Nightshade by Michael Connelly

Nightshade

A Novel

Michael Connelly

Little, Brown and Company · Print & ebook · April 7, 2026

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Introducing Detective Stilwell: a cop relentlessly following his mission in the seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Fans of police procedural and crime fiction
Themes
crime investigation, justice, secrets
Pacing
Steady

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Police Procedurals.

  1. IronwoodMichael Connelly84% matchAlso shares Hard-Boiled Mystery
  2. JigsawJonathan Kellerman65% match
  3. The KeeperTana French65% match
  4. The SearcherTana French65% match
  5. The Killing PlainsSherry Rankin, Traci Odom64% match
  6. All Day and a NightAlafair Burke64% match
  7. The Final ProblemArturo Perez-Reverte, Frances Riddle64% match
  8. Confessions of the DeadJames Patterson, J. D. Barker63% match

For younger readers: Death at Morning House

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Introducing Detective Stilwell: a cop relentlessly following his mission in the seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has been “exiled” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland.

Continue reading

But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor—a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Though hampered by an old beef with an ex-colleague determined to thwart him at every turn, he is convinced he is the only one who can bring justice to the woman known as “Nightshade.” Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city. Propulsive and atmospheric, Nightshade launches a brand new character into the Connelly universe, and proves without question that Michael Connelly is “the undisputed master of the modern crime novel” (Real Book Spy).

Who it’s for

  • Fans of police procedural and crime fiction
  • Readers who enjoy atmospheric thrillers with complex investigations

Where it sits

Police Procedurals92%
Crime Fiction33%
Hard-Boiled Mystery29%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Literary Fiction
  • Police Procedurals
  • Crime Fiction
Authors
Michael Connelly
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Published
April 7, 2026
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
crime investigation · justice · secrets
Reading lane
Literary Fiction