This new series introduces us to Detective Stilwell: a cop relentlessly following his mission in the seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island. Being exiled to Catalina was supposed to be punishment for Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell...

I absolutely love Catalina AND Michael Connelly, so I neeeeded the publishers to choose me via NetGalley, which they did! I think the reason it took me a bit of time to get into Nightshade was because the first part of the book introduced a lot of people and things, including TW: A buffalo that had been killed and mutilated. However, once I got into the book I didn't want to put it down!! "Stil" is dealing with two crimes: The buffalo incident and also a woman found dead at the bottom of a Catalina harbor. I'm eager to read book #2!!

Even though Nightshade is the start of a new series, I feel it can also be read as a standalone.

Thank you, #LittleBrownandCompany, for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Nightshade has an expected publication date of May 20, 2025.

#MichaelConnelly #Mystery #Suspense #Catalina

NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly

For Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Detective Sergent Stilwell, the posting to Catalina Island was supposed to be a punishment for not playing well with others and failing to play politics correctly. After all, sending deputies that annoyed the leadership out to the island has always been the way of handling those who could not be terminated, for whatever reason. While it may have started out as a punishment, these days Stilwell likes being out there a lot. He is charge, isolated from the political garbage on the mainland, likes the folks under his command, and the scenery can’t be beat.

What isn’t great is the fact that recently a buffalo was killed at the preserve. Its head was cutoff. A local reporter, Lionel McKey, is hounding him for updates and Stilwell has nothing to say. It is one thing to have a good idea who did it. It is another to prove it and he is working the case.

He has a lead, a search warrant, and progress is being made. It is the start of the first full weekend of summer and that means the place will be packed. Tourists will be on the island in huge numbers. That means things will happen when you bring in large numbers of people together for gambling, drinking, and more.

It also includes at least one murder as a body is soon discovered hooked by a chain and lodged under a sailboat on the harbor. She certainly didn’t commit suicide, wrap herself up in a bag for a sail, and then wrap a chain around herself, before affixing it all to the underside of the boat. The mayor might be more focused on the tourism aspects of such a discovery, but Stilwell is focused on the murder.

Solving the murder case, his first since leaving the mainland, and others, is at work in Nightshade by Michael Connelly. It is a complicated read with a lot of backstory and character development as well. None of that slows down the read. In fact, that character development and backstory gives the read considerable depth while creating an excellent first novel of a series. There is one heck of a foundation should the author start another series. One hopes he made that choice as his website indicates this is the start of a new series.

Even if it is only a standalone, it is a great read, and well worth your time.


My digital ARC reading copy came from the publisher, Little, Brown and Company, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Catalina Island and its quirky but wealthy citizens are the backdrop for Connelly’s new police procedural novel with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell as the main character. Stilwell is an everyman type dedicated to law enforcement. When a female’s body is discovered under the docks wrapped in plastic, the story takes off with lots of missteps by Stilwell. Many of Catalina’s workers and residents could be involved. Connelly rarely disappoints but this tale seemed a bit rushed to the conclusion with many balls in the air that end up all-at-once resolved. That said, fans of the Lincoln Lawyer series will find much to like in Stilwell.

Nightshade is the first in a new series for Michael Connelly. It introduces Detective Stilwell, who has been exiled to Catalina Island. In fact, Catalina Island is considered “the island of misfit toys”, where they send all the police department’s problem children. Stilwell had been a homicide detective before being sent there. But he feels like he’s found a home and isn’t anxious to return to the mainland.
The story follows two separate crimes, only one of which Stilwell is meant to be investigating. A buffalo has been killed and beheaded. Some think it was done by aliens, but Stilwell’s main suspect is decidedly terrestrial. Meanwhile, the body of a young woman is found submerged in the harbor, weighted down by an anchor.
As always, Connelly has crafted a well developed main character. He’s persistent and determined and he definitely has a problem backing off of an investigation even when ordered to do so. We get his back story, especially how he got in trouble with his superiors. I did find it interesting that not once does Connelly give us a first name for Stilwell.
Connelly has the knack for writing an evenly paced story. Not a thriller, it is a well paced police procedural that walks the reader through each step of the investigation. He keeps things within the realm of the possible which is important to me.
I will definitely be following up if there is a second in this series.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown for an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to Little Brown for the advanced copy of this book for review.

This dad read Nightshade, a brand new crime thriller from Michael Connelly. L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has a lone detective on Catalina Island, Sergeant Stilwell. Long has Catalina has long been a place where troubled law enforcement officers are sent to “cool off,” but Stilwell has made it his home, building a life with a serious girlfriend, a dedicated team, and a personal mission to seek justice no matter the cost. When a body is discovered beneath the Pacific Ocean’s surface, Stilwell must navigate department politics while grappling with his burning desire to solve the case. Can Catalina remain his peaceful escape, or will the island’s dark secrets drag him into its depths?

It’s been a while since Connelly launched a brand-new character and series, and fans of his work know he excels at creating compelling, multi-dimensional characters and Sergeant Stilwell is no exception. Much like Detective Bosch, Stilwell operates by a strict personal code that compels him to push his investigations beyond the ordinary. The island setting is key, too: the physical distance between Stilwell and his superiors not only emphasizes his isolation but also ramps up the tension, keeping readers on edge.

The novel also features a rich ensemble of characters, from friends—like the internet-savvy administrator and Stilwell’s charming girlfriend—to enemies, including a contentious peer on the mainland and petty criminals on the island. Connelly dives straight into these dynamics, which can feel overwhelming at first, but once the setting and characters are established, the thrills truly take off.

One of the reasons why I love Connelly so much is that he continues to surprise me. Book after book I never quite have the solve pinned down and Nightshade is no exception. Like his detectives and their cases, the story unfolds unpredictably, and if you’re anything like me, you won’t want to put the book down until you’ve unraveled every twist.

With Nightshade, Connelly proves once again why he’s the master of the crime thriller. The novel offers a gripping mystery, intriguing characters, and more than a few jaw-dropping twists. Nightshade is the perfect thriller to read on your own island getaway this summer, I give it 🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢/5—highly recommend!

This was something new from Connelly. Takes place on Catalina Island, about a cop that lost favor on the mainland and ended up on Catalina. He manages to find murders, kidnappings, and other mayhem while enjoying the leisure life of Island life and a romance to boot. Its promising as a start of a new series, but it has lost some of the action, suspense, and intrigue of other series. Hopefully he will step it up on the next outing. Meantime, look forward to another romp on Catalina! Recommended if you like his other books. Maybe a good easy beach or vacation read.

This is a new series featuring a new character in a new setting, so I found it a bit harder to slip into than the usual Bosch/Ballard books. But once I got the lay of the land, it was a typical (read: good) Connelly novel with a tight plot and a good cop willing to go slightly rogue as he fights for justice within a somewhat reluctant establishment.

Connelly debuts a new protagonist in this fast paced and intricate mystery. Looking forward to more books in this series.

4+ out of 5 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Michael Connelly is one of my 'must-read' authors, and I was excited to see a new (series?) character and setting added to his canon.

Detective Stilwell has been transferred (banished) to the fairly idyllic Catalina Island, where most of the 'crime' is petty, but there's less chance of him antagonizing a partner who doesn't follow the rules. Like Connelly's other 'loners' Stilwell is dedicated to justice, but has some trouble with interpersonal relationships.

Seemingly unexpected events like a buffalo mutilation and a body turning up in the harbour mean that Stilwell has to get re-involved with LA County mainland police to solve these crimes. The small community of Catalina (and its politics) is so well described it almost becomes another character.

I did appreciate that the book just dumps the reader into the protagonist's life and details trickle into the plot at random (I much prefer this to a couple of chapters of info dump). While it causes the characters to seem a bit 'thin', the action and story are the stars - I'm hoping to find out more about ongoing characters as more books come out.

Nightshade was a terrific read, and it kept my interest throughout this powerhouse novel. Michael Connelly introduces a new character, Detective Sergeant Stilwell, who’s with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department which handles all the cases on Catalina Island. There is a murder to be solved and the twists and turns made for a fast read that I did not want to put down. Stilwell’s girlfriend Tash lends a feminine touch, and she gets unwittingly involved, which revs up the story even more. Detective Stilwell is just as engaging as Bosch who we all know and love. It was also very interesting to find out what the title “Nightshade” referred to. I will be highly recommending this title to all my patrons. Don’t miss this one - hopefully there will be plenty more stories coming out of Catalina.

Thank You to NetGalley, the Author Michael Connelly and the Publisher Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

Michael Connelly never disappoints and Nightshade is no exception. It's a read-in-one-sitting book, like everything this master storyteller writes.

Having read the Bosch, Lincoln Lawyer and Ballard series. I was excited to see a new character with the ending of my favorite, Bosch.
The move from Bosch to Stilwell was seamless. He is easy to connect with and I'm excited to see where his story arc goes. I see why Connelly is considered the best at his craft. His knowledge in the police procedural, including the law side is fantastic. Nightshade was a great read and I can not wait for the next book in this series. Highly recommended!

3.25 Stars

When someone anchors a body to the bottom of a Catalina harbor, Detective Stilwell happily sets mundane petty misdemeanors on the back burner. Resurrecting the homicide skills he procured on the mainland before department politics resulted in his exile, he’s determined to identify the young woman and bring her killer to justice.

As he exposes the dark secrets and the evil that resides beneath the virtuous façade of those responsible, Catalina Island seems anything but a serene oasis.

I am a Michael Connelly fan…it’s even stated in my bio. Unfortunately, NIGHTSHADE didn’t resonate with me. I found the pacing incredibly slow, the dialogue often stilted, the characters one-dimensional, and the plot predictable. Am I finished with Mr. Connelly? Not on your life. Much appreciation to Little Brown and Company, Michael Connelly, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Michael Connelly's new book, Nightshade, is either a standalone or the start of a new series. If the latter, it's off to a good start. Although Nightshade starts slowly, taking its time to introduce us to its main character, Detective Stilwell, it gains momentum as it takes the reader through two serious crimes. Detective Stilwell, "Stil, " has been banished, er transferred, to Catalina, an island off the coast of Los Angeles. Forced to work with the LA detective who's actions resulted in Stil's transfer, he quickly takes charge. Connelly's signature style is evident in this novel that is almost as interesting for its descriptions of Catalina's physical environment as it is for its mystery. Connelly fans will not be disappointed.

Michael Connelly Is a one-of-a-kind Author with amazing books and character development that even throws surprises at me when I think I have it all figured out. Nightshade introduces us to a brand-new main character Detective Sergeant Stillwell of the LA Sheriff’s office. Stillwell was sent to Catalina Island due to his supposed transgressions in pursuing further a previous case. His days are usually dealing with Drunks and thefts when the island is busy. We begin with a dead Buffalo investigation. And then there is a grizzly finding of a dead body in the water that turns into a murder investigation.

Despite having to deal with some roadblocks from rich people as well as politics from his bosses and some not so nice mainland detectives Stillwell does not let that distract him from doing his job. We also get some of his personal life as we read through and find out he is dating a special lady and despite being sent to the island as punishment he does not seem to want to leave anytime soon, at least not permanently.

When I started reading this story, I will admit I thought it was going to be a slower read then it actually ended up being. However, Connelly really picked things up relatively quickly and the book pulled me in and kept me gripped wanting to read more every spare moment I had despite being a new character. You also really get a sense of the island from how things are described without really distracting from the main plot of the story. The Story had twists and turns and surprise arrests that kept things interesting. Michael Connelly hit a Home Run with Nightshade I truly hope this is the start of another amazing series to come from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley , Little, Brown and Company and Michael Connelly for this amazing opportunity to read this book in advance of its release in exchange for my honest review.

The book started out a bit slow, but it eventually picked up and finished strong, which is why I took off a star. Otherwise, I’m happy to report that Connelly has FINALLY stopped inserting his political views into his thriller novels. It’s taken a long time, but maybe he finally realizes that people on both sides of the aisle like to read good fiction.

A brand new character from Michael Connelly!! This longtime fan has been very excited about Nightshade ever since I heard about it. It has been a long time since this has happened and it was so exciting to meet Detective Stilwell and explore Catalina with him.

As always with a Connelly book, there is so much going on with multiple storylines happening. Stilwell has been exiled to. The island off the California coast after an incident on his last case. But it turns out, he quite likes it there. His usual day to day work has him dealing with thefts and drunk tourists, but now he has a body. A woman has been weighed down in the water in the harbour and has to call in the mainland cops.

I absolutely loved this book. It was dark and clever, with a touch of humor and sass . I really enjoyed the setting of Catalina, and all the challenges that came with being a cop on a small island. Stilwell is still earning the trust of the locals but really doesn’t care what people think of him. He does what he has to do to solve the case and get the right person for the crimes. Sounds familiar? yes there were times that I could see Bosch is Stilwell but he is different in so many ways as well.

I cannot wait for more from Catalina, and maybe a first name for Detective Stilwell as well. This is the first in a new series, so there is absolutely no excuses for not picking it up.

Thank you so so much to Little Brown and Company for my advanced copy of Nightshade to read. You made me very happy. Out on May 20th.

Michael Connelly has been consistently dropping a Bosch book a year since the end of the Clinton Administration, and now we get a spring novel in a new series about Detective Stilwell who is an LAPD officer who has been exiled to Catalina Island. A body washes up and Stilwell gets involved with a fancy Yacht club, as well as a grimier interaction with a crooked owner of a tour guide business. This has all of the Connelly hallmarks of dogged cops working cases, as well as a unique setting on Catalina island, and the subculture around an Island town.. Dedicated Connelly fans will find this scratches that itch, while they wait for another Bosch or Lincoln Lawyer installment.

Michael Connelly's newest book, Nightshade, is either the beginning of a new series or a standalone, with no trace of the characters from the author's other series. I was intrigued that the book is set on the island of Catalina, off the coast of Southern California--a place I visited briefly many years ago. There are no automobiles allowed on the island, and much of the activities revolve around the water--sailing, fishing, beach sunbathing, water sports, and so on.

Detective Sergeant Stilwell of the LA County Sheriff's Department (even at the end of the book, we don't know his first name) is responsible for investigating crimes that originate on Catalina--unless the LA detectives try to take over. Stil (as his friends call him) was "transferred" to this position a year ago as a punishment for alienating the management and certain members of his previous department, but he finds he greatly enjoys the new environment and has found a girlfriend in Tash, who works for the Harbormaster. When the body of a woman with a purple streak in her hair (hence the nickname Nightshade) is found tied to an anchor, it calls for the Catalina and LA detectives to put aside their bad blood and work together, At the same time, Stil needs to bring to justice the person who beheaded and absconded with the head of one of the island's protected buffaloes.

The book's immersion into Catalina local color and customs makes for an interesting read, and Connelly's signature writing style and intricate plot are in evidence. I'm hoping that if this is a series, Stil's character will be fleshed out and his romance with Tash developed.

My thanks to Little Brown, and Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

The characters are not deep or complex, but they are consistent and interesting. All characters have a purpose in the story, and most of them change in some way by the end.
The plot strikes a balance between complex and easy to follow. There are a great deal of plot twists and dead ends, but the story takes its time and allows the reader to process everything. I hope I re-read this book one day, so I am able to look for clues to the culprit that I might have missed the first time around.