I’m a longtime fan of Michael Connelly and have read all his books, so was very excited to start this book specially because there was a new character being introduced. I thought the book had a confusing start with a lot of boating terms and a new setting, but picked up pretty soon. The story was interesting and there were enough twists to keep me gripped till the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and definitely recommend it. It will be interesting to see how the character develops, so definitely waiting for the second book.
Thank you to the publishers Orion Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this ebook and giving me a chance to review this book!

Michael Connelly's books never fail to suck the reader into a world of characters and settings he has created from the very first page and then keeps you there through until the end. Nightshade is no exception and in it he introduces a new main character, Detective Stillwell, who's fallen out of favour in LAPD resulting in his being "banished" to a remote outpost on Catalina Island. This small island, about 25 miles offshore from Long Beach, is a big tourist spot and popular destination for wealthy yacht owners. There is little crime there but then a body is found and Stillwell's arch nemesis is assigned to investigate.
For Connelly's devoted readers (I include myself in this category) the set up is very similar to the lengthy Harry Bosch series where a talented detective, constantly at odds with his bosses, sets off on a crusade to solve a crime ignoring personal career risks or political fall out to his department chiefs. He does it because he is the best person to solve the crime and because it's the right thing to do. It's what all good heroes have in common so I have no problem with the similarities. As with Bosch, I found myself just as intrigued with the Stillwell character and just as curious to see how he handles complexities of crime solving, relationship handling and personal animosities. Connelly is a wonderful story teller, his characters are quite compelling and the police procedural framework results in a very enjoyable read. I recommend Nightshade to fans of Harry Bosch or those who have not read a Michael Connelly book but love murder mysteries. He is an outstanding author in this field. I also hope that this is the start of another lengthy series!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Orion Publishing for providing access to this book.

Unfortunately, it had been a while since I had read anything by Michael Connelly, so really looked forward to reading this one. Wasn’t disappointed, as I didn’t suspect to be. Very enjoyable read, which I did in a day, sitting out in the sun. Recommended.

Maybe I'm more of a Bosch fan than a Connelly one...I couldn't get into this book. Without the Bosch character, Connelly's prose isn't exciting enough and the story was not interesting enough.

I am a huge fan of Michael Connelly with the Bosch series being one of my favourites of all time and I must admit......I was expecting (and hoping!) for another Bosch adventure, but in fact this is a new series with a new leading detective!
An interesting storyline but set at a slower pace than other series, however this was well needed, and gave me plenty of opportunities to get to know and keep up with the new characters that were introduced.
The story is set on an island with sailing and boating playing a central role, meaning there was lots of jargon filled boating terms and talk of equipment that I had never heard of and couldn't envision without referring to a dictionary. A little annoying at times having to pause the reading so I could figure out what was being referred to, but I do accept that might just be me and my ignorance to boating!

Despite this I enjoyed the story. Itll be interesting to see how the characters develop if the series is to continue.

I’ll be honest and declare upfront that when I started reading this book, I assumed it was to be a tale featuring Connelly’s current major characters, Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard. It took me a while to discover that neither was to feature this time around. Instead, he’s introduced a new detective to his collection: Stilwell – known to his friends as Stil, and to at least one non-friend as Stilborn.

Stil is based on Catalina Island, one of California’s Channel Islands, about an hour’s ferry ride from Los Angeles. It’s a posting synonymous with being ‘put out to grass’. This follows a fallout with a fellow detective on the mainland. He’s serving penance, but beginning to think that this place may actually be somewhere he’d like to stay. He has a burgeoning relationship with a woman he really likes, and maybe even loves, and the place just seems to suit him.

Then, a body is discovered in the harbour. It's been tied to an anchor and lies below the surface of the water. It’s an inconvenient time, as the harbour is about to become a busy place - this weekend being one on which many visitors are scheduled to arrive, quite a few with their own boats. Stil knows that the murder – which this obviously is – will be investigated by a team from the mainland. But would you believe it, the lead detective assigned is the very man Stil has an issue with - the man whose actions, and Stil's reaction to them, resulted in his current posting.

The story follows Stilwell’s increasingly unwanted (by the lead detective and their joint boss) meddling in the investigation, together with his progressively complicated and often confrontational relationships with just about everyone he comes into contact with. It’s really great fun, and as the tale played out, I was to find myself increasing drawn to yet another of Connelly’s principled and charismatic characters.

For Bosch it’s: everybody counts or nobody counts

For Stilwell it’s: the sacred bond between the victim and those charged with finding justice

Yes, Stil has elements of Bosch about him – as does Ballard – but he’s different enough, and the setting is different enough to make it all feel new and fresh. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting up with Stilwell again.

I’m a big fan of Michael Connelly books and love the Bosch, Lincoln Lawyer and Ballard books. they always grab me straight away and I can’t stop turning the pages.
Nightshade is a new series featuring Detective Stilwell, Chief of Police on Catalina Island near Long Beach, California.
This book was paced a lot slower than Mr Connelly’s other books and it took me a while to get into the story. There were many threads and a lot of characters to get to grips with which meant I had to concentrate hard . I’d imagine this was because the author was setting the scene.
Stilwell’s backstory seemed intriguing- it becomes clear early on that he has been banished to the island by his boss on the mainland. Eventually it is revealed why this has happened and the reader feels a lot of sympathy for Stilwell who has only been doing his job diligently. However despite being sent to Catalina as a kind of punishment, Stilwell has really grown to like the place and has even started a romantic relationship with one of the islanders.
Like Bosch, he is very methodical in his investigations and also happy to work on his own with no back up which does not always endear him to his colleagues on the mainland.
The island setting was interesting, it sounds like a lovely place, somewhere I’d be keen to visit if I am ever in the area.
I’d certainly be interested to read more about Stil and Catalina island in the future and would recommend this as a solid start to a new series by Michael Connelly.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

📝ARC Book Review📝
Title: Nightshade
Author: Michael Connelly
Publication Date: May 20, 2025
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

'Nightshade' is set on the island of Catalina, where Detective Stilwell has been exiled after an incident involving his most recent homicide case on the mainland. His typical workday involves dealing with drunken, unruly tourists and petty thefts, but when he receives a report of a body discovered weighed down in the harbor, his detective instincts kick in and he tries to solve the case while working with his hostile mainland colleagues.

The story's island setting and Connelly's ability to portray Stilwell's tenacity in attempting to gain the trust of the locals while juggling all the difficulties that came with being a police officer on a small island were both fantastic.

When it comes to crime thrillers, Connelly's storytelling is unmatched; revealing new information and leads in the case while guiding the reader through a number of intricate plot twists.

This is the start of a new series, and I can't wait to see more of the idyllic Catalina Island, Detective Stilwell (his given name, perhaps?), and his budding romance with Tash.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I love Harry Bosch, I thought this was a great alternative, with a new setting of the beautiful Catalina island and a new sheriff in town, literally.

Great storyline, full of intrigue, corruption, blackmail and even a bit of romance for a change

Highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and Orion for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

How tough it must be for Michael Connelly to start a new series after the massive success of the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller series.

This is definitely off to a solid start. Detective Stillwell will be a good character going forward with many of the same traits as Harry Bosch - mainly that dogged determination to track down killers and a sense that everyone matters.

Solid start to what promises to be a good new series

As solid a crime thriller as you would expect and anticipate from someone of Michael Connelly's literary pedigree, Nightshade delivers a reliably good read.

Nightshade contains some great characters, all skillfully fleshed out. The members of the exclusive club were all suitably unpleasant and this collective 'superiority' was conveyed very well throughout the book.

The 'bad guys' in the picture felt tangibly bad, there was a real down and dirty grit to the narrative involving 'babyhead' and crew, meaning that there was several scenes and locations that felt truly unsafe and uncomfortable.

The snark, back biting and open conflict between Stilwell and Ahearn was a relentless side dish to the main story, with their puerile nicknames for each other and petty rivalry. It added a touch of silly but relatable realism that I greatly enjoyed.

Overall, a good solid read that fans of these types of detective series and I hope that this will be the first of many featuring Stilwell.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Orion Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stilwell is a police detective that has been sent to Catalina Island after some department drama on the mainland. He is investigating the decapitation of a buffalo on the island when his attention is turned to the body of a dead woman that is caught up in the anchor line of one of the yachts moored in the harbor. He ends up having to hand the case over to his nemesis, Ahern, on the mainland but of course continues investigating locally as well as on the mainland.

This was a good new character and setting as well as a good mystery. I was drawn into the story and interested in finding out what had happened and who was responsible. The main issue that I had was there were so many people introduced that I really struggled to keep them all straight and even toward the end I was having to refresh myself on who some of the people being mentioned were. I love Michael Connelly's books and would read more of this if it becomes a series.

A new series from Michael Connelly and thankfully the standard is up to his usual excellent story plotting and telling, this time with a brand new set of characters.

Set on the island of Catalina where LA county sheriff detective Stilwell has been exiled after beimg somewhat controversially booted off a homicide case on the mainland. Catalina is where detectives who step out of line are demoted to. A low key assignment where drunk and disorderly tourists are the height of excitement in the job, but when Stilwell gets a report of a female Jane Doe being discovered by a diver off the coast of the island his old instincts kick into gear as he tries to grapple with solving the crime and dealing with superiors from the mainland who maintain it is a job for them.

I really enjoyed this one. It took me a little while to get into it as I got a feel for the setting and also Stilwell but once I had I was all in.

As ever with Connellys books the structure and storytelling is top notch. Throw in a very believable love interest you’ve got a series that has huge potential. I really hope we get a few more Stilwell books as this one was excellent.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Nearly a century ago, the world of mystery fiction had four ‘Queens of Crime’ in the form of Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, and Margery Allingham. Nowadays if we were to recognise a quartet of crime writing royalty, or a ‘Mount Rushmore’ of modern masters, if you will, then surely Michael Connelly would be on the not-too-long list of main contenders.

For almost forty years, Connelly has been taking readers into the gritty underbelly of the City of Angels, first as an award-winning newspaper reporter then inarguably one of the modern masters of crime fiction, setting a high bar across nearly 40 novels, many featuring iconic detective Hieronymus ‘Harry’ Bosch. As the Bosch: Legacy streaming adaptation, starring Titus Welliver as the eponymous investigator, finishes its excellent ten-year run, Connelly has continued to expand his fictional universe. Nightshade introduces a new hero, and a new California setting.

Thanks to department politics and an unerring ability to step on the wrong toes, LA County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has swapped the prestige of homicide investigations on the mainland for low-key policing on rustic Catalina Island. A land of exiles and misfit toys. Law enforcement in golf karts.

But when the body of an unidentified young woman is pulled from the harbour, Stilwell can’t resist encroaching on the murder investigation being led by his nemesis. He knows it could put his career at risk, and more, but he ploughs ahead to uncover the truth.

Like watching a brilliant musician perform onstage, who makes things seem far easier than they really are, there a deceptive effortlessness to Connelly’s storytelling that belies the high level of craft. Nightshade unfolds in a smooth narrative, speckled with telling details about character and place, incorporated with practised ease into an intriguing, page-turning mystery storyline. Detective Stilwell is an intriguing hero – like former ‘Late Show’ detective Renee Ballard, who’ll soon be spinning off into her own screen series, he shares a dogged determination, moral centre, and sense of justice that has made fans flock to Connelly’s Harry Bosch books for decades, while still being a different character rather than a pale imitation.

Connelly plants some intriguing seeds for an ongoing series, perhaps. Coupled with his evocation of Catalina Island – place and people – it’s another very good read from an exceptional storyteller who shows no signs of resting on his laurels or putting things in cruise control.

[This review was first written for Deadly Pleasures, a US-based magazine]

The first in a new series. The protagonist is DS Stilwell, a detective with the LA county sheriff's department who has been exiled to Catalina Island due to a falling out with one of his co-workers. Two investigations centre on the island run alongside each other and both are tangled and dangerous.
This is the first Michael Connelly book I have read and I enjoyed every moment of it. The plot is complex and interesting. I liked the characters and the setting of Catalina island was great. The book was a quick easy read and I'm looking forward to reading more of Connelly's books in the future.

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 wrapped in plastic and weighed down at the bottom of the harbor. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, he starts doggedly working the case! Good book! This book had suspense, murder, mystery, intrigue, action and a few crazy twists! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Although Connelly will always be, in my mind, synonymous with LA detective Harry Bosch, his most recent creation -- Detective Stilwell -- is off to an intriguing start in this latest novel. Forced by departmental politics to police Catalina Island -- a small community outside of LA -- Stilwell's caseload seems low stakes, with a missing Marlin statue, and the usual crowd of drunks and local characters getting into disputes that seem a far cry away from the world of homicide that surrounds the likes of Bosch. But then a body's found wrapped in plastic and dumped in the harbour, and suddenly Stilwell's looking into a case that stretches much further than the coastline of his new community.

There's a lightness to this new series that feels different from the morally weighted world of Harry Bosch, although as ever, Connelly captures the inner lives of his cast with aplomb, and his dedication to showing how it feels to be on the job is as strong as ever. There's an air here that captures the feeling of the late, great Joseph Wambaugh and in particular his novel about harbour cops, "Floaters", especially in the way that the island community and its relationship to law enforcement is portrayed.

I don't know yet if Stilwell is quite as interesting as Bosch -- there are hints at threads in his life to be explored, but none feel yet as compelling as some of Bosch's early appearances -- but he certainly has the potential to gain further depth, although I would love to see more of life on Catalina Island and to gain an even stronger sense of its community as the series develops.

It's an intriguing start to a new series, and a highly readable mystery that readers are going to have a great time with. Whether it is going to be as strong a series as the Bosch or Lincoln Lawyer books is something we'll know more when Stilwell returns.

The new Michael Connelly is coming out in May! Nightshade introduces us to a whole new set of characters - the main one being DS Stilwell - all based on Catalina Island. It was a great setting and I enjoyed learning a bit about the island, and what goes on there. My main problem with this book was that there were so many characters, I felt like I didn’t really connect with anyone. Stilwell himself - we never learn his first name, how old he is, what he looks like. I just found that hard to get past. And even his girlfriend, Tash - he constantly referred to her by her full name which I found odd and made it sound like she was a business partner!

Normally with a Michael Connelly book - whether it’s a Lincoln Lawyer, Bosch or Renee Ballard - I’m hooked by the second or third chapter. With this, I wouldn’t have even guessed it was a Michael Connelly if I didn’t know. I was almost halfway through before I got into the story.

There was also a lot of maritime phrases that I didn’t understand which gave me a bit of a block. I mean, I’m from Hull, but even I’ve never heard of a marine layer, so it was a bit much for the first sentence of the book!

Anyway, the story! DS Stilwell has been transferred to Catalina Island after an investigation around him in his home department in LA. He’s the only detective on the island so it made for a good setting. We have two stories running concurrently - the investigation into the murder of a buffalo (which are protected animals in Catalina) - and then, a body is discovered under the water which leads to an investigation surrounding the intriguing Black Marlin members club.

We find out more about why Stilwell was forced out of LA, and how he doesn’t play by the rules! (Although mostly he came across as a bit of a micromanager!)

It really picked up in the second half, so I do think I’d give the characters another chance if it’s the start of a new series. But otherwise I’m looking forward to getting back to Ballard and Bosch!

Superb new story with a new policeman hero from the expert pen of Michael Connelly! The new detective is a police sergeant who was originally stationed in the force in Los Angeles as a homicide detective but because of office politics he has been transferred to to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, Here he is tasked with arresting drunks and petty thieves but he has settled into the routine of this posting. Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found wrapped in plastic and weighed down at the bottom of the harbour. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, he starts doggedly working the case. 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.

This book has a very well thought out, dramatic but complex plot, with many twists and turns which make for a very vivid and fast moving story line. The author does not allow you to get too settled in reading the story before it moves off in a complete new direction. It was a very absorbing read with a real quality as a result of the in depth research he has made.

This very experienced author writes a very exciting story which had me really gripped until the very dramatic conclusion. I enjoyed reading this very much and will certainly look out for more books by him in the future. Strongly recommended

After being forced off the mainland by department politics, Detective Stilwell now leads the team on Catalina Island - dealing with crimes ranging from drunk and disorderlies to the mutilation of local buffalo. But when a boat is being cleaned and leads to a body that has had an anchor wrapped around it, Stilwell knows that while some bodies are buried, everything comes to light eventually. He investigates the case, but the boundaries that he oversteps may put those he loves and himself in much more serious danger.

This is the first book in a new series by Michael Connelly and it does not disappoint - the new characters that we're introduced to feel like they belong in the world of Bosch and Haller - a very easy 5* book.