Real Crime, Real Stories: The Making of Amazon's 'Ballard' with Michael Connelly and LAPD Veteran Mitzi Roberts

Killer Psyche

Wondery | Treefort Media

True Crime, Exhibit C

4.6 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong sits down with bestselling author Michael Connelly and veteran LAPD detective Mitzi Roberts to discuss Ballard, the new Prime Video series expanding Connelly’s gritty “Harry Bosch” universe. The show’s lead, Renee Ballard, is inspired by Mitzi’s real-life work tracking down killers – like the infamous Samuel Little – and shaped by her decades-long career on the force. Candice explores how Mitzi’s pursuit of justice and Connelly’s storied career as an author merged to bring Ballard to life, and how truth and fiction can collide to tell gripping stories on the screen.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi there. Want to know what drives someone to kill? Join Wondery Plus for early access, exclusive episodes that unpack the psychology of the crime, and it's all ad-free. Start your free trial of Wondery Plus now.
0:17.0	A listener note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone.
0:23.5	Please be advised.
0:33.9	Boy, do we have a treat for you today.
0:37.6	Michael Conley is no stranger to crime, at least on the page.
0:43.3	He is one of the most successful writers of our time.
0:47.7	His books have sold over 89 million.
0:50.9	Yeah, I said million with an M, copies worldwide.
0:55.9	He is the creator of the iconic character Harry Bosch, and now he is expanding that universe
1:03.3	with a brand new series on Prime Video called Ballard.
1:08.6	Premaring July 9th, Ballard follows LAPD Detective Renee Ballard, played by Maggie Q
1:15.6	as she takes on the challenge of reviving the department's cold case division.
1:20.6	It is a unit with no budget, no full-time staff, and the largest backlog of unsolved cases in the city.
1:29.9	With the help of her volunteer team
1:32.2	and retired detective Harry Bosch,
1:34.7	Ballard approaches these long-forgotten crimes
1:37.6	with empathy and determination.
1:40.7	But when one case cracks open something much bigger,
1:44.0	a treacherous conspiracy buried deep within the LAPD,
1:47.8	she must face down personal trauma, internal resistance, and threats to her life in order to expose the truth
1:56.8	in a world where justice is never guaranteed, and danger is always close by.
2:04.6	And here is where the real world meets fiction,
	...

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