Thrillers & Suspense
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The Dark Hours (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel, 3)
In this "masterpiece," LAPD detective Renée Ballard joins forces with Harry Bosch to find justice in a city scarred by fear and social unrest after a methodical killer strikes on New Year's Eve (Publishers Weekly).
There's chaos in Hollywood at the end of the New Year's Eve countdown. Working her graveyard shift, LAPD detective Renée Ballard waits out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revelers shoot their guns into the air. Only minutes after midnight, Ballard is called to a scene where a hardworking auto shop owner has been fatally hit by a bullet in the middle of a crowded street party.
Ballard quickly concludes that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky and that it is linked to another unsolved murder-a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch. At the same time, Ballard hunts a fiendish pair of serial rapists, the Midnight Men, who have been terrorizing women and leaving no trace.
Determined to solve both cases, Ballard feels like she is constantly running uphill in a police department indelibly changed by the pandemic and recent social unrest. It is a department so hampered by inertia and low morale that Ballard must go outside to the one detective she can count on: Harry Bosch. But as the two inexorable detectives work together to find out where old and new cases intersect, they must constantly look over their shoulders. The brutal predators they are tracking are ready to kill to keep their secrets hidden.
Unfolding with unstoppable drive and nail-biting intrigue, The Dark Hours shows that "relentless on their own, Ballard's and Bosch's combined skills…could be combustible" (Los Angeles Times).
There's chaos in Hollywood at the end of the New Year's Eve countdown. Working her graveyard shift, LAPD detective Renée Ballard waits out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revelers shoot their guns into the air. Only minutes after midnight, Ballard is called to a scene where a hardworking auto shop owner has been fatally hit by a bullet in the middle of a crowded street party.
Ballard quickly concludes that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky and that it is linked to another unsolved murder-a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch. At the same time, Ballard hunts a fiendish pair of serial rapists, the Midnight Men, who have been terrorizing women and leaving no trace.
Determined to solve both cases, Ballard feels like she is constantly running uphill in a police department indelibly changed by the pandemic and recent social unrest. It is a department so hampered by inertia and low morale that Ballard must go outside to the one detective she can count on: Harry Bosch. But as the two inexorable detectives work together to find out where old and new cases intersect, they must constantly look over their shoulders. The brutal predators they are tracking are ready to kill to keep their secrets hidden.
Unfolding with unstoppable drive and nail-biting intrigue, The Dark Hours shows that "relentless on their own, Ballard's and Bosch's combined skills…could be combustible" (Los Angeles Times).
Editorial Reviews
"One of this month's best thrillers… Ballard and Bosch are a great combination as they work in and around a police force that Ballard believes too often aims to ‘protect and serve the image instead of the citizens.'"―Richard Lipez, Washington Post
"A thoroughly engrossing procedural… The Dark Hours offers plenty of shocking scenes and clever surprises."―Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
"Outstanding… Connelly is the most consistently superior living crime fiction author. The Dark Hours just reinforces that."―Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel
"Extraordinary… [Connelly] is one of the best in the business at writing about investigations and creating intense suspense, but the relationship between Ballard and Bosch-a professional friendship that grows out of two brilliant minds dedicated to the same difficult but important work-is the cherry on top."―Collette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
"Connelly is sharp as ever... his stories always manage to explore another piece of the city's soul."―Crimereads
"A masterpiece… Meticulous about actual police procedure, Connelly makes the fundamentals of detective work engrossing while providing plenty of suspense and action."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The fourth Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch novel is the best yet… Ballard has evolved into one of crime fiction's richest, most complex characters."―Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)
"Stellar… no one who follows Ballard and Bosch to the end will be disappointed. A bracing test of the maxim that "the department always comes first. The department always wins."―Kirkus Reviews
"A thoroughly engrossing procedural… The Dark Hours offers plenty of shocking scenes and clever surprises."―Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
"Outstanding… Connelly is the most consistently superior living crime fiction author. The Dark Hours just reinforces that."―Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel
"Extraordinary… [Connelly] is one of the best in the business at writing about investigations and creating intense suspense, but the relationship between Ballard and Bosch-a professional friendship that grows out of two brilliant minds dedicated to the same difficult but important work-is the cherry on top."―Collette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
"Connelly is sharp as ever... his stories always manage to explore another piece of the city's soul."―Crimereads
"A masterpiece… Meticulous about actual police procedure, Connelly makes the fundamentals of detective work engrossing while providing plenty of suspense and action."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The fourth Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch novel is the best yet… Ballard has evolved into one of crime fiction's richest, most complex characters."―Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)
"Stellar… no one who follows Ballard and Bosch to the end will be disappointed. A bracing test of the maxim that "the department always comes first. The department always wins."―Kirkus Reviews
Readers Top Reviews
Ivan J. Engel, M.
I’ve been a big fan of Connelly for years now. Realized that I had had this book in my library but hadn’t actually gotten around to reading it…. I loved it from beginning to end. Well written, well paced; compelling characters and dialogue… cannot remember the last time I’ve enjoyed a book this much! Michael Connelly,, Thanks again!!
NickapaganoIvan J
Read it. You will absolutely love the book and the continued character development of Renée Ballard. Can not wait for the next book.
John BensonNickap
Can’t think of a Bosch/Ballard book that didn’t exceed expectations. Get the book, find some place comfortable and get lost in the story. It’ll be time well spent,
da-bronx67John Be
I always enjoy and look forward to reading Michael Connelly's police procedurals with their clear, easy-to-understand details ...and this mystery is no exception. There is no drag in the story itself, which by the way includes the present-day dire influence(s) on police work, but the 'midnight men' part of the story ends too conveniently (?) and the solution to the New Year's shooting hinges on a distant coincidence.
George P. Woodda-
The Dark Hours is Michael Connelly’s 36th novel, the fourth featuring LAPD late-shift detective, Renée Ballard. In it, Ballard investigates two crimes with the help of Harry Bosch, former LAPD homicide detective, now private investigator. The first crime involves a series of rapes by two males dubbed “The Midnight Men.” The second involves the murder of Javier Raffa, a former gang member who went straight as a car mechanic. The plot begins in the waning hours of December 31, 2020. As per usual for the date, the LAPD is out in force looking for drunk drivers and worried about people shooting guns in the air to celebrate New Year. That ballistic tradition is what provides cover for Raffa’s murder. But Ballard is also out on patrol because the Midnight Men tend to commit crimes at midnight on holidays. Looming over these investigations is the growing distrust of cops because of the George Floyd murder and the social unrest it spawned, as well as the anxiety produced by nearly a year of the COVID pandemic. A recurring theme throughout the book is that cops are burned out and unwilling to do anything more than the barest of reactive policing. This frustrates Ballard to know end, who—like Bosch—believes that justice must be done for victims. Additionally, the closer Ballard gets to the perpetrators, the more she puts herself in personal danger from them. That danger is paired with hostility Ballard endures from colleagues who have it out for her for one reason or another. By the end of the novel, it’s an open question whether Ballard will stay true to an LAPD that doesn’t show good faith toward her. The Dark Hours is best characterized as a police procedural. Connelly leads readers through Ballard’s investigation as it unfolds, explaining specific techniques detectives use to collar criminals. This keeps readers turning pages to find out what happens next, but it also risks getting boring at parts. Connelly is a master of this form, but I did not find this particular novel to be his best effort, so four out of five stars for me on this one. However, what keeps me coming back for more is the way that Connelly has created an entire “universe” around the LAPD. At the center of that universe is Harry Bosch, but Connelly has written outstanding novels around characters who live and work in the same milieu, often interacting with Bosch or one another. These include “Lincoln Lawyer” (and Bosch’s half-brother) Mickey Haller, journalist Jack McEvoy, former FBI agents Rachel Walling and Terry McCaleb, and Ballard herself. As a series-novel fan, the benefit of this “universe” approach is twofold: First, it leverages your interest in one character to introduce you to new ones. If you like Bosch, you’ll like Ballard. Second, it means the series retains your interest as characters age and retire. The Black Echo, Connelly’s fi...
