Book Review: The Night Fire

The book The Night Fire opens with retired Detective Harry Bosch at the funeral for his good friend and mentor, John Jack Thompson. When Bosch later visits the widow of his mentor, paying his respects. She gives him a murder book that John took with him when he left the LAPD, 20 years ago. The case has to do with an unsolved killing of a troubled young man.

After spending some time with the book, Harry takes it to Detective Renee Ballard. Explaining how he got it and from whom. As Renee starts looking through the murder book she finds inconsistencies with the investigation. She decides to once again work with Harry on one of his cold cases, while she works her own cases on the night shift.

Meanwhile, Renee is working a case of a homeless man set on fire in one of the homeless encampments. As an overnight detective or working the Late Show, she knows she must pass the case on to the day shift. But something about it keeps pulling her in. So, while she helps Bosch with his cold case, she continues to investigate the murder of this homeless man.

As the two team up on the cold case and some of what Ballard is working on. Harry is looking into another case, who killed a sitting Judge and why frame an innocent man for the murder. More questions and dangers are around each curve in this story.

Now, as you know from my other posts, I’m a huge fan of Michael Connelly and this story is a great example why. The story has subplots and side stories that are always just as compelling as the main case. Each one a story on its own. This story is one heck of a page turner.

Now, on my scale of 1 to 5, 1 being don’t bother and 5 a real page turner, I must give The Night Fire, a solid, 5. This is a great read.