Nightshade by Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly can’t write fast enough for me now that I have caught up with nearly every one of the 39 books he has written. So, of course, I was pleased to hear he was launching a new series that features Detective Stilwell (either the author deliberately did not give him a first name or I missed it), who exposed the sloppy work of a fellow detective. His reward – no support from Internal Affairs; lots of animosity from Rex Ahearn, said detective; and exile to a remote but beautiful part of Los Angeles County, Catalina Island. 

Good news is that there is not a lot of serious crime on Catalina; when the book begins Stillwell is investigating the decapitation of a buffalo. Bad news is that someone has found the dead body of a young woman with a streak of purple in her dark hair. She was wrapped in a sail cover, attached to an anchor, and dumped in the ocean.  It is the murderer's bad luck that she did not stay submerged.

There is worse news coming for Stilwell. The mayor does not want the bad publicity of a murder in a tourist destination, which isn’t going to help an investigation. But Stilwell’s enemy Ahearn is assigned the homicide and Stillwell is told not to interfere, even when a robbery that is under his jurisdiction and the mutilated buffalo seem connected to the murder victim. Risking his job by ignoring the order to stay away from Ahearn’s case, Stilwell gets help from his girlfriend Tash, the Assistant Harbormaster of the island, in identifying boats that were in the right place at the right time to be involved in the murder:

“I’m also making a list of the Black Marlin members we deal with on the moorings. Everybody who’s come this year.”

“That’ll be helpful. Thank you, but then you can stop there.”

“What do you mean? I said it was fun. I want to help.”

“I know, and you are helping, but I want to be careful about it.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning it’s not all fun and games. I don’t want you to go down a path that, you know, could become dangerous.”

Tash is sweet but has limited experience, having lived on the island her whole life, and doesn’t have much to offer as a character other than her knowledge of visiting ships. She is insecure about their relationship, and I don’t see that she and Stilwell have a long term future in this series because sooner or later he will rehabilitate his image and be brought back to the big time in LA proper. I liked his determination to follow the case to its core, partly because (like Bosch) he believes the victim deserves justice, partly because he doesn’t trust Ahearn to fully investigate, and maybe a bit just to infuriate Ahearn by finding the killer first.

However, while I found it entertaining enough to read in a day while I was on vacation last week, it didn’t have the sparkle of a Bosch or a Ballard story (or even Mickey Haller, a series that has grown on me after a slow start). I am entertained to recall that in the last Mickey Haller book I read, he invites his ex-wife to go to Catalina for the weekend with him to stay at one of the hotels mentioned in this book. Having now looked it up, I must say it seems an appealing place to visit. As to the series, I’ll wait to see how – and where – Stilwell develops as a character. It makes sense for Connelly to start a new series as Harry Bosch won't live forever, and I will certainly read any future books.

This is my twenty-fourth book for the 2025 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge.

Title: Nightshade
Author: Michael Connelly
Publication: Little, Brown, hardcover, 2025
Genre: Suspense
Source: Library