IRONWOOD is Michael Connelly’s second Catalina novel starring Detective Sergeant Stilwell, following last year’s NIGHTSHADE. At first glance, setting a series on the isolated location of Catalina Island off the coast of California might appear a bit limiting --- but not for Connelly.

The action starts when Stilwell and his team get wind of an unidentified small plane attempting to land on their runway. By the time Stilwell gets there after being diverted chasing down a suspicious ATV, he finds one of his colleagues shot dead and the other gravely injured from taking a bullet to the upper chest. The plane takes off but not before causing the firefight that leads to this tragedy, in addition to leaving behind a mysterious duffel bag full of narcotics.

"At first glance, setting a series on the isolated location of Catalina Island off the coast of California might appear a bit limiting --- but not for Connelly.... IRONWOOD is another great Michael Connelly read told in his own indomitable style that his fans have grown to love."

As a helicopter carries away the bodies, Stilwell is determined to find out what happened on this typically quiet island and make the guilty parties pay. The first lead is Gonzalo Kalas, who they have in custody and is wanted by several different federal agencies for his work with drug cartels. This all seems connected to the disappearance of Angela Metier four years earlier. It turns out that Angela's case is still being overseen by Detective Renée Ballard of the LAPD Open/Unsolved Unit.

Stilwell eventually ingratiates himself to Ballard and her colleagues. He even has a passing moment with the retired Harry Bosch, who also was involved with the Metier investigation at its onset. This worldbuilding is classic, and fans of Connelly’s work will be thrilled by these characters’ interactions. The cold case leads to the discovery of bones buried beneath the canopy of an ironwood tree on Catalina Island. All evidence points to them belonging to Angela, and the symbolism of the ironwood tree will continue throughout the remainder of this taut story.

The case ultimately points to one of their own. Kent Middleton, a conservancy ranger on the island, not only may be involved in everything that has occurred, he also shows all the earmarks of being a serial killer. Stilwell now realizes why he was getting so much resistance and internal pressure from his own boss, who may be part of a larger conspiracy protecting Middleton and others connected with the various cases that are now once again open and being worked on by him and the LAPD team led by Ballard.

Stilwell will end up in a fight not only for the truth, but for his own career and life as a dangerous sniper has targeted him for elimination. The finale is intense, and not everyone will come out the other side safely.

IRONWOOD is another great Michael Connelly read told in his own indomitable style that his fans have grown to love. It may seem that Stilwell’s adventures on Catalina Island aren't as explosive as those of his colleagues on the mainland. But readers of the first two books in this series would beg to differ as they depict a side of the island that no one expects to see.