Nightshade
Nightshade by Michael Connelly follows Detective Stilwell, a mainland investigator reassigned to Catalina Island, where a body discovered in Avalon Harbor pulls him into a deeper mystery involving island politics, privilege, and hidden crime.
Visitors can explore many of the same locations mentioned or reflected in the book. Use the map below to visit these key Avalon spots:
Avalon Harbor
Where the body is discovered in the novel. Visitors can walk the real harborfront — Crescent Avenue, Green Pleasure Pier, and the Cabrillo Mole — to stand where Connelly sets the opening mystery.
Crescent Avenue & Avalon Beaches
South Beach, Middle Beach, and Step Beach reflect the calm island backdrop that contrasts the book’s darker events and serve as the community’s main promenade.
Catalina Casino Building
An iconic Avalon landmark that mirrors the social setting and historic grandeur surrounding the island’s powerful characters in the book.
Avalon City Hall & Town Center
Avalon’s civic core represents the political landscape that Stilwell must navigate. Walking the real City Hall area along Tremont St. and the surrounding grid reflects the community tensions depicted in the story.
Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden / Conservancy Lands
These spaces echo the rugged, preserved inland areas tied to the book’s poaching subplot and its themes of isolation and land stewardship.
“Black Marlin Club” (Fictional) – Real Location: The Tuna Club
In the novel, the exclusive Black Marlin Club stands in for Avalon’s elite social circle.
It is inspired by — and geographically aligned with — the Tuna Club, located along Casino Way. Visitors can walk this same stretch to imagine the scenes involving island power players.
Self-Guided Nightshade Walking Itinerary
Distance: ~1.2 miles
Time: 45–60 minutes at a relaxed pace
Starting Point: Cabrillo Mole (Boat Terminal)
1. Cabrillo Mole → Avalon Harbor
Walk west toward the harbor and Green Pleasure Pier. This is where the novel’s mystery begins, with the body discovered underwater. Take in the views and imagine Stilwell arriving on the scene.
2. Green Pleasure Pier → Crescent Avenue Promenade
Stroll along Crescent Avenue past South Beach and Middle Beach. This is the heart of Avalon’s everyday life, the same calm, beautiful setting that contrasts the book’s rising tension.
3. Crescent Avenue → Catalina Casino Building
Continue along the water until you reach the Casino Building. Although not a crime scene, it symbolizes Avalon’s history, community gatherings, and social influence, all themes woven into the novel.
4. Catalina Casino Building → The Tuna Club (Inspiration for the Black Marlin Club)
Walk back along Casino Way. Here you'll pass the Tuna Club, the real-life counterpart to the novel’s exclusive Black Marlin Club. This is where Connelly situates the island’s power brokers and shady elite.
5. Casino Way → City Hall Area
Head inland via Clarissa Ave. or Beacon St. to reach the City Hall area. This part of Avalon reflects the political backdrop of the story — local authority, tensions, and the challenges Stilwell faces navigating island bureaucracy.
6. City Hall → Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden (Optional Extension)
For visitors wanting to explore the novel’s environmental and poaching themes, continue uphill toward the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden. This optional extension adds about 1 mile and brings you into the remote, preserved landscapes that echo the book’s wilder settings.
