The Dark Hours
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- Create Date：2021-10-27 08:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Michael Connelly
- ISBN：B08WRKY4Z7
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Summary
Has a killer lain dormant for years only to strike again on New Year’s Eve？ LAPD Detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to find justice for an innocent victim in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly
There's chaos in Hollywood on New Year's Eve。 Working her graveyard shift， LAPD Detective Renée Ballard seeks shelter at the end of the countdown to wait out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revelers shoot their guns into the air。 As reports start to roll in of shattered windshields and other damage， 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。
It doesn't take long for Ballard to determine that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky。 Ballard’s investigation leads her to look into another unsolved murder—a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch。
Ballard and Bosch team up once again to find out where the old and new cases intersect。 All the while they must look over their shoulders。 The killer who has stayed undetected for so long knows they are coming after him
There's chaos in Hollywood on New Year's Eve。 Working her graveyard shift， LAPD Detective Renée Ballard seeks shelter at the end of the countdown to wait out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revelers shoot their guns into the air。 As reports start to roll in of shattered windshields and other damage， 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。
It doesn't take long for Ballard to determine that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky。 Ballard’s investigation leads her to look into another unsolved murder—a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch。
Ballard and Bosch team up once again to find out where the old and new cases intersect。 All the while they must look over their shoulders。 The killer who has stayed undetected for so long knows they are coming after him
Reviews
The Real Book Spy
，
***See this full review， and more， on TheRealBookSpy。com ***#1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly brings back his new hero， LAPD Detective Renee Ballard， and longtime protagionist former detective， Harry Bosh—once again teaming them up as the duo takes on two cases that’ll keep readers reading well into the night。 It’s called “the rain of lead，” and has become a New Year’s Eve tradition in Las Angelas。 Just before midnight， partiers take to the streets and ring in the new year by ***See this full review， and more， on TheRealBookSpy。com ***#1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly brings back his new hero， LAPD Detective Renee Ballard， and longtime protagionist former detective， Harry Bosh—once again teaming them up as the duo takes on two cases that’ll keep readers reading well into the night。 It’s called “the rain of lead，” and has become a New Year’s Eve tradition in Las Angelas。 Just before midnight， partiers take to the streets and ring in the new year by firing their guns into the air。 It’s all harmless until it’s not， and for LAPD detective Renée Ballard， the new year starts off with a case involving an auto shop owner named Javier Raffa who was hit with a stray bullet in the middle of the street。 Still working the graveyard shift （following 2019’s The Night Fire）， Ballard gets the call and arrives at the scene expecting to find that Raffa—who throws a yearly shindig that draws plenty of Las Palmas gang members—was hit with a stray bullet。 But after poking around， Ballard 。 。 。 。Continue reading this review here: https://therealbookspy。com/2021/10/18。。。 。。。more
Adrian Dooley
，
Michael Connelly again delivers fantastic read， the third in the Ballard Bosch series， this one is centred on Renee Ballard with Harry Bosch called in for a supporting role。 Ballard still working the dark hours（the night shift） as a punishment， it actually suits her， although she works the small hours with an unmotivated and often absent partner。 When a murder happens on her shift and the murder squad are busy with another case she temporarily runs with it until she has to hand it over。 When she Michael Connelly again delivers fantastic read， the third in the Ballard Bosch series， this one is centred on Renee Ballard with Harry Bosch called in for a supporting role。 Ballard still working the dark hours（the night shift） as a punishment， it actually suits her， although she works the small hours with an unmotivated and often absent partner。 When a murder happens on her shift and the murder squad are busy with another case she temporarily runs with it until she has to hand it over。 When she links it to an unsolved legacy case she calls Harry Bosch in to help her。 She is also working on an unusual double rapist case where two men are breaking into houses around midnight and raping women。 This case is the meat of the book so to speak and quite sinister yet intriguing。 Set during the pandemic with the back drop of the Black Lives Matter movement and general distrust of the police， Connelly delivers an utterly compelling and complex read。 Many plates are being spun by the author but he keeps them all spinning perfectly in this multi story tale。 Ballard， taking centre stage here， is a superb and stubborn character。 A strong and driven woman， she is allowed to shine here as Bosch plays second fiddle to her。 I was all in with this one from first page to last。 The more I read the more I realized the title of the book had many many meanings。 Dark， current， atmospheric and ultimately satisfying， Connelly shows no sign of dropping his standards of putting out some of the best police procedurals/thrillers out there today。 Get your hands on a copy if you can。 Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley。 。。。more
Annette
，
It’s always a treat for me to read the latest Michael Connelly book and The Dark Hours was definitely up there with this author’s other novels in that it was a great read that had me both entertained and enthralled from the very first page。This was another outing for Renee Ballard who works the night shift for the LAPD。 In this book Ballard is investigating two cases， the murder of a retired gang member and a series of rapes perpetrated by a duo dubbed the Midnight Men。 Her partner， Lisa Moore ， It’s always a treat for me to read the latest Michael Connelly book and The Dark Hours was definitely up there with this author’s other novels in that it was a great read that had me both entertained and enthralled from the very first page。This was another outing for Renee Ballard who works the night shift for the LAPD。 In this book Ballard is investigating two cases， the murder of a retired gang member and a series of rapes perpetrated by a duo dubbed the Midnight Men。 Her partner， Lisa Moore ， is not a great help as she wants to spend most of her investigating time on holiday with her boyfriend。 After all it is the festive New Year season！ Renee must work alone and enlists the help of her mentor， retired cop， Harry Bosch as he has a connection to the murder case。The main investigating is done by Ballard and Bosch’s role in this book is much smaller but I still enjoyed the interaction between these two characters as Ballard uses Bosch’s experience to help crack the two cases。This book is bang up to date with the pandemic as well as cuts to police funding hovering in the background of the plot。 This adds to the tension as Ballard feels unsupported within her own department。 With little money or time， Ballard’s Co workers seem intent on looking after themselves and there is not much hope of thorough investigations。 Ballard is keen to solve the rape case but is practically working on her own in a race against time before there are more victims。 As the book progresses she becomes more and more disillusioned。There was some light relief from the serious nature of the crimes when Ballard decides to adopt a new dog。I thoroughly enjoyed this book- Ballard is a great character- and I’m certainly looking forward to more novels featuring her and Harry Bosch。 Michael Connelly’s books are always consistently good and race along at a great pace。 I set aside a weekend to read this one and despite having to undertake a few normal chores during my reading time， I finished The Dark Hours in the allotted period。Definitely a five star read for me。 Thanks to NetGalley and Orion for my review copy。 。。。more
Zoe M
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I am a big fan of Michael Connelly and although some of his books are parts of a series you never have to read the previous books to be submerged into his world。 I have more of his books than any other author。 In general I like his books because he tells it how it is and doesnt waffle about non-important things。 I know I am going to be on the edge of my seat and I wont want to put it down once I start。 This book is no exception。 Great storyline and great cast of characters。 The story starts on N I am a big fan of Michael Connelly and although some of his books are parts of a series you never have to read the previous books to be submerged into his world。 I have more of his books than any other author。 In general I like his books because he tells it how it is and doesnt waffle about non-important things。 I know I am going to be on the edge of my seat and I wont want to put it down once I start。 This book is no exception。 Great storyline and great cast of characters。 The story starts on New Year's Eve 2020 and does mention covid and BLM but its not prominent。 It happened and it keeps the book current。 Brilliant read and can't wait for the next book from Michael Connelly。 。。。more
Mandy White （mandylovestoread）
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As one of my top 3 authors， a new Michael Connelly book is like Christmas come early for me。 His books were some of the first police procedural books that I ever read， thanks to my dad who thought I would like them。 And he was right。 All these years later and Harry Bosch is my all time favourite fictional detective。 There was a happy dance happening when I opened this bookmail in the middle of lockdown in Sydney 2021。 A very big thank you to Allen and Unwin， who understand my obsession with all As one of my top 3 authors， a new Michael Connelly book is like Christmas come early for me。 His books were some of the first police procedural books that I ever read， thanks to my dad who thought I would like them。 And he was right。 All these years later and Harry Bosch is my all time favourite fictional detective。 There was a happy dance happening when I opened this bookmail in the middle of lockdown in Sydney 2021。 A very big thank you to Allen and Unwin， who understand my obsession with all things Michael Connelly。This is the 4th Renee Ballard book and I am liking her more and more each book。 She is one tough cookie， working the Late Show （or graveyard shift） for the LAPD in Hollywood。 She sees the more hidden and darker side of the city and that is the way that she likes it。 This book starts on new years eve 2020 during the pandemic。 It has been a tough year with lockdowns， department politics， Black Lives Matter and the scrutiny of the police force as a whole。 On the job is now more dangerous than it has ever been。 As always with a Connelly book， there is alot going on。 Renee is called to the scene of a homicide early on new years day。 She wants to hold on to the case and gives it everything she has。 When she finds a link to an old case that her friend and mentor， Harry Bosch worked on， the pair team up once again to hunt down the killer。 While she is doing this， she is also working on the Midnight Men case where women are being in attacked in her own home。 A serious page turner， The Dark Hours shows the lesser seen side of the law。 Renee is not one to stick to the rules and probably why she gets on with Harry so well。 They are a team that will never give up and really care about the victims of the crimes。 They question the system and it is not always taken well by the higher ups。It will come as no suprise to anybody that this was a 5 star read for me and will be one of my favourite books of 2021。 Do yourself a favour and pick up a Connelly book， sooner rather than later。The Dark Hours is released November 9th。 。。。more
Kevin Howe
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I have read almost all of Michael Connelly's books and none have ever disappointed me。 Whilst some are， of course， better than others he never delivers anything less than a 4 star for me。 How he keeps up this level of consistency is beyond me。This novel features both Ballard （predominantly） and also Bosch （to a lesser extent）。 Whilst dealing with investigations into murder and rape， this novel also deals with current matters such as Black Lives Matter， Covid-19 and the impact that both have had I have read almost all of Michael Connelly's books and none have ever disappointed me。 Whilst some are， of course， better than others he never delivers anything less than a 4 star for me。 How he keeps up this level of consistency is beyond me。This novel features both Ballard （predominantly） and also Bosch （to a lesser extent）。 Whilst dealing with investigations into murder and rape， this novel also deals with current matters such as Black Lives Matter， Covid-19 and the impact that both have had upon policing in America。Whilst I will always love Bosch， I feel like Ballard is coming into her own now in the series of books and am keen to see where the series goes next。Another great read from Connelly and will delight his volumes of fans。Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Patricia Romero
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It’s New Year’s Eve and LAPD Detective Renee Ballard is sitting under an overpass waiting for the traditional rain of bullets at the stroke of midnight。 Paired with another female officer on loan from the Hollywood sex crimes unit。 They are trying to catch a duo of rapists before they strike again。 Only Lisa seems more interested in her boyfriend。At midnight someone is using the noise and confusion to murder a former gang member gone straight。 Called out Renee goes to the scene。 This isn’t a cas It’s New Year’s Eve and LAPD Detective Renee Ballard is sitting under an overpass waiting for the traditional rain of bullets at the stroke of midnight。 Paired with another female officer on loan from the Hollywood sex crimes unit。 They are trying to catch a duo of rapists before they strike again。 Only Lisa seems more interested in her boyfriend。At midnight someone is using the noise and confusion to murder a former gang member gone straight。 Called out Renee goes to the scene。 This isn’t a case of bullets raining down。 This shot came from close up。 And the bullet leads her to one of Bosch’s cases。As they team up to find a killer， the killer is making plans for them。Who doesn’t love Bosch？ And Connelley kept it very real。 With everything from Black Lives Matter to defunding the police and the pandemic as well。 There is a lot of distrust of the police by the community and he gives us all of that。 We get a lot of Ballard and she really won me over in this one。Suspenseful and solid all the way！NetGalley/November 9th， 2021 by Little， Brown， and Company 。。。more
Susan
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On the Clock。Detective Renee Ballard is back on the ‘Late Show’。 Just as she likes it。 A supposed punishment， she’s secretly pleased to be working the midnight to eight AM shift again。 More freedom of movement and fewer people to report to。Although this time she’s saddled with a partner who’s lazy and unmotivated。 What’s a girl to do？Well， Renee works the cases herself until her overflowing plate prompts her to contact retired cop Harry Bocsh when a potential murder investigation intersects a pr On the Clock。Detective Renee Ballard is back on the ‘Late Show’。 Just as she likes it。 A supposed punishment， she’s secretly pleased to be working the midnight to eight AM shift again。 More freedom of movement and fewer people to report to。Although this time she’s saddled with a partner who’s lazy and unmotivated。 What’s a girl to do？Well， Renee works the cases herself until her overflowing plate prompts her to contact retired cop Harry Bocsh when a potential murder investigation intersects a previous unsolved case of his。 Then， it’s off to the races。I’ve read most， if not all， of the twenty two Harry Bosch books and the three previous Renee Ballard stories。 As police procedurals， I love the balance between complicated plots， explanations， with just enough detail。 The Dark Hours is no exception and I didn't want this to end。 Weighing heavier on the Ballard side， Renee battles time limitations while navigating public hatred， co-worker apathy， and department politics。 She’s putting in the hours， but she seems to be one of the few wanting to actually do her job。It’s a lot to deal with， but my bet’s on the dark horse。 Thank you to Little Brown & Company， Michael Connelly， and Novel Suspects for my print copy to read in advance of the November 9 2021 publication date。。 。。。more
Mavis
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For me Michael Connelly never puts a foot wrong。 His books are plot driven， have great characters and are well written。 This is as good as always。 It is very topical， written and set during the Pandemic （and including the storming of the Senate）。 It shows how the police have been defunded， the lack of morale， with the public losing confidence making it harder on those battling for justice。Rene Ballard is coming into her own， but it’s good to have Bosch partnering her unofficially and being her b For me Michael Connelly never puts a foot wrong。 His books are plot driven， have great characters and are well written。 This is as good as always。 It is very topical， written and set during the Pandemic （and including the storming of the Senate）。 It shows how the police have been defunded， the lack of morale， with the public losing confidence making it harder on those battling for justice。Rene Ballard is coming into her own， but it’s good to have Bosch partnering her unofficially and being her backup。 This book combines a new murder with one of Bosch’s cold cases， a good reason for him to be involved， and multiple rapes to solve as well - so plenty going on。 I enjoyed every page of it。 Definitely 5 stars。Thanks to Orion Publishing and NetGalley for a much wanted ARC。 。。。more
Jay Dwight
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4。5 starsThe quality of Connelly's work in the police procedural novel can never be questioned。 Of course it's another excellent read。 Renee Ballard is the lead character here， with a supporting role from Bosch。 Two intriguing cases running parallel - a shooting and a rape case - whilst Ballard also battles with internal issues within the LAPD。 4。5 starsThe quality of Connelly's work in the police procedural novel can never be questioned。 Of course it's another excellent read。 Renee Ballard is the lead character here， with a supporting role from Bosch。 Two intriguing cases running parallel - a shooting and a rape case - whilst Ballard also battles with internal issues within the LAPD。 。。。more
Tony
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It never ceases to amaze me how Michael Connelly manages to keep up his incredibly high stand in the Bosch and Ballard novels。 This latest entry is more Ballard than Bosch， with the latter providing support from the sidelines。 In this compulsive read Renee goes on the hunt for tag-team rapists， whilst has problems at work， another story angel links to one of Bosch's cold cases。 As usual， Connelly's masterful flair brings the many story strands together and whilst Bosch might be nearing the end o It never ceases to amaze me how Michael Connelly manages to keep up his incredibly high stand in the Bosch and Ballard novels。 This latest entry is more Ballard than Bosch， with the latter providing support from the sidelines。 In this compulsive read Renee goes on the hunt for tag-team rapists， whilst has problems at work， another story angel links to one of Bosch's cold cases。 As usual， Connelly's masterful flair brings the many story strands together and whilst Bosch might be nearing the end of the line， Renee Ballard has some ways to go as you will find out with the killer ending！ Maybe Maddie Bosch will appear on team in the next book！ I love this series。 。。。more
Louise
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3+This might be the book that sways me over to really liking Ballard。She is tough，and she gets the job done。She also sees what a mess the LAPD currently is。This was fast paced with plenty of tension，and believable scenarios。。。 something you don't always get。My one down side，is that this book，along with covid has made Bosch seem like an old man。I don't think I'm quite ready for that。Great read。 3+This might be the book that sways me over to really liking Ballard。She is tough，and she gets the job done。She also sees what a mess the LAPD currently is。This was fast paced with plenty of tension，and believable scenarios。。。 something you don't always get。My one down side，is that this book，along with covid has made Bosch seem like an old man。I don't think I'm quite ready for that。Great read。 。。。more
Marianne
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Gritty， dark and corrupt， LA is in the midst of Covid， police defunding， Black Lives Matter Protests， and severe image problems for law enforcement agencies。 Morale is low， and many cops are just keeping their heads down。 Detective Ballard， recently reassigned from homicide to sex crimes， has been called to a shooting on New Years Eve。 She’s hoping this will be the ticket back to a permanent homicide posting。 。Through a ballistics match to an old unsolved case， Ballard is reconnected with retire Gritty， dark and corrupt， LA is in the midst of Covid， police defunding， Black Lives Matter Protests， and severe image problems for law enforcement agencies。 Morale is low， and many cops are just keeping their heads down。 Detective Ballard， recently reassigned from homicide to sex crimes， has been called to a shooting on New Years Eve。 She’s hoping this will be the ticket back to a permanent homicide posting。 。Through a ballistics match to an old unsolved case， Ballard is reconnected with retired Detective Inspector Harry Bosch。。 They soon realize they’ll have to proceed carefully on this case， as it’s pretty certain there is a dirty cop involved。Ballard is also involved in solving a series of particularly vicious rapes， Very well written， the pace is fast and furious。 The pairing of Bosch and Ballard works well， as they go about their jobs in a unorthodox manner， Highly recommend。Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy， I really appreciate the opportunity to read this latest novel。 。。。more
Camela
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This is the first book that I have read by Michael Connelly。 I have watched the Bosch series on Amazon so I knew the characters。 I loved it！！！ I can’t wait to go back and read the other Renee Ballard books。 She is awesome！！！！ This book is the first book to tackle Covid and Black Lives Matter。 I thought the author did a fantastic job capturing that time period。 I received this ARC for an honest opinion。 #novelsuspectsinsiders
Danielle B
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It’s New Year’s Eve 2021 and COVID-19 is in full effect。 LAPD Detective Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch team up in search of a serial killer duo in Los Angeles called the Midnight Men。 Another murder takes place under the cover of the typical “gunfire in the air” that occurs as the clock strikes 12 in L。A。 Are these 2 cases related somehow？ Ballard and Bosch are determined to solve it！Michael Connelly is a truly exceptional author and THE DARK HOURS is a great addition to his collection of outstan It’s New Year’s Eve 2021 and COVID-19 is in full effect。 LAPD Detective Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch team up in search of a serial killer duo in Los Angeles called the Midnight Men。 Another murder takes place under the cover of the typical “gunfire in the air” that occurs as the clock strikes 12 in L。A。 Are these 2 cases related somehow？ Ballard and Bosch are determined to solve it！Michael Connelly is a truly exceptional author and THE DARK HOURS is a great addition to his collection of outstanding novels。 I can really appreciate that he incorporated all of the important current events of 2020 in the storyline， such as COVID-19， Black Lives Matter， and Defund the Police protests。 This gave the book a unique style that kept it very interesting despite the fact that I have read many of Connelly’s books。 Another great read with some of your favorite repeat characters！Many thanks to NetGalley and Little， Brown and Company for my ARC in exchange for my honest review。This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog （@coffee。break。book。reviews） in the near future。 。。。more
Greville Waterman
，
Every year like clockwork Michael Connelly come sup with another and sometimes even two， incredible books。 How does he do it， how does he keep so fresh and full of ideas so that the new book is as good if not better than its predecessors？Perhaps it is perhaps he is not afraid to freshen things up and introduce new characters。 Renee Ballard is to new to us readers but she is developing as a character in every book and she is beginning to resemble her mentor Harry Bosch more and more in terms of h Every year like clockwork Michael Connelly come sup with another and sometimes even two， incredible books。 How does he do it， how does he keep so fresh and full of ideas so that the new book is as good if not better than its predecessors？Perhaps it is perhaps he is not afraid to freshen things up and introduce new characters。 Renee Ballard is to new to us readers but she is developing as a character in every book and she is beginning to resemble her mentor Harry Bosch more and more in terms of her attitude and doggedness。Thos is yet another wonderful book and totally topical in its mention son covid and BLM amongst other matters。I will not provide spoilers but simply say that if you want an impeccably written and researched literary thriller and police procedural then this is for you。 。。。more
Lora
，
It's New Year's Eve and LAPD detective Renee Ballard has two cases she's working on。 Reformed gang member Javier Raffa was murdered during the celebrations and Renee is also trying to catch a duo of serial rapists that she has nicknamed "The Midnight Men。" While doing legwork on Raffa's death， she comes across a connection to a case that her friend， Harry Bosch， was part of when he was with the LAPD。 As a result， Bosch again assists Ballard， as he has in the past。 In The Dark Hours， author Conne It's New Year's Eve and LAPD detective Renee Ballard has two cases she's working on。 Reformed gang member Javier Raffa was murdered during the celebrations and Renee is also trying to catch a duo of serial rapists that she has nicknamed "The Midnight Men。" While doing legwork on Raffa's death， she comes across a connection to a case that her friend， Harry Bosch， was part of when he was with the LAPD。 As a result， Bosch again assists Ballard， as he has in the past。 In The Dark Hours， author Connelly writes another unputdownable book。 Connelly again proves that he's a master of the mystery genre。 。。。more
Paula Kaufman
，
Michael Connelly just gets better and better。 In this fourth entry in his Rene Ballard/Harry Bosch series he seamlessly interweaves two sets of crime - murder and rape -- with contemporary social issues that encompass the coronavirus pandemic， sexual harassment，homelessness， the role of the police in today's culture and the result of recent events on both society's and internal police reactions， the January 6 insurrection， and more。 Connelly keeps the reader in suspense as the focus sharpens on Michael Connelly just gets better and better。 In this fourth entry in his Rene Ballard/Harry Bosch series he seamlessly interweaves two sets of crime - murder and rape -- with contemporary social issues that encompass the coronavirus pandemic， sexual harassment，homelessness， the role of the police in today's culture and the result of recent events on both society's and internal police reactions， the January 6 insurrection， and more。 Connelly keeps the reader in suspense as the focus sharpens on Ballard and her resistance to her colleagues who take the easy road instead of the hard work of actually solving their cases。 There is plenty of action but it never overwhelms the flow of the story。 There are times when Connelly paints Ballard with a bit more heroism than seems plausible， but that is just a minor nitpick。 The Dark Hours is by far Connelly's best book and readers will be eager to get their hands on a copy。Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Co。 for providing an advance readers copy in exchange for an objective review。 。。。more
TAB2
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Loved it。 Am a fan of the author and the series in general， but this one had some interesting character development and seemed to move the whole saga on in an interesting way
Wendy
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At the intersection of “defund the police” and the “coronavirus pandemic” is hardworking Los Angeles Police Detective Renée Ballard trying to solve a murder case -- maybe two of them -- as well as catching a tag-team rapist duo dubbed the Midnight Men in Michael Connelly’s latest police procedural， The Dark Hours。 Hampered by masking， social distancing， and colleagues who are just trying to “call it in” during the days until retirement or a career change， Ballard turns to her unofficial mentor， At the intersection of “defund the police” and the “coronavirus pandemic” is hardworking Los Angeles Police Detective Renée Ballard trying to solve a murder case -- maybe two of them -- as well as catching a tag-team rapist duo dubbed the Midnight Men in Michael Connelly’s latest police procedural， The Dark Hours。 Hampered by masking， social distancing， and colleagues who are just trying to “call it in” during the days until retirement or a career change， Ballard turns to her unofficial mentor， Harry Bosch， Connelly’s well-known， now retired， LAPD detective。 When Ballard finds a murder book was last checked out to Bosch， she turns to him to help her connect the clues in a murder that happened on New Year’s Eve to an unsolved murder Bosch investigated while still on the force。 Trouble is Bosch did not sign out the murder book although he still has his own notes to consult for recall。While Ballard finds little help from her burned out coworkers， some of whom she does not trust， Bosch is ready to offer her backup on all three cases as he is bored sitting home avoiding the virus。 Soon the two investigators start drilling down into the evidence as they attempt to solve both his cold case and her midnight murder case。 As Ballard draws nearer to solving the cases， the hassle from “the Brass” about involving Bosch and other tactics finds her questioning her own future with the department。 Will she have to go rogue to catch the Midnight Men？This is the fourth Connelly book featuring Ballard， a cop who is known for her risky and unauthorized actions。 However， Ballard continues to show she is a gifted and talented investigator who could be a catalyst for important change within the police department。 After Michael Connelly spent three years covering crime in Los Angeles， he wrote his first novel featuring Harry Bosch， The Black Echo， which he based partly on a true crime。 Connelly was the man behind the series “Bosch” on Amazon Prime and is integral in bringing a Bosch spin-off coming to Amazon-owned IMDB streaming service。My review will be posted on Goodreads starting October 6， 2021。I would like to thank Little， Brown and Company， the Hatchette Book Group， and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review。 。。。more
Janet
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Publication date: November 9， 2021Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。Has a killer lain dormant for years only to strike again on New Year’s Eve？ LAPD Detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to find justice for an inno Publication date: November 9， 2021Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。Has a killer lain dormant for years only to strike again on New Year’s Eve？ LAPD Detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to find justice for an innocent victim in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael ConnellyThere's chaos in Hollywood on New Year's Eve。 Working her graveyard shift， LAPD Detective Renée Ballard seeks shelter at the end of the countdown to wait out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revellers shoot their guns into the air。 As reports start to roll in of shattered windshields and other damage， 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。It doesn't take long for Ballard to determine that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky。 Ballard’s investigation leads her to look into another unsolved murder—a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch。Ballard and Bosch team up once again to find out where the old and new cases intersect。 All the while they must look over their shoulders。 The killer who has stayed undetected for so long knows they are coming after him。Harry Bosch is one of my favourite characters in fiction ever 。。。 and I loved the show as well。。。 Welliver。 （lol） Renee Ballard did not appear on the show in case this is the first book you pick up after being peeved that that series was not renewed but she is a beloved character in this book universe。 It is an excellent addition to the Bosch Universe of books and if you have not read any of them，。。。 well pick them up and read some or all of them。 （I reread the entire series this year！） The story is compelling and well written and at no time do you say "no way" to some junky police science or unbelievable plotline。 What an excellent addition to the series and I look forward to the next one（s） as well。 As always， I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis （outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc。 "） on Instagram and Twitter。。。 Get a real job， people！） so let's give it 👮♂️👮♂️👮♂️👮♂️👮♂️ 。。。more
Mary
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The best ！ Connelly maintains his excellent story telling with #4 in the Renee Ballard series。 Renee goes all out to solve a serial rapist case while solving a murder of an ex-gang member， plus ， uncovering a dirty cop。
C。S。 Daley
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I have known for sometime that Connelly was going to put Bosch out to pasture。 While I don't think it will be soon it is clear that Ballard will be one of the characters to take up his place。。。。 I suspect Maddie will enter the fray soon also。 I really enjoyed this book and like that he didn't run from the current strife happening in police departments。 I look forward to the next book。 I have known for sometime that Connelly was going to put Bosch out to pasture。 While I don't think it will be soon it is clear that Ballard will be one of the characters to take up his place。。。。 I suspect Maddie will enter the fray soon also。 I really enjoyed this book and like that he didn't run from the current strife happening in police departments。 I look forward to the next book。 。。。more
Allison
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According to the accompanying literature， this is the fourth and final story in the Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch series， and while it is good， it does not have the edgy dynamic of the earlier works。 Maybe because their working relationship is now as comfortable as bedroom slippers， or maybe because Harry is out to pasture， but there was none of the frequent challenge that set this partnership apart from other police procedurals。 In fact， Harry does not even make an appearance til Chapter 8。The According to the accompanying literature， this is the fourth and final story in the Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch series， and while it is good， it does not have the edgy dynamic of the earlier works。 Maybe because their working relationship is now as comfortable as bedroom slippers， or maybe because Harry is out to pasture， but there was none of the frequent challenge that set this partnership apart from other police procedurals。 In fact， Harry does not even make an appearance til Chapter 8。The two cases being worked are each worthy of a book of their own。 The New Year’s Eve homicide of a former gang member is linked to a cold case Harry was on years ago。 The series of home invasion-rapes Renee and her indifferent partner are investigating builds suspense as Renee puts the pieces together and comes up against department politics。The power of the story is stymied by the events of the world of 2020。 Connelly tries to be true to society and reflect the stress of COVID and the drop in morale of the police due to BLM， but both factors weigh heavily on the pure entertainment of the plot。。 In all Bosch and Ballard stories there has been the constant push between police procedures and the rebel investigator。 This same dynamic continues， but it seems disappointingly muted with little of the sparks from past confrontations。 Even the ending seems like a lukewarm solution to earlier issues。 In what may be a metaphor for the whole story， Renee replaces her massive rescue dog Lola with a chihuahua。 Connelly continues to be the master of the police procedural but this particular edition lacks the vitality of a powerful antihero to elevate it beyond the conventions of just a typical Law and Order rerun。 。。。more
Liz
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This is the first mystery I’ve read that tackles COVID， Black Lives Matter， Defund the Police protests and the January 2021 Insurrection head on。 I really appreciated that Connelly didn’t try to avoid the current times， like I see so many series doing。 It’s NYE going into 2021 and the vaccine is around the corner。 Renee Ballard has already had COVID。 A majority of the police force is demoralized， working the bare minimum， because why bother？ She’s been partnered with Lisa Moore， of the Hollywood This is the first mystery I’ve read that tackles COVID， Black Lives Matter， Defund the Police protests and the January 2021 Insurrection head on。 I really appreciated that Connelly didn’t try to avoid the current times， like I see so many series doing。 It’s NYE going into 2021 and the vaccine is around the corner。 Renee Ballard has already had COVID。 A majority of the police force is demoralized， working the bare minimum， because why bother？ She’s been partnered with Lisa Moore， of the Hollywood sex crimes unit to try and track down two tag-team serial rapists。 But she also catches another case， a homicide that occurs at a NYE party。 A homicide that has links to a murder Harry Bosch investigated years ago， before he retired。 Of course， her LT wants her to turn over the murder to the Homicide dept。 But she keeps delaying， while she and Harry begin an off the books investigation。 Connelly perfectly captures the mood of the police。 It seems like Ballard is the only one that even cares anymore。 As the story goes on， she walks a fine line between catching the criminals and the ire of the department。 I really enjoyed Ballard in the first three books， but she truly won my heart by adopting a rescue dog。 This is truly Ballard’s story， not Harry’s。 There’s a cliffhanger at the end and I’ll be curious to see how the next in the series starts off。 Once again， Connelly has put together a fabulous story。 It moves quickly with a great sense of underlying suspense。 I did see how the rape story was going to play out， but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment。 I can only hope some studio is smart enough to tag this series for a tv mini-series。 My thanks to Netgalley and Little， Brown for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Susanne Strong
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Review to be posted to blog: books-are-a-girls-best-friend。comNowadays， times appear rougher than they used to be。 Danger shows itself in different ways。 Here and now， you can’t always see what’s right in front of your face simply because everyone is hiding behind a mask and Covid is ever-present。 Never one to shy away from reality， Michael Connelly’s new novel， The Dark Hours brings it home。 It’s in The Dark Hours that Detective Renee Ballard does her best work。 She is a night owl and she loves Review to be posted to blog: books-are-a-girls-best-friend。comNowadays， times appear rougher than they used to be。 Danger shows itself in different ways。 Here and now， you can’t always see what’s right in front of your face simply because everyone is hiding behind a mask and Covid is ever-present。 Never one to shy away from reality， Michael Connelly’s new novel， The Dark Hours brings it home。 It’s in The Dark Hours that Detective Renee Ballard does her best work。 She is a night owl and she loves flying solo。 When a homicide occurs on her watch in the Late Shift， she wants it， even if the investigation should go to the detectives in the Hollywood Division。 Once she dives into the case， what she finds， makes her want it even more。 Her case links to an old unsolved crime， a cold case of retired Detective Harry Bosch’s， and wouldn’t you know it， the two decide to work together to solve them both。 Ballard， of course， investigates other crimes as well， one of which involves several women assaulted in their homes， in the middle of the night， by a group called The Midnight Men， which brings about a different type of danger altogether。This was a nail-biter， to say the least！A very well-written， well-done police procedural， which took place during the pandemic。 Something very few authors even attempt。 I truly appreciated the care that Michael Connelly took， to center a police procedural in and around the pandemic and give major kudos to him for that。 What I love most about this series is the camaraderie between Ballard and Bosch which warms my heart。 If you know me， you know how much I love these characters， Harry Bosch specifically。 I could， in fact， wax poetic about my love for Harry Bosch （and have， in many a book review in this series， lol）。 While I wish that Bosch took a more prominent role here， I still adored this novel and love the character of Renee Ballard。 It's clear that there will be some changes in store for both of these characters and I look forward to seeing where life takes them。 A huge thank you to Little Brown and Company and NetGalley for the arc。 Thank you for always being so generous in feeding my Harry Bosch obsession （lol）。 Published on Goodreads， Instagram， and Twitter。 。。。more
Maggie Holmes
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There is no question when the latest Michael Connelly book， The Dark Hours， was written。 Detective Renée Ballard is facing all of the problems of covid-19 and George Floyd America。 The riots have used up much of the budget of the LA police department so there is a hiring freeze。 The public trust in police is at an all time low。 The police have become reactive instead of pro-active in response。 And the pandemic places everyone at risk。 On top of this， Ballard faces sexism and attitude from her co There is no question when the latest Michael Connelly book， The Dark Hours， was written。 Detective Renée Ballard is facing all of the problems of covid-19 and George Floyd America。 The riots have used up much of the budget of the LA police department so there is a hiring freeze。 The public trust in police is at an all time low。 The police have become reactive instead of pro-active in response。 And the pandemic places everyone at risk。 On top of this， Ballard faces sexism and attitude from her co-workers and bosses。 Luckily she is an excellent detective and has Harry Bosch as her sidekick。 The two major crimes are horrifying and when Ballard is attacked， we wondered which crime is responsible。 The ending is a cliff-hanger for Renee， though not for her cases。 There is also a line said by Bosch that foretells how Connelly sees his writing career going （IMHO。） Thank you to Edelweiss and Little Brown for the pre-pub edition of this book。 。。。more
Paromjit
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Michael Connelly returns us to Los Angeles and a divided United States undergoing the trauma of the pandemic and the background of a socially and politically turbulent environment， including the Black Lives Matter protests， calls to defund the police， and the horrors of the insurrection。 We get a picture of a LAPD that feels underappreciated and a public that views them with suspicion， officers are doing only what is absolutely necessary， being reactive rather that proactive， and not looking fav Michael Connelly returns us to Los Angeles and a divided United States undergoing the trauma of the pandemic and the background of a socially and politically turbulent environment， including the Black Lives Matter protests， calls to defund the police， and the horrors of the insurrection。 We get a picture of a LAPD that feels underappreciated and a public that views them with suspicion， officers are doing only what is absolutely necessary， being reactive rather that proactive， and not looking favourably on those police officers that are genuinely committed to solving crime。 Detective Renee Ballard is still doing nights on the late shift， although she is now actually living in a apartment， and having lost her beloved dog， Lola， to bone cancer 8 months ago， she is looking for another dog for companionship， and settles on a rescue dog that is the polar opposite of Lola， Pinto。New Year's Eve celebrations result in a gun shooting that Ballard becomes aware is murder when she examines the victim， Javier Raffa， once a gang member of Las Palmos， but now a business and family man with children。 A lucky break means that the bullet casing is recovered from beneath a car， and it turns out this gun was used in another shooting years ago， the victim was Albert Lee。 Coincidentally， the now retired Detective Harry Bosch worked the case。 Strangely， the murder book on the cold case is missing， and Ballard assumes Bosch has it。 However， this turns out to not to be true as once again the two detectives find themselves working together。 Ballard is on another case， the Midnight Men， a tag team of rapists， and there is now another victim， but there are new aspects to the investigation but Detective Lisa Moore， also on the case， is seriously lacking any desire to work the case。Ballard finds herself being let down everywhere， by fellow police officers， the department and others， the only person she can rely on， who remains steadfast and has her back is Harry。 Unsurprisingly， she begins to harbour doubts about her future with the LAPD， but this is to have serious repercussions， as her determination to find the truth and seek justice leaves her isolated and in danger。 Connelly， as a seasoned crime writer， once again demonstrates why he remains a popular author， providing his trademark details of policing and running investigations， along with a background of American contemporary realities。 This is an entertaining and engaging addition to this wonderful crime series， well plotted， full of suspense and tension， whilst covering issues that resonate such as violence against women。 Highly recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Linden
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Renee Ballard， the strong female protagonist， is an LAPD detective。 She is intensely devoted to her job， and finds the bureaucracy and lazy cops on the force frustrating。 She wants to solve a murder， but after she does most of the work， the case is turned over to someone else。 The case of the serial rapists is so important to her that she actually resigns to solve it。 Harry Bosch is there to help when her fellow officers won’t。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to review an a Renee Ballard， the strong female protagonist， is an LAPD detective。 She is intensely devoted to her job， and finds the bureaucracy and lazy cops on the force frustrating。 She wants to solve a murder， but after she does most of the work， the case is turned over to someone else。 The case of the serial rapists is so important to her that she actually resigns to solve it。 Harry Bosch is there to help when her fellow officers won’t。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to review an advance copy of this edge of your seat thriller。 。。。more
Pamela
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It's such a pleasure watching Renée Ballard grow into a strong， emotionally complex， and formidable character within the Connelly universe。 She more than holds up this novel， and I am *eager* to see her anchor her own series going forwards。 I remain deeply impressed with the empathy and righteousness that is always a cornerstone of Connelly's fiction。 It's such a pleasure watching Renée Ballard grow into a strong， emotionally complex， and formidable character within the Connelly universe。 She more than holds up this novel， and I am *eager* to see her anchor her own series going forwards。 I remain deeply impressed with the empathy and righteousness that is always a cornerstone of Connelly's fiction。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dark Hours
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dark Hours&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dark Hours&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0