Ironwood by Michael Connelly — A Catalina Novel

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Harry Bosch series returns with a gripping new thriller set on the sun-drenched yet deeply dangerous Catalina Island. Detective Stilwell runs island operations on Catalina — a world that feels like paradise until it doesn't. When a botched drug operation at the island's airstrip leaves a deputy dead, Stilwell finds himself sidelined. But he doesn't stay quiet for long. A mysterious abandoned rucksack leads him to a years-old cold case: a woman who vanished without a trace, a trail that the mainland never bothered to follow. With the help of Detective Renee Ballard — and a Bosch workaround that only Harry could devise — Stilwell begins pulling threads that the island's tight-knit community would rather leave buried. Claustrophobic, sun-bleached, and shot through with tension, Ironwood is Michael Connelly at his precise, propulsive best. The ironwood tree, Catalina's rarest and most stubborn native, gives this novel its name — and its spine. The second Detective Stilwell novel, following Nightshade. Perfect for fans of Harry Bosch, Lincoln Lawyer, and anyone who loves crime fiction that doesn't let you breathe until the last page.