The introduction of Renee Ballard has certainly freshened up Bosch’s world, but while lots of things have changed, one thing remains the same: Connelly continues to deliver winner after winner, year in and year out. Harry is still the star, but Ballard continues to hold her own, and perhaps the best compliment of all is that her chapters...are just as riveting as when the camera stays tight on Bosch. There’s never a feeling or desire to rush through Renee’s pages to get back to Bosch, and as a team, Ballard is definitely in the running for Harry’s best partner ... Connelly continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest crime writers of all time, and reading one of his books is an experience unlike anything else the genre has to offer. Look for The Night Fire to make everyone’s 'Best of' lists at the end of the year . . . right where it belongs.
Master storyteller Connelly manages to top himself with his latest intensely gripping thriller ... He tells a superb tale with an economy of words using a no-nonsense, fly-on-the-wall style of writing. Keeping the chapters short and the Bosch and Ballard sections separate brilliantly aids in the thought process continuity that readers will find necessary for this mystery containing many irons in the fire, a few holy cows, and edge-of-your-seat chills ... Fans of this prolific author of crime dramas and either series will find this best-seller-list-bound novel hard to put down. Though it reads well as a stand-alone, this series is best read in order.
Several of Connelly’s recent books have opened up Bosch’s and Ballard’s personal lives and backstories to some degree. The Night Fire focuses more on their investigations and is closer to pure procedural, with those multiple cases structured and linked in a virtuoso performance of plotting ... mostly The Night Fire glows with the instincts and intelligence Bosch and Ballard bring to their pursuit of the truth. From bleak sidewalks where the homeless live and die to law offices in glittering Bunker Hill high-rises, they follow the case.
Not only has Connelly created another fully formed series lead in Renée, who has her own fascinating backstory, but he has also forged a fascinating yin-and-yang relationship between the old-school Harry and the unconventional loner Renèe, who prefers sleeping on the beach with her dog. Uniting this duo, who work totally as equals, is a shared commitment to doing the job right and following Bosch’s credo,'“everybody matters or nobody matters.' Master chef Connelly has once again combined familiar ingredients into a new and completely satisfying dish.
Connelly is the Raymond Chandler of this generation, and readers will be studying his writing methods decades from now ... He has created another novel that feels authentic on every level, and the underlying theme of mortality running through the narrative makes everything in the story more urgent.
... a very enjoyable three-for-one. The legend of Harry Bosch, who is currently recovering from knee replacement surgery, continues forward to the delight of all his fans. In addition, readers are treated to another appearance by the Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller. Then there’s Reneé Ballard, who’s earned her chops in two previous novels and works as an interesting complement to Bosch ... Despite this flareup of moral ambiguity, something that we’ve seen before in Connelly’s plots, the novel satisfies on every other level ... His writing style remains carefully tailored to keep things moving briskly, a tribute to his journalistic training and his long experience as a storyteller ... Connelly delivers the goods once again, extending his legacy as quite simply the best author of police procedurals in the business.
... good tension and a plot that again showcases Connelly’s high standards ... Breathless action and deep character studies ... In The Night Fire, Connelly again shows his mission: strong plots and sturdy characters.
The sins of the past cast a long shadow in bestseller Connelly’s superlative second novel ... Connelly is without peer when it comes to police procedurals, and once again proves that he’s the modern master of the form
Working sometimes in tandem, more often separately, and sometimes actively against the cops who naturally bridle at the suggestion that any of their own theories or arrests might be flawed, Ballard and Bosch slog through the usual dead ends and fruitless rounds of questioning to link two murders separated by many years to a single hired killer. The most mysterious question of all—why did John Jack Thompson steal that murder book in the first place?—is answered suddenly, casually, and surprisingly ... Middling for this standout series but guaranteed to please anyone who thinks the cops sometimes get it wrong.
