© 2026 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Novelist Connelly Revisits His 'Crime Beat' Days

Connelly worked as a journalist before publishing his debut novel, <em>The Black Echo</em>, in 1992.
Connelly worked as a journalist before publishing his debut novel, The Black Echo, in 1992.

Before Michael Connelly spun fiction about crime, he wrote about the real thing as a journalist. Some of those stories are collected in a new, nonfiction title from Connelly, Crime Beat.

Connelly got his start at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., eventually getting short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize before moving on to the Times. Among the stories he covered were a Florida serial killer who posed as a fashion photographer to get closer to his victims and Toru Sakai, who was charged in 1987 with killing his wealthy father in Los Angeles and remains a fugitive today.

Connelly went on to author the bestselling Harry Bosch detective series. The next Bosch installment and his 17th novel, Echo Park, comes out in October.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

With federal funding eliminated, WKAR relies more than ever on community support to sustain essential services that remain freely available to everyone in mid-Michigan. Your support helps shape what comes next for public media in our region. The best way to support WKAR is by becoming a sustaining member today or by upgrading your current gift. Support WKAR TV Here | Support WKAR Radio Here.