He’s written 38 novels - but there’s one big reason you hardly ever see his name on a movie script

Michael Connelly has written 38 novels, which have sold over 85 million copies worldwide. Some have become films and TV series. The former LA Times crime writer turned bestselling author is in Australia this week for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. He spoke with us about creating good villains, how podcasts have raised the bar, and which actor has played his character Mickey Haller the best.

Crime fiction author Michael Connelly is one of the international names featured in the Sydney Writers’ Festival 2024 program.Credit: Kat Westerman

What makes a compelling murder story/murderer?
I think you are always looking for empathic connection to your characters. Obviously it is easier with a protagonist than a villain, but your reader needs to connect on some level. The wide majority of readers haven’t solved a murder but they deal with bureaucracy, and parenting, and traffic and everything else in daily life, and there are many places where you can make those connections. The best villains are the ones who don’t really view themselves as villains. They come from some commonality with your reader but have chosen a pathway that takes them outside the bounds of normal society, and that’s what makes them interesting. But even with them, you need that empathic strike zone.

What are your top three career highlights?
The day I quit my day job (as crime reporter at the LA Times), which was about 18 years after I set a goal of becoming a full-time novelist. When my (2005) book The Closers hit No. 1 on the New York Times and other lists around the world. That was hard to believe – that this guy Harry Bosch could connect with so many readers. And the first day of filming the Bosch show (on Amazon Prime). To see this character, who I had invested about 20 years in, come alive on camera was immensely exciting and fulfilling.

The Waiting, your sixth Renee Ballard book where she is the main character, will be out in November. Can you give us a brief preview of what to expect of your 39th novel?
Ballard handles a lot in this book, both in the cold case unit and in a personal investigation. It starts with her having her badge and gun stolen while she is surfing, triggering a fast-moving investigation to get them back before it becomes a career-killing scandal, all the while handling an investigation into the most notorious unsolved case in Los Angeles history.

How different is it writing a female protagonist rather than the gravelly voiced noir figure of LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch?
Whether I’m writing Bosch, Ballard or [Lincoln Lawyer] Mickey Haller, I just try to show characters who know what they are doing and are very good at what they are doing. I think readers crave authenticity, and that’s my guiding light. It doesn’t matter whether the character is male or female, as long as you can illustrate that they are at home and able in the world of their choosing.

The Lincoln Lawyer became a film, and later a TV series starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller and Neve Campbell as Maggie McPherson.Credit: Netflix

Are you influenced by your wife and daughter when it comes to writing female characters? Do they read your copy before it goes to your editor?
Yes, very much so. Fatherhood has been a wonderful thing in my life. I have a daughter who is the same age as the daughters of Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch. That is no coincidence. I have a living research assistant in my daughter, you could say. And my wife reads my books before anyone else.

Are you a plotter or a pantser [fly by the seat of your pants] writer?
A little of both. I don’t outline my books. I start with an idea in my head about how they start and how they end, and then I go from there. That leaves hundreds of pages to improvisation. But that to me is the fun of writing.

You have been executive producer of both Bosch and Bosch: Legacy TV series for Amazon Prime, and The Lincoln Lawyer for Netflix. How is this different from writing novels?
As a novelist, I have the opportunity to go behind the eyes of my characters and know what they are thinking and how they are reacting to events. As we all know, sometimes we hide our thoughts. In scriptwriting you can’t go inside. It is all about what is said and what is done on screen. So I have always found that to be a handicap and the reason you don’t see my name on many scripts.

You’ve said on-set you feel like “deputy mayor of a little town” of people playing characters you created in your “Connellyverse”. Is this better than letting Hollywood studios do what they want with your books?
It is absolutely better to have control over your characters in Hollywood. I’ve had a couple of movies made from my books and I had little say about them creatively. But streaming TV is quite different. In this world, they actually want the original creator of the characters there to help and guide. I have zero contractual control of my work in Hollywood, but I have been lucky that in the shows based on my books, they want me there to help get it right.

Matthew McConaughey (left) with Ryan Phillippe in 2011 film version of The Lincoln Lawyer.

Which Lincoln Lawyer/Micky Haller do you prefer? Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on Netflix or Matthew McConaughey in the movie?
I sometimes think I’m the luckiest writer in Hollywood. Both Matthew McConaughey and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo have turned in fantastic performances as Mickey Haller. They both have given charming and realistic performances. Manuel has this added sweetness about him that, I think, is unique, and that I love seeing in the character. There are many more hours of Manuel as Mickey and he has never dropped the ball. That plus the fact that he symbolises the diversity of Los Angeles make him the best Mickey Haller. I could not have asked for more with either of these fine actors.

Titus Welliver portrays the title character in Bosch.

Actor Titus Welliver plays Harry Bosch in the streaming series. Is he what you had in mind when you originally dreamt him up in The Black Echo, your first novel in 1992?
I wasn’t thinking of a Titus look to Bosch in the beginning years of writing the books but of course I do now. I think what’s behind the eyes is where you see the connection to the character in the books. Titus comes off as cynical but hopeful, kicked around a bit but undaunted, wounded but resilient. He may not look like the Bosch from the books on the outside, but inside they are twins.

You’ve made no secret of the fact you base your characters on real people. What do real-life detective Mitzi Roberts (the basis for Ballard) and the real Lincoln Lawyer think about their depiction?
They are very much involved in the formation of these characters so I think they are very satisfied with the depictions. They vet my books early, and I am always interested in character integrity, book to book. They help me achieve that.

You have your own true-crime podcast. What sort of impact has the rise in true-crime podcasts had on crime fiction?
The proliferation of true crime on all levels really puts pressure on crime novels to be accurate when it comes to forensics and procedures. The reading audience is much smarter about these things now and if you deviate from reality in your novel, they will know it and share their dissatisfaction with others. Then you are in trouble.

How do you know so much about jazz and surfing? Have you ever surfed in Australia?
I’m a journalist at heart, so I know how to dig. I sample jazz all the time, looking for new stuff for Harry to play. Just picked up In Perfect Harmony; the Lost Album by Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon. It was recorded more than 50 years ago and just put out. Amazing story behind the music. As far as surfing goes, I surfed briefly as a teenager in Florida, and then a few times later in Hawaii, but I’m 67 and my surfing days are long gone. I have been in the water at Bondi Beach, but not on a surfboard.

Michael Connelly appears as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival May 24 and 25.