As you know I love Michael Connelly and have reviewed many of his books in the Bosch, Lincoln Lawyer, and Renée Ballard series. This book, introduces a new main character- Detective Stillwell- and the novel is set outside of the milieu of Los Angeles on Catalina Island. That took a bit of an adjustment since I love the characters I’ve  grown used to, but Connelly weaves his magic and soon I was caught up in the complicated life of Detective Stillwell and the small police force on Catalina Island.

Stillwell was “banished” from his LAPD homicide detective position to Catalina Island due to office politics and a run in with an another homicide detective. He had loved his work at the LAPD, but the more rustic and slow pace of policing on Catalina island had its charm as well. Here he led a small department whose mode of transportation was electric golf carts and the crime they dealt with was mostly with petty thefts and drunk and disorderly visitors.   It was an adjustment, but Stillwell was beginning to settle in and appreciated the beauty of the island as well as the reasonable and regular hours.

That is until he got a report of a body being discovered in the harbor. The “Jane Doe” was a young woman with a dyed purple streak in her hair. she had been weighed down with an anchor and had been under water for at least several days. If that isn’t enough to deal with, he also gets a report of a killing of a protected species on the island’s nature preserve. As the investigation progresses, Stillwell finds that  the  “Jane Doe” worked at the exclusive club on the island as a server but had been recenlty fired. She was also suspected of stealing a valuable sculpture piece that stood in the lobby of the club since it went missing shortly after she was fired. Soon Stillwell uncovers connections to the mainland and he must contend with more bureaucracy as he must share the investigation with a former colleague on the mainland-the detective who sent him to the island in the first place. Convinced that his ex- colleague will never solve the case, Stillwell goes against protocol and continues to work it, and uncovers a dark and dangerous secret that holds the key to the murder.

In the meantime, the killing at the animal preserve seems to have direct connections to one of the most notorious residents on the island who is willing to do anything to protect his business interests. Suddenly Stillwell and his fellow police officers are facing violence and danger they never expected to face on the streets of LA much less on Catalina Island, as they try to find answers to the brutal mutilation of this animal.

This was a fun read and I really enjoyed it. I think if I had not known it was written by Connelly I would have had no qualms in giving it a great review. But since I do know it was written by Connelly, I felt that it lacked the depth and character development that I have so enjoyed in his other books. I realize that he has developed those characters over time so it may be that as we hear more about Detective Stillwell we will see depth and character development happen in this series as well.  I think it is hard for writers to maintain their own interest in their characters after writing about them for twenty or more years. So introducing a new character and a new location is one way to create interest for themselves, but it’s hard for readers to make the switch, as I noticed in reading many reviews of this book.  Maybe I am being too kind, but I want to give Connelly a little more time to develop this series before I write it off.

Brenda’s Rating: *** 1/2 Stars (3 1/2 Out Of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon and Keith

Book Study worthy? not really.

Read in e-library format.