Ironwood

About this book

Sworn to protect a scenic island far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwel can feel danger closing in. Sheriff's Detective Sergent Stilwell knows that Catalina Island is no paradise, but it usually stays blissfully separated from the troubles of Los Angeles County. Now a threat is coming to his safe haven. Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Stilwell and his deputies watch a plane land in. the middle of the night at the Airport in the Sky, a remote airstrip in the mountains. A duffel bag of drugs is dropped, and the deputies move in, but things quickly go sideways. Shots are fired on the runway and the plane flies off. An internal inquiry follows, putting Stilwell on the bench until he is cleared of responsibility for the disastrous operation. But he is determined to find out who brought deadly violence to his island, and he begins a secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong. Under orders to keep a low profile, he finds an abandoned backpack and traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island for years ago. Why, then, was it turned in to the substation only two months back? Thoroughly intrigued, he follows the mystery all the way to the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard. Stilwell and Ballard work the case from both sides of the channel and soon realize they are on the trail of a criminal who revels in taunting the authorities. Meanwhile, frustrated at being shut out of his own investigation, Stilwell risks his already shaky standing in the department to pursue a case whose reach is wider than he ever imagined. Page-turning, packed with intrigue, and bringing together an unstoppable investigative team, Ironwood continues that Catalina series with all of Michael Connelly's signature "relentless narrative drive...evocative atmosphere, realistic dialogue, and well-developed characters" (Washington Independent Review of Books)