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Catalina #2
Ironwood
Not yet published
Expected 19 May 26Sworn to protect a scenic island meant to be far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwell can feel danger closing in.
Detective Sergeant Stilwell knows that his posting on Catalina Island is no paradise, but to most residents, it seems blissfully separated—by twenty-two miles of ocean—from the troubles of Los Angeles County. But 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. While Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man into the mountainside brush, 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 begins his own secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong.
While under orders to remain in the sheriff’s substation, he finds in the lost and found a valuable backpack that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. But then why was the pack only turned in two months back? Now 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 an investigation on his own island, 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 the Catalina series with all of Michael Connelly’s signature “relentless narrative drive…evocative atmosphere, realistic dialogue, and well-developed characters” (Washington Review of Books).
Detective Sergeant Stilwell knows that his posting on Catalina Island is no paradise, but to most residents, it seems blissfully separated—by twenty-two miles of ocean—from the troubles of Los Angeles County. But 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. While Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man into the mountainside brush, 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 begins his own secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong.
While under orders to remain in the sheriff’s substation, he finds in the lost and found a valuable backpack that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. But then why was the pack only turned in two months back? Now 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 an investigation on his own island, 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 the Catalina series with all of Michael Connelly’s signature “relentless narrative drive…evocative atmosphere, realistic dialogue, and well-developed characters” (Washington Review of Books).
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 19, 2026
1417 people want to read
About the author
Michael Connelly
378 books35.3k followersLibrarian 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, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Michael Connelly is an absolute master of the police procedural drama. His books always bring me so much joy and once again in 2026 we are being spoilt with 2 new books. He is my absolute favourite author and I couldn’t wait to dive into Ironwood.
After loving Nightshade last year, I was keen to go back to Catalina Island and catch up with Stilwell. This man never seems to sleep and is 100% committed to his work. Even when spending time with his girlfriend Tash, he is thinking about his cases. He certainly has his hands full in Ironwood. Firstly there is the drugs operation that ended up with his officers being taken out and a missing persons case that comes out of an item in the lost and found shed.
I loved that this book had Stilwell working with Renee Ballard on the missing persons cold case. I hope this continues to happen, I loved their chemistry and team efforts in this case. They make a great team,. We even have a brief appearance from Harry and Maddie Bosch which always makes me smile.
As always, Michael Connelly books move at fast pace, I read this on my plane journey home from Japan in a few hours. There is always something dramatic happening and you just can’t put it down. Much like Harry Bosch, Stilwell does not like to be left out of things and will do whatever it takes to solve the case and I love that about him. His punishment of being sent to the island 22 miles off the Los Angeles coast has done him a lot of good and I hope that we will get many more books in this setting with this character.
I am so thankful to Little, Brown and Company for my early copy of this book to read. Such an honour to be able to do so for such a prolific author.
This one comes out on May 19th. Get reading Nightshade now to prepare for it.
After loving Nightshade last year, I was keen to go back to Catalina Island and catch up with Stilwell. This man never seems to sleep and is 100% committed to his work. Even when spending time with his girlfriend Tash, he is thinking about his cases. He certainly has his hands full in Ironwood. Firstly there is the drugs operation that ended up with his officers being taken out and a missing persons case that comes out of an item in the lost and found shed.
I loved that this book had Stilwell working with Renee Ballard on the missing persons cold case. I hope this continues to happen, I loved their chemistry and team efforts in this case. They make a great team,. We even have a brief appearance from Harry and Maddie Bosch which always makes me smile.
As always, Michael Connelly books move at fast pace, I read this on my plane journey home from Japan in a few hours. There is always something dramatic happening and you just can’t put it down. Much like Harry Bosch, Stilwell does not like to be left out of things and will do whatever it takes to solve the case and I love that about him. His punishment of being sent to the island 22 miles off the Los Angeles coast has done him a lot of good and I hope that we will get many more books in this setting with this character.
I am so thankful to Little, Brown and Company for my early copy of this book to read. Such an honour to be able to do so for such a prolific author.
This one comes out on May 19th. Get reading Nightshade now to prepare for it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Another great installment in the new Stillwell series. The character is really growing on me -- and great to see some cameos from other Connelly characters.
Will we see Stillwell in an upcoming season of Ballard?
Will we see Stillwell in an upcoming season of Ballard?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Title: Ironwood
Author: Michael Connelly
Series: Catalina #2
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
My Rating: 4.4 Stars!
Pages: 336
I live in Southern California aka ‘Overtown’ and am somewhat familiar with Catalina Island –have vacationed there as well as have made several day trips. It is indeed twenty-six miles across the sea as the song states. Although not a breath taking Tropical Island is truly is like paradise as it is sooo different from our hurried and hectic lives- almost a thrown back in time.
In “Nightshade” the first book in the Catalina series we learn that Detective Sergeant Stilwell with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department had been “exiled” or punished to a low-key post on Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk,
He will be the lone detective in Avalon on Catalina Island so his typical job will be managing the drunk-and-disorderly tourist who visit on weekends and Holidays. But things did get more serious in that story as they are about to this in this one.
This story starts in the middle of the night when Stillwell acts on a tip that one of his deputy’s got that a plane from Mexicali was making a drop. Stillwell and his deputies are at the little “Airport in the Sky’ a remote airstrip in the mountains and are watching as the plane land. When it touched down a duffel bag of drugs is dropped. Deputies move in, shots are fired and the plane takes off. Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man but he quickly gets away into the mountainside brush. The operation was a disaster additionally two Deputies were shot Alton Quigley and Lisa Ramirez was shot.
Later while going through the lost and found items to see what can be turned over to St. Catherine’s for their rummage sale. As they are getting ready to call Father Braxton for a pick up, Stillwell notices an expensive ‘Hyperlite Unbound Camping pack’ and is curious. Sure enough there is enough info inside to make some calls. Finds out Angela Metier disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. However the pack was only turned in two months ago. Hmmm This leads Stillwell to do more investigation which leads him to the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard.
Yes THE Renée Ballard we know from other stories!
Although I liked that Ms. Ballard helped and fun that Bosch’s daughter now a police officer made an appearance- I was happy that Detective Sergeant Stilwell is the star in this thriller!
I am a Michael Connelly Mickey Haller, Harry Bosch and now a Stil fan!!!
Want to thank NetGalley and Little Brown & Company for this eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 19, 2026.
Author: Michael Connelly
Series: Catalina #2
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
My Rating: 4.4 Stars!
Pages: 336
I live in Southern California aka ‘Overtown’ and am somewhat familiar with Catalina Island –have vacationed there as well as have made several day trips. It is indeed twenty-six miles across the sea as the song states. Although not a breath taking Tropical Island is truly is like paradise as it is sooo different from our hurried and hectic lives- almost a thrown back in time.
In “Nightshade” the first book in the Catalina series we learn that Detective Sergeant Stilwell with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department had been “exiled” or punished to a low-key post on Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk,
He will be the lone detective in Avalon on Catalina Island so his typical job will be managing the drunk-and-disorderly tourist who visit on weekends and Holidays. But things did get more serious in that story as they are about to this in this one.
This story starts in the middle of the night when Stillwell acts on a tip that one of his deputy’s got that a plane from Mexicali was making a drop. Stillwell and his deputies are at the little “Airport in the Sky’ a remote airstrip in the mountains and are watching as the plane land. When it touched down a duffel bag of drugs is dropped. Deputies move in, shots are fired and the plane takes off. Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man but he quickly gets away into the mountainside brush. The operation was a disaster additionally two Deputies were shot Alton Quigley and Lisa Ramirez was shot.
Later while going through the lost and found items to see what can be turned over to St. Catherine’s for their rummage sale. As they are getting ready to call Father Braxton for a pick up, Stillwell notices an expensive ‘Hyperlite Unbound Camping pack’ and is curious. Sure enough there is enough info inside to make some calls. Finds out Angela Metier disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. However the pack was only turned in two months ago. Hmmm This leads Stillwell to do more investigation which leads him to the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard.
Yes THE Renée Ballard we know from other stories!
Although I liked that Ms. Ballard helped and fun that Bosch’s daughter now a police officer made an appearance- I was happy that Detective Sergeant Stilwell is the star in this thriller!
I am a Michael Connelly Mickey Haller, Harry Bosch and now a Stil fan!!!
Want to thank NetGalley and Little Brown & Company for this eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 19, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really enjoy Michael Connelly novels and always look forward to his latest offering. With ‘Ironwood’ we are taken to the beautiful Catalina Island.
The story introduces us to Detective Sergeant Stilwell, a man who knows better than anyone that the twenty-two miles of ocean separating Catalina from Los Angeles isn’t enough to keep the darkness out. When a drug drop at the remote “Airport in the Sky” goes catastrophically wrong, Stilwell finds himself in the middle of a departmental nightmare.
As always Michael Connelly delivers a gripping plot with outstanding characters. While stuck in the sheriff’s substation, Stilwell discovers a backpack in the lost and found belonging to a woman who vanished four years ago. Why was the pack only turned in two months back? This discovery leads to one of Michael Connelly’s other stand out characters, Detective Renée Ballard of the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit, and a collaboration begins. Stilwell works the island’s rugged terrain while Ballard navigates the red tape of the mainland.
Suddenly the case has expanded and what was a local island crime now stretches to LA.
Stilwell is a very good addition to the already strong cast of characters in the Connelly novels. With Bosch, Ballard, Stilwell and ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ there is already so much on offer.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
The story introduces us to Detective Sergeant Stilwell, a man who knows better than anyone that the twenty-two miles of ocean separating Catalina from Los Angeles isn’t enough to keep the darkness out. When a drug drop at the remote “Airport in the Sky” goes catastrophically wrong, Stilwell finds himself in the middle of a departmental nightmare.
As always Michael Connelly delivers a gripping plot with outstanding characters. While stuck in the sheriff’s substation, Stilwell discovers a backpack in the lost and found belonging to a woman who vanished four years ago. Why was the pack only turned in two months back? This discovery leads to one of Michael Connelly’s other stand out characters, Detective Renée Ballard of the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit, and a collaboration begins. Stilwell works the island’s rugged terrain while Ballard navigates the red tape of the mainland.
Suddenly the case has expanded and what was a local island crime now stretches to LA.
Stilwell is a very good addition to the already strong cast of characters in the Connelly novels. With Bosch, Ballard, Stilwell and ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ there is already so much on offer.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Catalina Island is paradise for the people who live there, twenty two miles from the troubles of Los Angeles. Detective Sergeant Stilwell knows the island isn’t the paradise it seems. Stilwell and his deputies watch a plane lan, drop a bag of drugs in the middle of the night at a remote airstrip in the mountains. Then things go sideways when they move in. While the investigation is ongoing Stilwell is ordered to remain in the sheriff’s substation, he finds a backpack in the lost and found that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. He reaches out to LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard.Stilwell and Ballard work the case from both sides of the channel, and Stilwell realizes he may be in danger.
I am so glad Stilwelll is back and we get to spend some time on Catalina Island. I read this in two sittings, it would have been one but my kid insisted on eating dinner. While this is only book two The Catalina Series, it feels familiar and look forward to see what other drama comes to Avalon and the rest of the island.
Thank you, Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley. #Ironwood #NetGalley #MichaelConnelly
I am so glad Stilwelll is back and we get to spend some time on Catalina Island. I read this in two sittings, it would have been one but my kid insisted on eating dinner. While this is only book two The Catalina Series, it feels familiar and look forward to see what other drama comes to Avalon and the rest of the island.
Thank you, Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley. #Ironwood #NetGalley #MichaelConnelly
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Detective Sergeant Stilwell is a law enforcement officer on Catalina Island. Assigned to look through the lost and found after after an informant's tip leaves one officer dead and another seriously injured, he finds a backpack turned in recently. After tracing the backpack to a woman who disappeared several years earlier, he realizes that it may tie into a cold murder case which Renee Ballard and her team are reviewing in LA. There have been a string of murders of female hikers, and Stil is sure he has found the culprit. He must then deal with the officer's murder, which has wide ranging repercussions. I was disappointed with the first book in the Catalina series, but not this one: Connelly has written an exciting page turner with memorable characters; I was especially glad he brought Ballard in, and even Bosch got a mention. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this advance copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Five golden stars from start to finish⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Connelly has another winner in his Catalina series with Det Sgt Stilwell.
Stilwell stakes out the Catalina landing strip one night, acting on a tip from an informant only to
gave it end as an ambush with one deputy dead and another barely clinging to life.
As he is ordered to stand down while an investigation is conducted by
lAPD investigators from the mainland, he starts looking into the discovery of a backpack, left in
the open, which tracks to a old case of a missing young woman which Rene Ballard and her
office is investigating. Stilwell teams up with Ballard and her LAPD cold cases team to try and
connect the dots between the mainland and Catalina.
A fabulous story, richl in suspense, intrigue and simply fascinating, returning characters.
Another Connelly pure delight in reading......
BUT....
we REALLY need the next one.
ASAP.
Connelly has another winner in his Catalina series with Det Sgt Stilwell.
Stilwell stakes out the Catalina landing strip one night, acting on a tip from an informant only to
gave it end as an ambush with one deputy dead and another barely clinging to life.
As he is ordered to stand down while an investigation is conducted by
lAPD investigators from the mainland, he starts looking into the discovery of a backpack, left in
the open, which tracks to a old case of a missing young woman which Rene Ballard and her
office is investigating. Stilwell teams up with Ballard and her LAPD cold cases team to try and
connect the dots between the mainland and Catalina.
A fabulous story, richl in suspense, intrigue and simply fascinating, returning characters.
Another Connelly pure delight in reading......
BUT....
we REALLY need the next one.
ASAP.
February 1, 2026
The follow up to his 2025 bestseller, Nightshade, Michael Connelly takes us back to the “small island, big crime,” in Ironwood. A thrilling installment in the Catalina series that is even more riveting than the first as we follow Sergeant Stilwell as he deals with a double shooting, potential serial killer, and some island vandalism.
This book wastes no time in commanding your full attention and keeping it until the final page is read. Connelly’s writing is detailed, direct, and engaging. Fans of Nightshade will notice that he has taken the stakes up a level as Stilwell faces some of his biggest challenges on the island.
This book wastes no time in commanding your full attention and keeping it until the final page is read. Connelly’s writing is detailed, direct, and engaging. Fans of Nightshade will notice that he has taken the stakes up a level as Stilwell faces some of his biggest challenges on the island.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews