My review of The Waiting by Michael Connelly includes a spoiler section! It also reflects my opinions as a Connelly super fan. Most of his books are hits, but there are a few misses (like Nine Dragons.) What did I think of The Waiting, book 6 in the Renée Ballard series (book 25 in the Harry Bosch universe?) I’ll spill all!
Jen’s Quick Take on The Waiting by Michael Connelly
- While mostly a Renée Ballard book, The Waiting also has cameos by Harry and Maddy Bosch
- Confession: I am not the biggest Ballard fan and this book did nothing to change my mind
- The Waiting has a typical Connelly plot comprised of several investigations. In this case, only one of them was very gripping.
- Right now the book has a 4.48 Goodreads rating so clearly many people disagree. But I did see several reviews that agreed with me. And reading this after Resurrection Walk was a letdown.
- Published on October 15, 2024 by Little, Brown. 416 pages.
Review of The Waiting by Michael Connelly
I’m trying an FAQ format. Let me know what you think in comments!
Who was the main character in The Waiting?
Renée Ballard. The majority of the books I read are by and about women. And yet Renée Ballard is my least favorite Bosch Universe protagonist. When I think about it, I think his female characters are much less successful.
Why don’t you like Renée?
I find her really emotionally closed-off. After SIX books what do we know about her except that:
- She love to surf.
- She ignores (boards) her dog constantly.
- Like Harry, she rubs her superiors the wrong way and has mom issues.
This book had her take the first step to locating her missing mother, which feels too much like Harry’s quest to solve his mom’s murder. I wish I could warm up to Renée, but she refuses to meet me halfway. After six books, I don’t see it happening!
Are there any character cameos in The Waiting?
Yes. Harry makes a very brief cameo, as does his daughter Maddie Bosch, now a police officer herself.
How does The Waiting compare to other Connelly books?
I absolutely love the deliberate pace of a police procedural. But I thought the The Waiting felt slow and very low stakes. A lot of the plot saw Renée pursuing a very mundane investigation. Then there was a Maddie development that was extremely odd. During the last third of the book, things picked up, but I’m VERY sorry to report that (for me) The Waiting was really not a page turner overall.
Okay I need to know the Spoilers for The Waiting
Michael Connelly likes to knit together several cases in each book.
The first case in The Waiting was an odd car break-in. Renée is surfing and someone takes her badge and gun. Because she’s on the outs with the police department brass, she hides this and tries to recover them on her own. To me and some Goodreads reviewers, this plot felt like filler.
The Waiting’s second case was a cold sexual assault case that Renée and her Open-Unsolved Unit are pursuing. This case was a little more interesting, featuring team dynamics and forensic genetic geneology. Maddie, who is volunteering for Renée’s unit, helped out with this case and it was the most interesting of the three.
The third case in The Waiting was the oddest of all. Maddie suddenly tells Renée, “hey, I think I solved the 1947 Black Dahlia murder…”
What? First of all, the (fictional) murder of Harry’s mother seems to be based on that case. Secondly, WHAT? Third, why not tell her father this? It all made no sense.
If you read The Waiting and loved it, make your case in comments. If you felt like me, tell me and make me feel less alone.
I agree with you Jen. I’ve read all the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller novels, and the Ballard and Bosch ones too, and I just don’t warm to her. This is well-written as usual, but it felt like an author on auto-pilot for once. I finished it only out of a sense of duty.
Glad it’s not just me. Maybe reuniting with her mother will make her more relatable? Also hoping the next book is more classic Connelly we know and love. As prolific as he is, it’s understandable that a “meh” book slips in from time to time…
I also felt something lacking. Also I missed the jump from the serial rapist suspects to Andrew Bennett being the one. How did she figure that out after realizing the judge and son weren’t him?
I particularly enjoyed The Waiting, as I was adopted, and using DNA testing was eventually able to track down who my biological father was. But what mystified me, unless i missed something, was that no one thought to compare the photograph of Nicholas Purcell with early photographs of the four men who might have been his biological father. A resemblance might have sped up the investigation. After discovering who my biological father was, I was able to exchange photographs with my new-found half-sisters and we were immediately able to see strong family resemblances.
That’s a good point, and thanks so much for sharing your personal experience. I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know your new family members.
It kept me interested, but Connelly got lazy in my opinion and got tired of writing the book. All the cases seemed to get wrapped up a little too easily. I don’t like Ballard either. Shes a jerk.
I’ve been reading his books since Black Echo in the 90s and wow, the number of books he’s managed to produce is nothing short of amazing. This didn’t feel as phoned in as my few least favorites. I liked it, didn’t LOVE it. My favorite of his books are the ones with a stronger emotional hook.
I’m trying to figure out what’s not relatable about Renee Ballard — to me, she and Bosch are cut from the same cloth. They both had difficult childhoods, loss of a parent, etc., and as such they’re both fairly closed down, channeling their emotions into their work — doing their best for the victims and following their own interior ethics to accomplishing it.
What’s different with Ballard is her gender. Is a semi-closed off woman who focuses almost completely on her work, not terribly interested in romantic relationships, harder to relate to than a man with those same qualities? There’s lots about Bosch that I don’t really get, but he’s an interesting person who I would enjoy knowing. Same with Ballard. I just think there’s different requirements for a female detective. She’s in control of her shit, just like Bosch.
Hi MissMolly
Believe it or not I have thought a LOT about my dislike for Renee.
It’s not that she’s a woman detectives as 90% of my reading features female detectives.
Many of Connelly’s major female characters are not that likable to me, from Eleanor Wish to Maggie McPherson. I feel okay about Rachel Walling. I’m also not really a fan of his new detective, Stillwell, though I’m trying to give him a chance. Bosch is special and I’m afraid Connelly might kill him off!
I really dislike the fact that Renee has a dog that she has no time for. And I feel like she’s closed off to the point of being unknowable. But I like hearing another viewpoint, so what do you love about her???
Also, you describe both Boschs as having very brief cameos in the Waiting, though Harry is a major part of the Dehaven terrorist case with Ballard, and Maddie signed on to work with Ballard at Open/Unsolved, and brought Ballard the info about the Black Dahlia (whatever you might think about that plot point).
I’m just puzzled about all the negativity about this book, which I’m really enjoying.
I am so sorry that it bothers you! When an author puts out a book a year, I feel that not all of them can be excellent. Some of his books are intricately plotted with deep emotional resonance, while others rely heavily on dialogue and feel a little thin.
My least favorite Connelly of all time is probably Nine Dragons. I can’t even remember why because I didn’t review it on Goodreads but I remember telling my husband how much I disliked it!