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“Narrator Katherine Moennig’s delivery perfectly complements Ballard’s caginess. Moennig maintains a bit of distance from the listener and rarely engages emotionally, making us all the more curious about what makes Ballard tick. Moennig effectively captures the brusque officialdom of police work…This seamless blend of protagonist and narrator will leave listeners looking for the next installment.”
— AudioFile
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"The Late Show introduces a terrific female character: Detective Renée Ballard…The pacing of Ballard’s debut story is breathless…Ballard is complicated and driven enough to sustain the series Connelly doubtless has in mind for her.”
— New York Times
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“Writing about the instantly appealing police Detective Renee Ballard also recharges Connelly, who has never been in better form.”
— Chicago Tribune
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“The most intriguing mystery in The Late Show, though, is Ballard herself. Connelly is too skillful to hand us her resume in one document dump; instead, he fills out her portrait with a subtle hand over the course of the novel, a little background here, a glimpse of her temperament there, the revelation of her unusual living conditions sketched in between.”
— Tampa Bay Times
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“A hard-hitting police procedural that captures the imagination from page one.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
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More perhaps than any of Connelly's much-honored other titles, this one reveals why his procedurals are the most soulful in the business: because he finds the soul in the smallest details, faithfully executed.
— Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
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Welcome
Renée Ballard to the City of Angels' crime fighting pantheon. . . Connelly
excels at writing principled outsiders, and Renée Ballard hews to this
archetype.
— Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times
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A masterpiece.
— Steve Forbes, FORBES
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Any new book by Michael Connelly is a cause for celebration.
— Jackie Cooper, Huffington Post
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Michael Connelly is an undisputed master.
— Chuck Leddy
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Ballard is a force that with just one novel will easily be as beloved. There's no doubt Connelly is a master of crime fiction, and The Late Show cements that reputation.
— Jeff Ayers, Associated Press
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It's
a sharp move that allows him to shift his perspective in fresh and meaningful
ways. Writing about the instantly appealing police Detective Renee Ballard also
recharges Connelly, who has never been in better form.
— Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Tribune
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Few
writers can capture the gritty streets of L.A.-and the inner workings of the
LAPD-like Connelly.
— Entertainment Weekly
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Det. Renée Ballard is a formidable character, an insightful and tenacious investigator with an unusual background and a sturdy personality to carry a series... Connelly has achieved success as one of the top mystery writers by continuing to keep his storytelling fresh. In The Late Show, he delivers an exciting police procedural with a unique character.
— Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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The most intriguing mystery in The Late Show, though, is Ballard herself. Connelly is too skillful to hand us her resume in one document dump; instead, he fills out her portrait with a subtle hand over the course of the novel, a little background here, a glimpse of her temperament there, the revelation of her unusual living conditions sketched in between.
— Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times