The author is one of my favourites and I always enjoy his books. I loved the Catalina Island setting of this one but I failed to connect with the characters, Stillwell, the main character, is a bit of a loner and I just failed to empathise with him. The pacing was a bit on the slow side and the dialogue was stilted. Perhaps the follow up will be more interesting, although he plotting had promise it just failed to deliver. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I’m a huge fan of Michael Connelly so new books from him are always a treat and this is no exception, even though it’s the start of a whole new series and we don’t meet the familiar faces.

County Sheriff Detective Stilwell (‘Stil’) has been sent to a new posting on Catalina Island off the coast of California following problems on the mainland. His initial apprehension about the location has changed to a love of the island and a blossoming relationship, both disturbed by the discovery of the body of a young woman weighted down in the harbour. His investigations force him to work with those on the mainland with whom he has had problems and begin to uncover a dark side of the island.

As always with Connelly, it’s a great read. It does take a little time to get going and is slowed slightly purely because there is so much to set up for the new series, but the story is as interesting and gripping as ever. Stil is a very good character, independent in his outlook and dedicated to uncovering the truth no matter the damage to him personally, and it’s interesting to see that side of him coming out for the first time in his new home and impacting those around him too.

As with the city in his other books, the location is key to this one and almost becomes a character in itself. There are also nice little mentions of events from Connelly’s other books which set it in the same time period and allows the chance for there to be more future crossovers. Connelly is an absolute master at this kind of thriller and it’s great to have a new character to add to the list of unmissable reads from him.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I'm a huge Michael Connelly fan, so I was excited to be approved for his latest book. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell (nickname Stil) is sent to the Avalon Substation on Catalina Island following an incident on the mainland. I loved learning about him, his small team on the island and the team back on the mainland where is tension between him and the others. The location setting is a backdrop to the plot, especially when a body is found in the marina attached to an anchor. Stil investigates a mystery of what happened to a buffalo, which then leads him to more than he is expecting. It was taut, tense and a rollercoaster of a book! The highlight for me - is how they get around on golf buggies, lol!! I look forward to book 2.

What a treat! A new first in series from one of my favourite authors.

County Sheriff Detective Stillwell is moved from a homicide team in LA to the quieter location of Catalina Island. He is very quickly embroiled in more than one case and the reader is gradually introduced to some of the residents on Catalina, his work team on the island and the wider team back on the mainland. There are some similarities to Michael Connelly's Bosch novels, for example the complexities of dealing with more than one case at a time. But I really enjoyed reading a new set of characters in a new location. Some of the relationships in the wider team are a bit broken and this really adds to the tension throughout the novel.

Some reviewers have said the book was a bit slow to start. I agree, but I think this is purely due to it being the first in a new series. In this book, all the introductions need to be made, whereas in book two some of the names will already be familiar.

A great read. Looking forward to book two (and the next Bosch/Ballard and the next Lincoln Lawyer!).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

New character and series from Michael Connelly set on Catalina island.

Starts slowly, however, the reader is soon hooked like any good Connelly novel. Detective Stilwell is a flawed but likeable character and he certainly earns his keep in this storyline with murder, kidnapping and corruption. Better still, the police navigate the island on golf buggies!

Strong start to a new series from one of today's finest crime authors.

‘Nightshade’, by Michael Connelly,is the first book in the new Detective Stilwell series.
As a returning reader used to catching many of his captivating novels featuring Harry Bosch, Renee Ballard,or Mickey Haller it initially feels slightly off kilter to be introduced to new characters where there isn’t immediate sense of empathy for them or some knowledge of their backstory.It takes a little while to settle into the fresh surroundings and pace of Stilwell’s professional exile to Catalina island.
The story gradually picks up momentum and increases interest as the investigations into a gory buffalo mutilation and an unknown woman found dead at the bottom of a harbour progress.
Overall this feels like solid investigative cases where the writing is entertaining through Michael Connelly's style but there were for me too few real surprises or twists in the unfolding storyline.An enjoyable enough routine tale but a bit more predictable than I expected from this rightly celebrated writer.
It will be interesting to see how the series progresses and characters are developed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group,for an Advance Readers Copy.

Lovely book, sooo easy to read, flowed fluently and a different type of police procedure crimes. The character of the police sergeant could be made into a TV series or a new series of books. Love the sound of the island culture, who doesn't want to live there.

I am a great admirer of Michael Connelly. Partly as a result of the tightness of his plots and the way he fleshes out his characters. If you have read most of an author's output it means you have very high expectations of them!

This is the start of a new sereis and I accept it takes time to establish a character. Stilwell - our hero may become more interesting. Currently he is two dimensional rather than three dimensional. A little too good to be true.

There ae also a great number of bit characters which means you keep having to remind yourself who is who. I found the girlfriend deeply uninteresting and a bore. In fact the women in the novel were not at all interesting. The most interesting was the murder victim.

It is an interesting plot line, animal abuse/murder, human murder, sex, corruption and police office politics. In terms of how we move through the novel it is best described as a police procedura. This would mean my partner will adore it it. For me there were times the writing was somewhat formulaic.. It felt as if the novel had been gridded out and the writer became a little bored in reaching the high points.

It is still a good read and even - just not as tightly and tautly written as some of his other novels. I am very glad to have read it and will definitely recommend it to those who love police procedurals.

I've been known to take a while to warm to new Connelly characters, but not this this time.
This time I liked our new guy straight from the off.
He seems pretty decent, and wants to get to the truth of things. He has questions, lots of them.
It was slower paced I felt than a lot of the authors work, but it works well.
Some nice surprises along the way.
I'm already looking forward to book 2, may this series run for some years.

Detective Stilwell is sent to run the police department on the island of Catalina off Los Angles. What unfolds in this new novel is edge of the seat stuff with twists and turns. A wonderful read.

Nightshade by Michael Connelly is book 1 in a Detective Stilwell series and I confess the first book from the author that I have read.
Set on the island of Catalina of the coast of Southern California L.A Sheriff Silwell has been transferred to the island after and incident on the mainland where he was booted of a case. Catalina is where members of the Police force have done wrong but not so much to be booted off the force. But although Stilwell has been sent there. He Likes the different way of life on the island and its different pace.
But when Stilwell gets a call that a female body has been found with a purple streak in her hair and the signs that she has been murdered. Stilwell old instincts kick in at full force to find the find the killer. But his colleagues on the mainland are not too happy about it and thinks Stilwell should stand down and they deal with it. But he knows if he does that. They will do anything they can to close the case down quickly and discover what really happed to the body in the water.
This is my first outing of Micheal Connelly’ s work and you can tell by the quality of his writing how well established he is. I really enjoyed this, with this great well-paced storyline, with its multiple avenues but come together in the end. Stilwell is such a likable character as you keep reading you want to route for. And with a bit of romance thrown in it was such a delightful story. I can’t wait for more of this series and will no doubt go back and read previous novels from ths author. 5 stars from me.

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.