,

Michael Connelly

Goodreads Author


Born
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The United States
Website

Twitter

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Influences
Raymond Chandler, Joseph Wambaugh, Ross Macdonald

Member Since
May 2011

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.

After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986,
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Michael Connelly Since I was a teenager I was fascinated with soldiers who went into the tunnels of Vietnam – so called tunnel rats. I thought it must have been one of…moreSince I was a teenager I was fascinated with soldiers who went into the tunnels of Vietnam – so called tunnel rats. I thought it must have been one of the scariest assignments ever. I read a book about it, watched a 60 minutes segment, worked in high school on a construction crew with a former soldier who had been a tunnel rat. Many years later as a reporter in Los Angeles, I was allowed to sit in on a briefing in an LAPD detective bureau where they were showing a slide show about a daring bank heist in which the thieves tunneled under the bank and then up into the vault. They were projecting photos from the hand-dug tunnel on the screen and they immediately reminded me of photos I had seen of the tunnels in Vietnam. All at once I thought of writing a story about a detective who was a former tunnel rat and who catches a case involving tunnels and former tunnel rats. It came to me as I was sitting there with all of these real detectives. I started writing what would become The Black Echo, my first published novel, that night.(less)
Michael Connelly I'm writing the next Harry Bosch book right now. It is called The Wrong Side Of Goodbye and will be released in November 2016.…moreI'm writing the next Harry Bosch book right now. It is called The Wrong Side Of Goodbye and will be released in November 2016.(less)
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More books by Michael Connelly…

The Next Harry Bosch Novel Is THE HOLLOW Coming Out On November 3

The Hollow temporary cover art

Retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch delves into the darkest chapter of his past.
When Harry Bosch was eleven years old, his mother was murdered and he became a ward of the state, housed in MacLaren Children’s Center, a notorious facility where abuse was rampant. Decades after its closure, a massive class action lawsuit has resulted in a multibillion-dollar settlement for former residents. But wh

Read more of this blog post »
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Published on February 13, 2026 06:53
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Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Connelly wrote a new blog post

The Next Harry Bosch Novel Is THE HOLLOW Coming Out On November 3



Retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch delves into the darkest chapter of his past.When Harry Bosch was eleven years old, his mother was murdered and he Read more of this blog post »
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" Thank you. Thanks for listening. "
" Charlotte wrote: "Can't wait... it will be so awesome to have these three together again! I've been a Michael Connelly fan for 30 years and have loved ...more "
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Quotes by Michael Connelly  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Everybody counts, or nobody counts.”
Michael Connelly

“There is nothing you can do about the past except keep it there.”
Michael Connelly, The Brass Verdict

There is no client as scary as an innocent man."

J. Michael Haller, Criminal Defense Attorney, Los Angeles, 1962.”
Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer

Polls

September 2018 Subgenre Poll

We ask that you only vote if you are planning on participating in our discussion should your choice win.

Which Courtroom/Legal book would you like to read in September?

 
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL WINTER CHALLENGE - 2008/2009 2155 4188 Mar 04, 2009 07:03AM  
Mystery/Thriller ...: Michael Connelly/George Pelecanos -- Part Two 15 70 May 31, 2009 03:46AM  
The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009 6381 9047 Jun 14, 2009 02:57PM  
47182 Crime & Thriller Group -- Featuring Michael Connelly, Jonathon King, and Kevin O'Brien — 324 members — last activity Apr 26, 2015 01:32PM
Join three grandmasters of the crime writing world as they explore the ins and outs of the genre. This group will be live for one day only. Join us Th ...more
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