Book Review: The Last Show by Michael Connolly. Meet Connolly's newest character Renee Ballard! (Release Date 11th July 2017)

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First we had Bosch, then we had Haller... now we have the deliciously different Renee Ballard.  Renee Ballard is a Hawaiian  surf/paddle freak.  She lives with her rescued dog in a van which she parks up near the coast, snatching a few hours sleep in her pop up tent before starting the late shift at LAPD.  

Ballard is as addictive as Bosch yet she's very different.  Her back story has ended her up working the late shift with a partner who counts the hours till morning so he can get back to nursing his ill wife.  Ballard, like Bosch has principles and is stubbornly committed to maintaining them.  As The Late Show begins, Ballard and her partner are called to the scene of a brutal attack on a transgender woman in a less than salubrious side of town. meanwhile a shooting at a night club with five dead piques Renee's interest.  mainly because her ex -partner, who betrayed her before, and his boss, whom she took out a complaint against are heading up the investigation.  Ballard is sidelined because she's on the late shift, yet with all the tenacity of a Pit-bull, she can't let it go.

Her tenacity yields results for Ballard and I found myself more and more committed to her as the book stormed along.   She is fiercely independent and maintains her dignity in a very male orientated environment.  She is respectful of the victims she comes across and doesn't allow herself to be brought down by the sexism that undermines her skills and relegates her to the dead end night shift where she mops up for the 'real' detectives.  Her intelligence, commitment and empathy draw you in as does the backstory that we learn more about throughout the novel. 
For me this was unputdownable.  I read it in a couple of sittings and will definitely look forward to more Ballard.