Thrillers & Suspense
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The Dark Hours (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel, 4)
"A masterpiece"-LAPD detective Renée Ballard must join 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
Praise for The Dark Hours:
"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
"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
Praise for Michael Connelly:
"Connelly's intricate plots are grounded in grit, humanity, and telling detail."―Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times
"Few writers can capture the gritty streets of LA-and the inner workings of the LAPD-like Connelly."―Entertainment Weekly
"It's no surprise that Bosch and Ballard find justice where others didn't try... In them, Connelly has created heroic and flawed and very real characters who believably find ways to make things right."―Paul Saltzman, Chicago Sun-Times
"For die-hard fans of police procedurals, Connelly is the real deal."―Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
"Connelly continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest crime writers of all time."―Ryan Steck, Crimereads
"Connelly's novels have long been distinguished by his mastery of the complexities of the justice system."―Bruce DeSilva, Associated Press
"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
"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
Praise for Michael Connelly:
"Connelly's intricate plots are grounded in grit, humanity, and telling detail."―Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times
"Few writers can capture the gritty streets of LA-and the inner workings of the LAPD-like Connelly."―Entertainment Weekly
"It's no surprise that Bosch and Ballard find justice where others didn't try... In them, Connelly has created heroic and flawed and very real characters who believably find ways to make things right."―Paul Saltzman, Chicago Sun-Times
"For die-hard fans of police procedurals, Connelly is the real deal."―Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
"Connelly continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest crime writers of all time."―Ryan Steck, Crimereads
"Connelly's novels have long been distinguished by his mastery of the complexities of the justice system."―Bruce DeSilva, Associated Press
Readers Top Reviews
Brenda Telford
LAPD Detective Renee Ballard loved working the dark hours, her graveyard shift and on New Year’s Eve she and her partner were parked under a bridge among the homeless people, waiting for the traditional ‘rain of lead’ as guns went off into the night air to celebrate the arrival of a new year. But not long into the New Year, Ballard received a call of a body found at a street party – when the bullets go up, they must come down – so did the ex-gangster die from one of those random bullets, or was he murdered? Meanwhile a team of two rapists had been brutally attacking women across the city and Ballard was determined to stop them. With her teamed up with ex-LAPD Detective – now retired – Harry Bosch, because of the ex-gangster case, she picked his brain and used his considerable experience to work on the two cases. She was being ostracized by her department, even down to her superior, and although she liked working alone, in some situations it was preferable to have a partner. It was when she’d gone home to sleep after working almost twenty-four hours straight, that danger came closer and Ballard knew she must be near to having the answers she needed... The Dark Hours is the 4th in the Renee Ballard series by Michael Connelly and once again it was an outstanding read! With plenty of action, lots of twists, the pandemic creating change in every situation, and Ballard crossing the line to get the job done, I thoroughly enjoyed every part of Mr Connelly’s latest title. I love Renee’s feisty, gutsy passion to get the bad guy at almost any cost, and her interaction with Bosch is proving to be an excellent partnership. The Dark Hours is another great police procedural from the pen of a master, which I recommend highly.
Ray Flynt
I've read all of Michael Connelly's books, and The Dark Hours is a real treat. I bought it early this morning and just finished the Kindle version. Ballard and Bosch - what a team - although Renee Ballard takes the lead in this mystery. This book has a multi-faceted complex plot sure to yield justice for all concerned.
RTM
Michael Connelly seems to get better with each new book. In his latest mystery, LAPD Detective Renee Ballard becomes the main character as she tries to solve two different cases, one an apparent random shooting on New Year's Eve, and the other involving a pair of brutal rapists. The first case links to an unsolved ten year old murder initially investigated by her friend, now retired Harry Bosch. As with all of his novels, Connelly excels at making the reader feel that he/she is looking over the Detectives' shoulders as they try to unravel the complex mysteries. In effect, the reader is also invited to make sense of the clues, and I always enjoy the challenge. Overall, I found this book to be fast paced, well written, and definitely kept my interest. Connelly fans as well as first time readers, should enjoy this outstanding detective novel.
