'The Night Fire': A crackling case for Harry Bosch and his new partner

Michael Connelly has kept a freshness to each of his novels about LAPD Detective Harry Bosch by discovering new aspects about his perennial hero, and by bringing in solid, believable characters to inhabit Harry's world.
In 2017's "The Late Show," Connelly introduced LAPD Detective Renee Ballard, an insightful and tenacious investigator relegated to the midnight shift, or "late show."
In "The Night Fire," Renee is Harry's full-fledged partner as shown by the subtitle "A Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel." Renee isn't some wide-eyed innocent who needs a mentor; she's an experienced detective, equal to keeping up with Harry. She and Harry share a similar skill set yet their differences make for good tension and a plot that again showcases Connelly's high standards.
"The Night Fire" finds Harry feeling his age. Nearly 70, he's using a cane as he recovers from knee surgery and he has another health scare. But Harry still has "that fire" to solve cases. His recently deceased mentor Detective John Jack Thompson left instructions to his widow to give Harry the murder book files for the unsolved killing of ex-con John Hilton, who was shot in his parked car nearly 20 years earlier. Retired from the LAPD, Harry needs someone with a badge — and the resources — to help him work the investigation. That would be Renee.
As Renee and Harry team up to solve the Hilton case, they each work separately on other cases. Renee delves into the arson death of a homeless man while Harry looks at the case of a man being defended by his half-brother, Mickey Haller, accused of killing a Supreme Court judge.
Breathless action and deep character studies enhance "The Night Fire" as the story alternates between Harry's and Renee's point of view. "The Night Fire" is Connelly's 21st outing with Harry, but the author has so much more to show us about him. Only three books in, Renee has even more fodder for Connelly to uncover.
In "The Night Fire," Connelly again shows his mission — strong plots and sturdy characters.