Add the name of Stilwell to Bosch, Haller and Ballard in the Michael Connelly universe of top shelf detective fiction protagonists.
Dave Stilwell is the hero protagonist in Connelly’s latest brilliant crime caper, NIGHTSHADE, a crime caper occurring on Catalina Island, that begins with the beheading of a buffalo and spirals into the murder of a woman with a distinctive hair do.
Stilwell is a sergeant with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, banished to the backwater precinct by internal politics. Exiled but still an excellent investigator, Stilwell shares ethical and procedural DNA with Harry Bosch and is determined come hell and high water that justice will be served.
Political pussyfooting on the local front, old enmities from the mainland, and the poisonous tendrils of class discrimination abound to confound Stilwell in his pursuit of justice, but his tireless, dogged approach conspires to obliterate all obstacles.
Rich in detail, strong in character, with a plot that functions on a number of emotional levels, Connelly creates a convincing ambience of place, people and police procedure.
Authentic dialogue and a flawed hero go hand in hand in a case that initially appears straightforward but becomes labyrinthine with unusual suspects, surprising plot twists and the sheer thrill of the hunt. All the ingredients that have sustained the author’s reputation as one of the greats in American crime fiction are well and truly in play here, and for readers as yet to discover his brilliance, it’s not a bad place to start.
NIGHTSHADE is Michael Connelly’s fortieth book and his style, imagination and craft show now signs of flagging. It may well be the first in what promises to be a compelling new series. A future scenario of Bosch and Ballard hopping on the ferry perhaps.
NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly is published by Allen & Unwin.
