Desert Star Reviews
“ranks up there with Connelly’s best.”
– Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“Longtime Bosch followers will be taking deep breaths after this one’s superb finale, especially given its implications for the future.”
– Booklist Starred Review
“Another home run for Connelly …The plot is an exceptional piece of crime drama, and the short chapters help keep the expectations high and the flow smooth. The narrative is unapologetic hard-edged cop-speak, and Bosch and Ballard rock every page. VERDICT Fans of police procedurals, dark cat-and-mouse mysteries, and Connelly’s iconic characters will find this soon-to-be-best-seller absolutely unputdownable.
– Library Journal Starred Review
“Michael Connelly is at the top of his game with Desert Star. His crisp prose propels the action and takes us through the gritty L.A. streets and the starkly beautiful desert. Whether or not you’re already a fan of the Ballard and Bosch books, this is a must-read with a heart-wrenching final twist.”
– Apple Books, Best Books of November
“One of the best books of the year, Connelly brings back both Ballard and Bosch for yet another suspense-filled, page-turning experience that shows once again why he’s one of the greatest crime writers to ever do it.”
– The Real Book Spy
“Readers will be glad to know that Connelly is still bringing the same intensity and atmosphere to his iconic series.”
– CrimeReads
“The latest in Connelly’s Harry Bosch/Renee Ballard series is a gift to fans with its engrossing plot and intriguing characters delivered by exceptional narrators.”
– AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner (audiobook review)
“Each of Connelly’s novels about Bosch shows us a different side of this popular character and his 24th installment, the superb “Desert Star,” continues that trajectory.”
– Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel
“another winner.”
– Red Carpet Crash
“Connelly continues to reframe the police procedural”
– Alta Journal
The Best Books Of 2022: Crime & Thrillers
– Waterstones
“At this point, Connelly could be forgiven for phoning it in, but his latest entry in the Bosch canon is as sharp as his first.”
– The Washington Post
“nobody else does [it] better.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“A strong, emotional and as ever brilliantly written police procedural that really hits the spot. Ballard and Bosch are a fantastic team and this is an unmissable contribution to the series.”
– Live and Deadly
“Both cases are absorbing and Ballard’s outings with Bosch have made her a sharper (and crankier) character. Best of all, Bosch gains intriguing depth as he faces down death, unsure of the legacy he’s leaving his daughter, also now a cop, or the corpse-strewn streets of Los Angeles.”
– Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“…a richly emotional entry in this superb series… “Desert Star” — named for a tiny, resilient flower — is a thrilling mystery, and a resonant novel that marks turning points for Bosch and Ballard.”
– Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
“Desert Star will further cement Connelly’s reputation as the master of modern crime fiction, and few will ever equal his achievement.”
– Matt Nixon, Daily Express (UK)
“Politics, corruption, violent deaths and cutting edge forensics make this another masterpiece that feels like it’s a true crime documentary
laced with hard-boiled suspense.”
– Alex Gordon, Peterborough Telegraph (UK)
“This is brilliant crime writing, worthy of Raymond Chandler.”
– Sydney Morning Herald
