End of watch? Maybe. Good installment with Renee and Harry. Curious where Connelly goes next with the both of them. I think my main issue is that there were too many plot holes in this one that don’t get addressed. Also the Renee we know who was just kind of done at the end of the last book, I don’t see her taking this path. She read like a new character. And it’s beyond weird to realize that it’s been a year since the events in the last book, and it reads as Harry hasn’t spoken to his daughter (much), Renee (at all), and Mickey. You get some explanation, but it doesn’t sound like him. Actually towards the end of the book, it just felt like Harry was a different character.
Desert Star follows the events of a year ago though now Renee seeks out Harry to get him to come aboard as a volunteer at a cold case unit she’s heading up. We find out that Renee decided to go back to the LAPD and she and Harry fell out over it. Renee pings his interest though with telling him he can investigate a case that still haunts him, the Gallagher Family massacre. FYI, the book seems to take inspiration from the real life case of the McStay family. Harry reluctantly agrees and the book follows as he starts unwinding that case and the cold case murder of the councilman’s sister who ended up approving and pushing for the cold case unit.
Ehhh. Renee didn’t read like herself at all. She’s in essence a boss in this one, and honestly at times not a good one. She seems to need Harry involved with everything and I was like have you met him? One even wonders why she was so gung-ho on having him included. We get to know some of the other volunteers in the unit and I can’t say too much about any of them except for two of the characters because they were essential to the plot. One of them (Hatteras) got on my nerves. I wanted more personal detail from Renee, where was she living, how was this new unit seen by her former lieutenant, and partner from the last book. She was like persona non grata with the last book and the whole thing just got skipped over.
Harry, there’s a lot hidden about him til the end and I kind of went what like a dozen times. The parts of the case that focused on him investigating though just read better. It was like Connelly didn’t know what to do with Renee unless Harry was in the same scene with her at times. I also thought that the Harry we knew would have bounced as soon as he saw that Renee put his saying of “everybody counts…” on the wall overlooking their unit. I also cringed at that too. Renee was trying too hard and once again, it didn’t read like her at all.
We get updates on Maddie, Mickey, and a few people, but the whole book felt so insular at times. We do get a surprise return of someone that I did like from prior books, but that was it.
I thought it was surprising after the last book and events described with everything taking place during COVID, a year later no one talks about shots, boosters, or is wearing masks. I went huh a few times about that. Also, there’s a smidgen mentioned about a DA that is not seen as being tough on crime being recalled which reminded me of the latest election in California, but that was it.
The plot of two separate cases really doesn’t work in this one. I honestly wish we had just followed one and that was it. Especially because of the [redacted redacted] and possibility about connections to other cold cases. It just felt totally like a stretch.
The flow was up and down. Harry parts moved briskly, Renee stuff started to bore me til the case of the councilman’s murdered sister picked up steam. I just got tired of her telling Harry she was a boss and needed to do what she asked (and then they both ignored it like five minutes later) and didn’t realize the pitfalls of two of her volunteers til way later than someone like her should.
The setting of LA this time felt muted. Maybe because we kind of ran back and forth between the two cases. At one point Harry has to go to Florida and Chicago, so this book felt more “other” than the last one.
The ending as I said had a lot reveals (and not a lot made sense) and as I said it comes to a conclusion, maybe, with one character. Very curious where Connelly is going with this now. I loved the last book, but feel a bit frustrated by this offering.