Connelly

Mix in “Ballard,” Amazon Prime’s upcoming “Bosch: Legacy” spinoff starring Maggie Q, and you have the recipe for a literary MCU — Michael Connelly Universe — that has garnered sales of 89 million books in 45 countries and is ever expanding.

It’s been five years since I interviewed Connelly, just before the publication of “Fair Warning,” the third thriller in the book series featuring reporter Jack McEvoy.

As he settles into a mahogany booth and the sandwich he ordered, Connelly explains that he’s on deadline, adding the finishing touches to the next Lincoln Lawyer thriller, “The Proving Ground,” which Connelly reveals will feature Haller teaming up for the first time with McEvoy.

Listening to Connelly, it’s clear that his reporter’s skills of observation make “Nightshade” come alive.

That story, set on Catalina, was very different but planted a seed in Connelly’s mind that eventually led to “Nightshade.”