Thrillers & Suspense
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The Dark Hours (Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch)
A Wall Street Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel Best Book of the Year
"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).
"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).
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
tatjana kleitosSt
I think the writer doesn’t have anything new to add. In the last years, his books have become more and more political, and this one starts with some heavy virtue signaling re covid. Ballard had covid in November, its new years eve, but she’s not sure if she is immune. What is she, illiterate? Couldn’t take it honestly. this is the last bosch book for me.
Paul Statjana kle
It is obvious from reading the reviews on Amazon that The Dark Hours is not to everyone's taste with some commenting on the author's possible views of recent political or other developments (such as the emergence of 'wokism') as expressed through the main characters of Ballard and Bosch. For me, the author is simply setting his characters and story in the present day and so is reflecting what is happening in the USA (and other countries around the world) at this time. While I may, or may not, agree with these developments, I would not criticise the author for using them as they add a degree of realism to his story. The stories I most enjoy reading are those with great characterisation, an engaging plot and an atmospheric setting. This story has all three. Bosch and Ballard are very different individuals; their thoughts and views reflect in part their differences in age; Bosch cannot give up a lifetime of finding the perpetrators of crime (especially those crimes which remain unsolved) even though his health is failing and he has been retired for a number of years while Ballard is at that stage of her life when one questions if one's chosen career is what one wants to do for the rest of one's life, and in Ballard's case particularly as her career appears to have stalled. The plot is really gripping. There are two separate story lines for us to enjoy and each have their moments of high drama and tension. The setting is Los Angeles and Connelly's portrayal of the city pulls no punches - we get to see the good as well as the dark underside of LA and its inhabitants. I have read most of the Michael Connelly's novels and for me this is a cracking read, so I have no hesitation in rating it five stars and recommending it to anyone who enjoys reading police procedural crime novels that are set in the present day and which are strong on character, plot and atmosphere.
LagoonPaul Statja
LA has been through a lot. And much of it is bad. You can always trust Connelly to give LA a fair hearing though. There’s a great deal of hope in LA too after all. Detective Renee Ballard is working a potential murder. During the new year celebrations, a man is killed during the celebratory gunshots into the air. Not satisfied with one case though, there are women being raped and filmed by a two man team. Like her mentor, Harry Bosch, Renee always sees the job through. The relationship between Ballard and Bosch is nicely rounded. Ballard makes connections on both cases but Harry has years of experience to draw on and is only too happy to be kept in the game. I could never tire of Bosch and Ballard is a force of nature. As you would expect from Connelly, the plotting is masterful. Connelly clearly keeps himself fully appraised of the latest LAPD slang, practices, gripes, funding and this comes across strongly in his writing. For me, LA itself shares the top billing with Ballard and Bosch. A joy to read.
Eddie's momLagoon
I liked the plot and the characters were really compelling. However, the writer doesn’t understand that masks don’t actually work, nor does the vaccine. He has not seemed to grasp that the pandemic was an act of war and all part of getting compliance by the masses for the Marxist take-over of the USA. Connelly does a great job in the novel of identifying the bad guys infiltrating the police force. It would be good if he could realize there are some REALLY bad guys at CNN, our current government and the FBI too.
SWASTEWRTMEddie's
I’m enjoying the book but good lord!! Mask this mask that. I’m tired of this business. I just want to enjoy a book. Now I’ve finished the book. Too much political opinion for me. Mask, insurrection, mask, Trevor Noah, mask and so on. I’ve had enough.
