

She convinces Bosch to join her as a volunteer; he's frustrated and is working on his own "white whale" - the unsolved case involving the murder of an entire family.

Ballard is looking for the individual responsible for the rape and killing of a 16-year-old girl decades earlier.

Asking lots of questions, Ballard gets unexpected information - a new suspect surfaces.

Bosch makes headway on his case too - emerging facts lead to surprising, violent results.

Loyal Michael Connelly fans should certainly enjoy "Desert Star"; he's the executive producer for three network series based on his books.

"Racing the Light" by Robert Crais (Putnam, $29) is the 18th crime novel starring Elvis Cole, Los Angeles private eye and Joe Pike, his friend/associate in trouble-making.

Cole gets an unannounced visit from wealthy Adele Schumacher, who brings bodyguards and a bag of cash to his office.

"Racing the Light" by Robert Crais is another in the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series.
"Racing the Light" by Robert Crais is another in the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series.

She wants him to locate Joshua, her missing son, a podcaster who has a popular conspiracy-related show.

Cole reluctantly takes the job, but of course there are deadly serious complications.

This is a fast-paced, powerful tale, laced with dark humor, short chapters and brisk dialogue.

"Racing the Light" works well as a stand-alone novel; reading earlier books in the series allows for a better appreciation of the distinctive characters.

Crais, who has written scripts for "Hill Steet Blues", "Cagney and Lacey" and "Miami Vice", has won numerous awards for his work.

Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing's Curious Book Shop, has reviewed mysteries and crime novels regularly since 1987. His Email address is raywalsh@voyager.net.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Ray Walsh: Michael Connelly, Robert Crais release new books