Booksology ‘Nightshade’ by Michael Connelly; Little, Brown & Co.; 352 pages; $30
Michael Connelly has remained one of today’s top mystery writers — if not the top mystery writer — by consistently pushing his plots, characters and settings in different directions. This approach has served him, and his readers, well throughout his novels about (now former) police Detective Harry Bosch, Detective Renée Ballard and attorney Mickey Haller (aka The Lincoln Lawyer), all set in Los Angeles.
This strategy leads to “Nightshade,” a satisfying series launch that introduces L.A. County sheriff’s Detective Stilwell stationed on Santa Catalina Island. Stil — no one calls him by his first name — was transferred to the island after disagreements with his superior officers. During the first few months on Catalina Island, the assignment felt like a punishment, an exile to “a way station for the department’s freaks,” only 22 miles from L.A., but light years in terms of crime, attitude and culture.
But now that he’s settled in, Catalina Island seems to be the right place for him. He has a girlfriend, the assistant harbormaster with whom he’s in love, and he likes being in charge without the politics of the larger department.
Major crimes would fall under the jurisdiction of the L.A. sheriff’s homicide unit on “the mainland.” But so far, the island has been relatively quiet with a few petty thefts and drunk and disorderly arrests of permanent residents and tourists.
Until now.
The body of a young woman with a distinctive purple streak in her hair is found in the harbor. While Stil is supposed to let the L.A. deputies investigate her murder, he doesn’t trust those deputies, especially when he is the one who uncovers vital information and links the victim to the island’s exclusive Black Marlin Club. Stil also is looking into who illegally killed a buffalo, a federally protected animal, on the island’s nature preserve.
“Nightshade” turns a light on the greed, corruption and exploitation of the working class that flows through the island. Connelly shows the contrast of the wealthy and the working-class who live here, as well as the weekly invasion of rich tourists enjoying the water and outdoor activities and others attracted by the island’s “long history of supposed UFO sightings.” There’s also an often-ruthless competition among businesses.
Connelly’s novels are so intricately linked to Los Angeles, but “Nightshade” shows how major crimes easily filter out of metropolitan areas. The compressed region of Catalina gives rise to as much tension and bad behavior as a spread-out region such as Los Angeles. While Catalina is known as a vacation locale, Connelly shows life and crime do not take a holiday. This echoes back to the varied meanings of the title. “Nightshade” is the name of the color the woman used in her hair. Nightshade also is a beautiful flower as well as a deadly poison.
Stilwell doesn’t quite have the same cache as Bosch, but give him time. He is a sturdy character who will be able to hold his own as this series progresses. Just as important, Stilwell shares the same code, sense of justice and attention to detail as Bosch.
“Nightshade” marks another bright turning point for Connelly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Connelly grew up in Fort Lauderdale, attended St Thomas Aquinas High School and worked at the South Florida Sun Sentinel from 1981 to 1987. He will publish two novels during 2025: “Nightshade” (May 20), which introduces L.A. County sheriff’s Detective Stilwell, and “The Proving Ground” (Oct. 21), in which Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, tries a case against an AI company. The third season of the Netflix series, “The Lincoln Lawyer,” is streaming and has been renewed for a fourth season. Meanwhile, over at Amazon Prime Video, the final season of the TV series, “Bosch: Legacy,” based on the Harry Bosch novels, is now available, and the new Ballard series about Detective Renée Ballard (Maggie Q) who runs the LAPD’s cold-case unit is set to premiere this summer.
Originally Published: May 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM EDT
