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Michael Connelly Offers Updates on Harry Bosch, Renee Ballard & More

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Michael Connelly, the creator of Harry Bosch (the source of the hit Bosch TV series and its sequel Bosch: Legacy), took part in a book club interview with his editor Asya Muchnick on Tuesday night. He offered not only insights on the latest Bosch & Ballard novel Desert Star but also some updates on the future of Harry Bosch, Renée Ballard, and Harry's daughter Maddie Bosch.

Bosch: Michael Connelly Talks about Spin-off Series
Titus Welliver in "Bosch", soon to be in "Bosch: Legacy", photo courtesy of Amazon Prime

Desert Star Nearly Became the Final Bosch Novel

The cold case unit that Renée Ballard heads in Desert Star is based on the real-life cold case unit that Detective Mitzi Roberts, the inspiration for Ballard and consultant for Bosch: Legacy, heads, so she read and vetted the book for accuracy. Everyone who's read the book knows by now that Harry Bosch's cancer is back, and it's terminal. Connelly actually set out to end Bosch's story in this book, even telling his staff he might be retiring from writing novels. It was only while writing the final third of the book that Connelly changed his mind because of Bosch's emotional reaction to the suspect's lack of remorse for murdering children.

"I Have a Duty to Complete the Harry Bosch Story"

Connelly said he felt that the story of Bosch was about the evolution of the character alongside the changes in the city of Los Angeles, so he had a duty to bring Bosch's story to completion. Fortunately, Bosch is not dead yet. He will be part of Connelly's next novel, which will be a Lincoln Lawyer book featuring Bosch's half-brother Mickey Haller. The end of Desert Star will lead to that book after Renee Ballard passed a wrongful conviction case to Haller, who likes a good courtroom battle, especially when it comes to miscarriages of justice. Ballard will probably appear in the novel but not in a prominent role. Connelly hasn't begun writing the book yet and will start soon.

Maddie Bosch, like Harry, ages in real-time in the books, so it will be a while before she gets to the point of being a major lead focus for the writer. Bosch, in the first novel Black Echo, was 42 years old in 1992 and has been aging in real-time ever since. Maddie Bosch is currently 25 years old in both the books and Bosch: Legacy and starting her career as a rookie cop by coincidence. Connelly felt that Maddie's lack of life experience doesn't make her so compelling to write, so it will be a while before she becomes mature and interesting enough to be the main character in a book. He confirmed that Rene Ballard is around 39 years old in the books, and if Connelly continues writing, she will likely be the lead in the LAPD novels after Bosch leaves the stage. "My last book might be the first "Maddie Bosch" book. I don't know." He also mentioned that production on the second season of Bosch: Legacy will wrap on Thursday this week. And lastly, Connelly said he has written a scripted drama audio podcast based on one of his short stories that will debut next year.

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Adi TantimedhAbout Adi Tantimedh

Adi Tantimedh is a filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote radio plays for the BBC Radio, “JLA: Age of Wonder” for DC Comics, “Blackshirt” for Moonstone Books, and “La Muse” for Big Head Press. Most recently, he wrote “Her Nightly Embrace”, “Her Beautiful Monster” and “Her Fugitive Heart”, a trilogy of novels featuring a British-Indian private eye published by Atria Books, a division Simon & Schuster.
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