The Night Fire, Connelly's 32nd Bosch outing, begins in a graveyard as sixty-something, retired detective Bosch attends an old colleague's funeral.
Although Connelly has slowed the ageing process of his signature character Time is catching up to him - he has a limp after a recent operation and is suffering from
a (treatable) form of leukemia.
No, Bosch isn't the alpha cop of old but he still holds firm to his mantra - "everybody counts or nobody counts".
Except these days he watches what he eats and generally moves at a slower pace.
Save for an event-filled finale, the most compelling "action" sequence here is when Bosch visits a suspect's law office and peeks at his email after sending him off down the hall to the printer.
Even if he's no longer a force on the street Bosch remains a compelling character and, though technically retired, still holds a badge - so when he's given access to a stolen murder book by the widow of his old friend that involves a cold case 20 years previously, Bosch, with the help of Ballard sets to work.
The introduction of Detective Renee Ballard in 2017 energised the series - and she does much of the heavy lifting here.
She's young and - deep breath - lives in a tent on the beach, but apart from that shares many similarities with Bosch - she's smart, driven and damaged, a maverick who's not above cutting corners to get what she wants.
When she discovers a homeless man's burnt body - one of the many "human tumbleweeds moving with the winds of fate" - she senses there's more to the death.
"Take every case personally and you get angry," Bosch says at one point.
"It builds a fire. It gives you the edge you need to go the distance every time out."
And Ballard is full of fire - reeling from a demotion to the late shift after a sexual harrassment incident (her abuser faced no penalty and is still her superior at the department.)
Also present, briefly, is defence attorney Mickey Haller - Bosch's half brother, definitely Connelly's most colourful character and one who - with Bosch's help - wins a seemingly unwinnable case.
The Night Fire is triple threat Connelly thriller, written in his usual clear-eyed prose that doesn't get the plaudits it deserves.
If there's a weakness it lies in the unnecessarliy complex plot and a hasty wrap up.
Still, mid-level Connelly is better than many other writer's best.
The Night Fire
Michael Connelly
(Allen & Unwin $36.99)
