Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has been “exiled” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor—a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig.
Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Though hampered by an old beef with an ex-colleague determined to thwart him at every turn, he is convinced he is the only one who can bring justice to the woman known as “Nightshade.” Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city.
Propulsive and atmospheric, Nightshade launches a brand new character into the Connelly universe, and proves without question that Michael Connelly is “the undisputed master of the modern crime novel” (Real Book Spy).
Michael Connelly’s Nightshade introduces a compelling new protagonist, Detective Harry Stilwell, and marks the start of a police procedural thriller series set against the backdrop of Catalina Island. The narrative follows Detective Stilwell, once a homicide detective in LA, who’s been exiled to a position on the tranquil Catalina Island after pursuing a closed case involving police corruption. When conducting routine duties, he discovers a woman’s body in the harbor, leading him into a complex investigation. Facing criticism for past mistakes, his captain assigns the case to his arch enemy, and he is placed instead on poaching and stolen statue cases. Determined to get a lead on the murdered woman case, Stillwell begins to extend his reach, escalating his investigations into dangerous territory, all while confronting personal and professional challenges.
For readers new to Connelly’s work, this is an excellent book to start with. This book’s intricate, unpredictable storyline, along with its compelling characters and intense dialogue, is a great representation of the author’s writing style. Readers also get the opportunity to experience a brand-new protagonist from the author with the rest of the world’s readers, and Stilwell is most certainly a bold character that readers will be excited about! Fans of Connelly’s iconic Detective Harry Bosch will immediately start drawing comparisons between Bosch and Stilwell, as both characters are stubbornly determined and principled.
Stilwell is a tenacious, risk-taking, methodical character—the ideal character traits to hook in readers in a new police procedural series. The book immediately dumps readers into Stilwell’s complex life, and details of his backstory slowly filter in at perfectly timed plot points to make him more and more interesting. At the same time, Connelly leaves lots of room for further character development in future books. Even with his departmental exile, Harry continues to be true to high moral principles and a relentless thirst for justice. He doesn’t trust the mainland detectives to do a thorough investigation and risks losing his job by investigating the murder case he’s forbidden to get involved in. As the story unfolds, Harry also comes to love working on Catalina—mostly due to the challenging investigations he’s head deep into and his passionate romance with Tash, a deputy in charge of the island’s harbor operations. The supporting characters are also well developed, including a savvy island administrator, a scheming mayor, and a nefarious crime boss, adding layers of conflict and perspective to the story.
Catalina Island, one of California’s Channel Islands, about an hour’s ferry ride from LA, serves as the perfect atmospheric backdrop of the story. As Stilwell navigates his investigation all over the island, while the author provides rich detailings, the island becomes a character in its own right. The island’s serene facade conceals the corruption and shady operations that occur on its shores. The boat club and marina are vividly depicted, along with a few key shops that become key to Stilwell’s investigation. Anyone who’s a boating enthusiast will appreciate the nuanced descriptions and navigation details Connelly includes. Much of the story takes place in Avalon, on the eastern side of the island, which, just like in real life, serves as a hub for tourism, restaurants, and shops—all of which are embedded in some way into the narrative. As you’re reading, you’ll easily find yourself researching the island to create an even more immersive and vivid reading experience!
The story has a slow-burn start and becomes increasingly intricate, unpredictable, and action-packed as Stillwell’s investigation advances. Clues and discoveries are exposed at a furious pace while the danger and complexity increase—it’s not an easy one for readers to solve. With the explosive and open-ended conclusion, readers will be eagerly anticipating further resolution to this story and more Harry Stilwell adventures and an evolving romance with Tash.
Overall, Nightshade is another example of Michael Connelly’s mastery of crime fiction writing and is a promising start to a fresh new series. Connelly has planted some intriguing seeds and it’ll be very interesting to see where he takes the series and its compelling characters next. If you’re a longtime fan of Connelly’s work, new to his work, or enjoy intricate crime fiction, action-packed police procedurals, rich character development, and atmospheric settings, then immediately grab a copy of this book!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Nightshade is a captivating, addictive listen by the immensely talented Will Damron! Damron does a tremendous job bringing Michael Connelly’s brand-new detective, Harry Stilwell, vividly to life with a strong, determined voice that perfectly captures a character who’s on a quest for justice. It’s exciting enough for Connelly to be introducing a new detective and starting a new book series, but Damron’s incredible performance here brings the character and the story to a whole new level—after listening to this audiobook, you’ll surely agree that Damron is the perfect fit for this character and series—and let’s hope he narrates every forthcoming Detective Stilwell installment!
This book is full of dubious characters and officers with strong opinions. Damron gives each one an authentic, convincing voice and performs the intense dialogue with such tension and drama that it feels like listening to the audio of a big-budget crime thriller film—it’s really that good! There’s also a romance subplot, and Damron carefully shifts his performance of Stilwell to portray him with more emotional vulnerability, particularly in the intimate dialogue sequences between Stilwell and Tash. Damron makes their romance compelling, and listeners will be invested in the relationship and eager to see where it goes in future books!
Stilwell’s investigation takes him all over Catalina Island, and Damron narrates all the descriptive details of the serene setting with great pacing for listeners to take it all in—if you’re not familiar with this “real-life” island and its town of Avalon, you’ll easily find yourself pausing the narration to research the intriguing sites.
Overall, this complex crime thriller, coupled with Will Damron’s masterful voice acting talent, creates a fully entertaining listening experience. If you’re considering this book, the audiobook is the definite way to go. It’s an absolute must-listen for longtime fans of Connelly’s work and those who enjoy police procedurals and intricate thrillers! If you haven’t listened to Damron’s narration before, you’ll become an instant fan after listening to this one!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Nightshade is a captivating, addictive listen by the immensely talented Will Damron! Damron does a tremendous job bringing Michael Connelly’s brand-new detective, Harry Stilwell, vividly to life with a strong, determined voice that perfectly captures a character who’s on a quest for justice. It’s exciting enough for Connelly to be introducing a new detective and starting a new book series, but Damron’s incredible performance here brings the character and the story to a whole new level—after listening to this audiobook, you’ll surely agree that Damron is the perfect fit for this character and series—and let’s hope he narrates every forthcoming Detective Stilwell installment!
This book is full of dubious characters and officers with strong opinions. Damron gives each one an authentic, convincing voice and performs the intense dialogue with such tension and drama that it feels like listening to the audio of a big-budget crime thriller film—it’s really that good! There’s also a romance subplot, and Damron carefully shifts his performance of Stilwell to portray him with more emotional vulnerability, particularly in the intimate dialogue sequences between Stilwell and Tash. Damron makes their romance compelling, and listeners will be invested in the relationship and eager to see where it goes in future books!
Stilwell’s investigation takes him all over Catalina Island, and Damron narrates all the descriptive details of the serene setting with great pacing for listeners to take it all in—if you’re not familiar with this “real-life” island and its town of Avalon, you’ll easily find yourself pausing the narration to research the intriguing sites.
Overall, this complex crime thriller, coupled with Will Damron’s masterful voice acting talent, creates a fully entertaining listening experience. If you’re considering this book, the audiobook is the definite way to go. It’s an absolute must-listen for longtime fans of Connelly’s work and those who enjoy police procedurals and intricate thrillers! If you haven’t listened to Damron’s narration before, you’ll become an instant fan after listening to this one!
The audiobook of Nightshade is a captivating, addictive listen by the immensely talented Will Damron! Damron does a tremendous job bringing Michael Connelly’s brand-new detective, Harry Stilwell, vividly to life with a strong, determined voice that perfectly captures a character who’s on a quest for justice. It’s exciting enough for Connelly to be introducing a new detective and starting a new book series, but Damron’s incredible performance here brings the character and the story to a whole new level—after listening to this audiobook, you’ll surely agree that Damron is the perfect fit for this character and series—and let’s hope he narrates every forthcoming Detective Stilwell installment!
This book is full of dubious characters and officers with strong opinions. Damron gives each one an authentic, convincing voice and performs the intense dialogue with such tension and drama that it feels like listening to the audio of a big-budget crime thriller film—it’s really that good! There’s also a romance subplot, and Damron carefully shifts his performance of Stilwell to portray him with more emotional vulnerability, particularly in the intimate dialogue sequences between Stilwell and Tash. Damron makes their romance compelling, and listeners will be invested in the relationship and eager to see where it goes in future books!
Stilwell’s investigation takes him all over Catalina Island, and Damron narrates all the descriptive details of the serene setting with great pacing for listeners to take it all in—if you’re not familiar with this “real-life” island and its town of Avalon, you’ll easily find yourself pausing the narration to research the intriguing sites.
Overall, this complex crime thriller, coupled with Will Damron’s masterful voice acting talent, creates a fully entertaining listening experience. If you’re considering this book, the audiobook is the definite way to go. It’s an absolute must-listen for longtime fans of Connelly’s work and those who enjoy police procedurals and intricate thrillers! If you haven’t listened to Damron’s narration before, you’ll become an instant fan after listening to this one!
