Desert Star
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-01-22 09:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Michael Connelly
- ISBN：0316474622
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Summary
LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch work together to hunt the killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family。
A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny， demoralization， and endless red tape。 Yet， after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department， Ballard takes back her badge， leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division。
For years， Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn’t been able to crack—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free。 Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit， and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him。
The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer。 Propulsive and unstoppable， this new novel demonstrates once again why “Connelly is the real deal” （Marilyn Stasio， New York Times Book Review）。
A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny， demoralization， and endless red tape。 Yet， after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department， Ballard takes back her badge， leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division。
For years， Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn’t been able to crack—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free。 Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit， and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him。
The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer。 Propulsive and unstoppable， this new novel demonstrates once again why “Connelly is the real deal” （Marilyn Stasio， New York Times Book Review）。
Reviews
Skip
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Harry Bosch is disappointed that after agreeing to join him in private practice， Renée Ballard has returned to LAPD to head a newly reconstituted Open-Unsolved Unit。 She staffs her team with volunteers and lures Bosch back with the opportunity to work on an old unsolved case， the execution of a family of four， buried in the desert。 Bosch seems certain about the killer， he completely disappeared years ago。 Ballard's department is a pet project of a Los Angeles councilman， who wants his sister's v Harry Bosch is disappointed that after agreeing to join him in private practice， Renée Ballard has returned to LAPD to head a newly reconstituted Open-Unsolved Unit。 She staffs her team with volunteers and lures Bosch back with the opportunity to work on an old unsolved case， the execution of a family of four， buried in the desert。 Bosch seems certain about the killer， he completely disappeared years ago。 Ballard's department is a pet project of a Los Angeles councilman， who wants his sister's violent stabbing murder in the 1990s solved。 Bosch looks through the evidence and comes up with an excellent idea to try to pull DNA off a handprint at the scene。 The DNA is linked to another murder， where an innocent man has been sent to prison supposedly for murdering his girlfriend。 As evidence mounts that incriminates the councilman or his inner circle， Ballard has to deal with the politics。 Bosch meanwhile starts pressuring a co-worker of the father of the murdered family， who eventually sends him to Key West to track down the owner of a failed Irish bar to find justice for the family （and a measure of peace for himself。） 4。5 stars。 。。。more
Penny
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Did I just read the last Harry Bosch novel！Yes Harry has been getting older in each book but I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to my favorite legacy and series！ 😭😭😭😭 Did I just read the last Harry Bosch novel！Yes Harry has been getting older in each book but I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to my favorite legacy and series！ 😭😭😭😭 。。。more
Daniel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5 - very good installment。 Two simultaneous cases， both cold cases。 One is a serial rapist and murderer that ends up being one of their cold case colleagues， Bosch shoots him。 The other is a guy the killed a family of four and Bosch finds him in Key west and kills him too。
MSGTV
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Connelly shows no sign of slowing down with a compelling Ballard-Bosch mystery。
David Swanger
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Harry Bosch and Rene Ballard。 Harry is old and volunteers to help Rene on some cold cases。 Not my favorite Connelly book， but it’s not terrible either。 A previous reviewer rated it 3。5 stars and I agree， but with a choice of 3 or 4 stars， I’m a Connelly softy and rated it 4 stars。 The first cold case could’ve been the entire book， but that’s okay。 It all ends on a dark note that I didn’t see coming。 I’m ready for the next Connelly book。 Get with it Michael！
Jerome Houlder
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Time moves onThis cold case unit brings Harry Bosch back to a cold case that has haunted him for years。 Along the way there are other cases and enough twists and turns to keep the reader part of the action。
Michael Springer
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Always a winner when Bosch and Renee get together。 She is now heading up a revived Unsolved Unit and recruits Harry as a volunteer。 He is determined to solve his "white whale，" the murder of a family of four nine years earlier。 First， Renee needs his help in solving the murder of a councilman's sister， since the councilman is the sponsor of the Unsolved Unit。 The usual satisfying twists and turns。 Always a winner when Bosch and Renee get together。 She is now heading up a revived Unsolved Unit and recruits Harry as a volunteer。 He is determined to solve his "white whale，" the murder of a family of four nine years earlier。 First， Renee needs his help in solving the murder of a councilman's sister， since the councilman is the sponsor of the Unsolved Unit。 The usual satisfying twists and turns。 。。。more
Borja Reguillo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Se siente bastante cercano el final de Bosch。De nuevo， buen libro de Connelly， sigo sin cansarme de leer sobre Bosch， Ballard， Haller y quizá en un futuro Maddie。 Los dos casos han sido buenos， quizá los del anterior libro me gustaron un poco más en cuanto al seguimiento de ellos， pero igualmente disfrutable。 El final ha sido interesante， realmente creía que Bosch acabaría muerto， tampoco esperaba que matara a alguien。Veremos， parece que en un par de libros， o poco más， Bosch acabará despidiéndo Se siente bastante cercano el final de Bosch。De nuevo， buen libro de Connelly， sigo sin cansarme de leer sobre Bosch， Ballard， Haller y quizá en un futuro Maddie。 Los dos casos han sido buenos， quizá los del anterior libro me gustaron un poco más en cuanto al seguimiento de ellos， pero igualmente disfrutable。 El final ha sido interesante， realmente creía que Bosch acabaría muerto， tampoco esperaba que matara a alguien。Veremos， parece que en un par de libros， o poco más， Bosch acabará despidiéndose。 。。。more
Martina Sartor
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"A volte fai la cosa sbagliata per il motivo giusto"。Ogni volta mi dico che è il più bel Bosch che abbia mai letto。 E ogni volta Connelly supera le mie aspettative。 Recensione coming soon。 "A volte fai la cosa sbagliata per il motivo giusto"。Ogni volta mi dico che è il più bel Bosch che abbia mai letto。 E ogni volta Connelly supera le mie aspettative。 Recensione coming soon。 。。。more
Al Kruzins
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Very goodNice to see Renee and Bosch together again
Jami Millett
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4。5
Janine
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A bit different with a few slow bits as this was all based around cold cases。
Julie
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Always a satisfying readI enjoyed this Ballard/Bosch novel。 I’ve followed Harry Bosch from Michael Connelly’s beginning。 I highly recommend， in fact， already have made this recommendation to others。 Thank you， Mr。 Connelly。
Barry
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Another great yarn from Michael Connelly。 Harry Bosch is aging but still up to solving a case。 Connelly shows his skill at keeping readers moving quickly through the story with new issues popping up to challenge the characters with intrigue and puzzles。 It is an enjoyable read， as are almost all of Connelly's books。There is one piece left hanging at the end where a murder occurs but we aren't really sure it happened or was a dream。 The body is gone without a trace or mention despite what appears Another great yarn from Michael Connelly。 Harry Bosch is aging but still up to solving a case。 Connelly shows his skill at keeping readers moving quickly through the story with new issues popping up to challenge the characters with intrigue and puzzles。 It is an enjoyable read， as are almost all of Connelly's books。There is one piece left hanging at the end where a murder occurs but we aren't really sure it happened or was a dream。 The body is gone without a trace or mention despite what appears to be a messy scene。 Small price to pay for a rippling story that will keep your reading lights on until the wee hours。 。。。more
Katie Gates
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I’ve been an avid Connelly reader since the very beginning， and this is by far the best one yet。
Tom
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I've read just about every Harry Bosch story in the series and I'll keep reading them and continue to pass the books along to my friends and fellow Bosch fans。 Michael Connelly's characters seem to be real people， down to earth folks。 They are not perfect but the stories seem real。 Bosch has been retired from LAPD for years on homicide and then specializing on unsolved murders。 He is now on duty as a volunteer looking at cold cases with a friend， a young woman who he trained before he left the s I've read just about every Harry Bosch story in the series and I'll keep reading them and continue to pass the books along to my friends and fellow Bosch fans。 Michael Connelly's characters seem to be real people， down to earth folks。 They are not perfect but the stories seem real。 Bosch has been retired from LAPD for years on homicide and then specializing on unsolved murders。 He is now on duty as a volunteer looking at cold cases with a friend， a young woman who he trained before he left the service。 It is a good story， very realistic。 。。。more
Diane
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I only recently discovered Michael Connelly so cannot say whether this latest in the Harry Bosch series is strong or weak in relation to the others。 Nor have I seen the Bosch TV series。 Some reviewers suggest that Connelly is phoning it in， or even that Desert Star was written by AI （an interesting thought！）。I can say that I enjoyed it for what it was—an engaging detective story focused on cold cases， with Harry a volunteer on the cold case team。 The story blends old-style police work with moder I only recently discovered Michael Connelly so cannot say whether this latest in the Harry Bosch series is strong or weak in relation to the others。 Nor have I seen the Bosch TV series。 Some reviewers suggest that Connelly is phoning it in， or even that Desert Star was written by AI （an interesting thought！）。I can say that I enjoyed it for what it was—an engaging detective story focused on cold cases， with Harry a volunteer on the cold case team。 The story blends old-style police work with modern science。 I might have expected Covid to play a larger role。 The plot had only one hint of Covid when Harry donned mask and gloves （masquerading as a worker at a coffee shop） to clear a table of its occupant’s DNA。 The customer didn’t raise an eyebrow at a 70+-year old table clearer， but oh well。 。。。more
Alfred Weber
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Another nice adventure with Bosch and his protege， Renee Ballard。 Tracking cold cases together。
Gale Costa
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I love the Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard novels。 They are some of the best in the series in my opinion。 As the time with Harry Bosch appears to be winding down， it’s very sad to me。 He is an excellent detective。 He didn’t always follow the brass’s rules true， but yet he never gave up on a case。 I think it’s the lack of their own recognition that causes many of the departments force to be so jealous of him。 Harry is not one who would toot his own horn。 He actually seems to be very uncomfortable w I love the Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard novels。 They are some of the best in the series in my opinion。 As the time with Harry Bosch appears to be winding down， it’s very sad to me。 He is an excellent detective。 He didn’t always follow the brass’s rules true， but yet he never gave up on a case。 I think it’s the lack of their own recognition that causes many of the departments force to be so jealous of him。 Harry is not one who would toot his own horn。 He actually seems to be very uncomfortable with recognition。 I hope that this series will find a way to carry-on in the future。 The narration was excellent also。 You can always count on Michael Connelly to create a wonderful book。 。。。more
H R Venkatesh
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A steaming hot plate of idli arrives with piping hot sambar and fresh， spicy chutney。 Every single time。 At my favourite watering holes in Bangalore that is。 Same thing with Connelly。 You know what to expect and you get it。 Nothing to beat that on any given day。 I've almost forgiven him for ripping off James Elroy's life-story too。 A steaming hot plate of idli arrives with piping hot sambar and fresh， spicy chutney。 Every single time。 At my favourite watering holes in Bangalore that is。 Same thing with Connelly。 You know what to expect and you get it。 Nothing to beat that on any given day。 I've almost forgiven him for ripping off James Elroy's life-story too。 。。。more
Julie
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This series gets better and better。 I hope it continues
Eric
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A fairly solid Connelly story。 What can I say？ If you like police procedurals then Harry Bosch usually fills the bill， even if they are dressed up as going after cold cases。 Plenty of police politics， as well。
Laura
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Well， Mr。 Connelly has done it again！ Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch are the perfect team to solve old case murders， and the reader is swept down every rabbit hole with them。 The writing is quick and gritty and twists and turns in several directions。 Definitely one of those books that make you happy it’s raining so you can dive into it for a full afternoon。 Thank you Mr。Connelly！
Mark Edlund
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Mystery series - Bosch and Ballard give us a two-fer here。 Ballard recruits Bosch， again， to volunteer for her new open/unsolved unit。 They tackle a quadruple murder of a family that has bothered Bosch for years and the murder of a young girl who is the sister of a councilman。 Police politics and turf wars are peppered throughout the book。 I found it interesting that the unit has a genealogist on the team to help with forensic genealogy。 Canadian references - two mentions of a Canada as a place Mystery series - Bosch and Ballard give us a two-fer here。 Ballard recruits Bosch， again， to volunteer for her new open/unsolved unit。 They tackle a quadruple murder of a family that has bothered Bosch for years and the murder of a young girl who is the sister of a councilman。 Police politics and turf wars are peppered throughout the book。 I found it interesting that the unit has a genealogist on the team to help with forensic genealogy。 Canadian references - two mentions of a Canada as a place to escape to。Pharmacy references - Bosch gets a scrip from the ER doctor to fill at the hospital pharmacy （he doesn't）; Bosch goes to a CVS to get a leg compression stocking。 。。。more
Regina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If Harry’s story needed to come to an end then I could find no other way than what Connelly has written in this book。 Harry has been a part of my life for several decades he’s been my comfort my companion someone who’s life’s work has inspired my own path as a social worker with “Everybody counts or nobody counts”。 He caught the one that got away and served him justice as only he could。 A death that brought him back to the tunnels that haunted him。 I sobbed at the end uncontrollably。 The end was If Harry’s story needed to come to an end then I could find no other way than what Connelly has written in this book。 Harry has been a part of my life for several decades he’s been my comfort my companion someone who’s life’s work has inspired my own path as a social worker with “Everybody counts or nobody counts”。 He caught the one that got away and served him justice as only he could。 A death that brought him back to the tunnels that haunted him。 I sobbed at the end uncontrollably。 The end was laid out from the first few sentences of the novel， but I couldn’t see the ending as it was in those beginning words and I’m glad it wasn’t what we all originally thought。 I see and know and accept and believe in the choice he’s made and know he will go out on his own terms when the time comes。 Thank you Michael Connelly for many years of getting to know Hieronymus Bosch and giving him the end of watch he deserved。 。。。more
Aildiin
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This is a fast and good read， but it's not the novel of the year。I actually feel more and more that recently the Bosch tv show has become better than the novels。 This is a fast and good read， but it's not the novel of the year。I actually feel more and more that recently the Bosch tv show has become better than the novels。 。。。more
Shirley
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Can’t go wrong with a Michael Connelly book。 I am worried about Harry Bosch。
Ray Kelly
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Fabulous story telling。 Review to come
Karen
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3。5 ★ Another good read from one of the better story tellers out there。 Connelly is aging Bosch to quickly though。 I guess I don't want to see the end of Harry Bosch。 3。5 ★ Another good read from one of the better story tellers out there。 Connelly is aging Bosch to quickly though。 I guess I don't want to see the end of Harry Bosch。 。。。more
Linda Reim
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I need to start at the beginning of the series！ This was really good！！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Desert Star
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Desert Star&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Desert Star&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0