The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 43 books · 1992 to 2026 · Mostly set in Los Angeles

Michael Connelly

Crime and mysteryThriller and suspensePolice proceduralPrivate eyeAmateur sleuthNoir and hardboiledLegal thriller

Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller, Renée Ballard and Jack McEvoy share one Los Angeles, and Connelly moves them between series. Follow each of them across his novels, from The Black Echo to The Hollow.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. The Hollow is released on 27 October 2026, so its entries come from the publisher’s description.

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Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Michael Connelly books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Harry Bosch

21 books · Set in Los AngelesPolice procedural
  1. 1The Black Echo1992With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Black Ice1993With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Concrete Blonde1994With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Last Coyote1995With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Trunk Music1997With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Angels Flight1999With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  7. 7A Darkness More Than Night2001CrossoverWith Harry Bosch and Terry McCaleb · Also a Terry McCaleb bookAlso part of Terry McCalebBuy on Amazon
  8. 8City of Bones2002With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  9. 9Lost Light2003With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  10. 10The Narrows2004With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  11. 11The Closers2005With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  12. 12Echo Park2006With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  13. 13The Overlook2007With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  14. 14Nine Dragons2009With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  15. 15The Drop2011With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  16. 16The Black Box2012With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  17. 17The Burning Room2014With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  18. 18The Crossing2015CrossoverWith Harry Bosch · Also a Lincoln Lawyer bookAlso part of Lincoln LawyerBuy on Amazon
  19. 19The Wrong Side of Goodbye2016With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  20. 20Two Kinds of Truth2017With Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  21. 21The Hollow2026With Harry Bosch · ForthcomingBuy on Amazon

Lincoln Lawyer

8 books · Set in Los AngelesLegal thriller
  1. 1The Lincoln Lawyer2005With Mickey HallerBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Brass Verdict2008With Mickey HallerBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Reversal2010CrossoverWith Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller · Also a Harry Bosch bookAlso part of Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Fifth Witness2011With Mickey HallerBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Gods of Guilt2013With Mickey HallerBuy on Amazon
  6. 6The Law of Innocence2020With Mickey HallerBuy on Amazon
  7. 7Resurrection Walk2023With Mickey HallerBuy on Amazon
  8. 8The Proving Ground2025With Mickey HallerBuy on Amazon

Renée Ballard

6 books · Set in Los AngelesPolice procedural
  1. 1The Late Show2017With Renée BallardBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Dark Sacred Night2018CrossoverWith Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard · Also a Harry Bosch bookAlso part of Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Night Fire2019CrossoverWith Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard · Also a Harry Bosch bookAlso part of Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Dark Hours2021CrossoverWith Renée Ballard · Also a Harry Bosch bookAlso part of Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Desert Star2022CrossoverWith Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard · Also a Harry Bosch bookAlso part of Harry BoschBuy on Amazon
  6. 6The Waiting2024CrossoverWith Renée Ballard · Also a Harry Bosch bookAlso part of Harry BoschBuy on Amazon

Jack McEvoy

3 books · Set in Los AngelesAmateur sleuth
  1. 1The Poet1996With Jack McEvoyBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Scarecrow2009With Jack McEvoyBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Fair Warning2020With Jack McEvoyBuy on Amazon

Terry McCaleb

1 book · Set in Los AngelesPrivate eye
  1. 1Blood Work1998With Terry McCalebBuy on Amazon

Catalina

2 books · Set in Avalon, Catalina IslandPolice procedural
  1. 1Nightshade2025With Detective StilwellBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Ironwood2026With Detective StilwellBuy on Amazon

Standalone

2 books · Set in Los AngelesNoir and hardboiled
  1. 1Void Moon2000With Cassie BlackBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Chasing the Dime2002With Henry PierceBuy on Amazon

Characters

40 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Bosch circle

Lincoln Lawyer circle

Ballard circle

McEvoy and the FBI

McCaleb circle

Catalina

Standalone leads