Bestselling author Michael Connelly has announced details of his upcoming novel Ironwood: A Catalina Novel, featuring Detective Sergeant Stilwell and Detective Renée Ballard collaborating on a case. The story begins with a botched drug operation on Catalina Island and expands into a broader mystery. The book is set for release on April 19.
Michael Connelly, known for his Bosch series and related television adaptations, continues to expand his crime fiction universe with Ironwood: A Catalina Novel. This marks the second book in a new series centered on Detective Sergeant Stilwell, who is stationed on Catalina Island, 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles County.
The plot kicks off when Stilwell and his deputies act on a tip from a confidential informant about a midnight plane landing at the remote Airport in the Sky. They intercept a duffel bag of drugs, but the operation unravels: the pickup man flees into the mountainside brush, shots are fired on the runway, and the plane escapes. An internal inquiry benches Stilwell pending clearance, but he persists in his investigation.
While confined to the sheriff's substation, Stilwell discovers an unclaimed backpack in the lost and found, traced to a woman who vanished while hiking on the island four years earlier. The pack was only turned in two months ago, sparking further intrigue. This leads Stilwell to the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit, where he enlists Detective Renée Ballard's expertise.
Together, Stilwell and Ballard pursue leads from both sides of the channel, uncovering a criminal who taunts authorities. Stilwell risks his department standing to chase a case with unexpectedly wide reach. Ironwood launches on April 19, with a new Harry Bosch novel slated for this fall.
Connelly oversees multiple Bosch-related projects, including the Bosch TV series, an upcoming prequel on Prime Video, the Ballard TV series, and the Bosch & Ballard novels.