The Dark Hours: The Brand New Blockbuster Ballard & Bosch Thriller
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- Create Date：2021-09-30 02:41:04
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Michael Connelly
- ISBN：B08WPWZ57C
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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
Susanne Strong
，
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
，
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
Audrey
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2。5 stars。This one is a tough one to rate。 I have always enjoyed Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch， both separate and together。 And Michael Connelly is a master of the police procedural as well as just telling a good story。 This is set during late 2020， early 2021， New Year's eve， in the middle of our IRL pandemic。 Ballard is called out for a shooting， and quickly determines it's a homicide。 She is then called out for a sexual assault， committed by two serial rapists。 There are references to protest 2。5 stars。This one is a tough one to rate。 I have always enjoyed Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch， both separate and together。 And Michael Connelly is a master of the police procedural as well as just telling a good story。 This is set during late 2020， early 2021， New Year's eve， in the middle of our IRL pandemic。 Ballard is called out for a shooting， and quickly determines it's a homicide。 She is then called out for a sexual assault， committed by two serial rapists。 There are references to protests and calls to defund the police and these plot lines were woven in the book。（view spoiler）[It's mostly about how these protests demoralized the police force and that police officers were not motivated to solve crimes， work hard and were reactive instead of proactive。 I'm sure police forces feel under fire。 However， there was no introspection， at all， as to the root reasons why these things were happening。 There was one reference to BLM， when Ballard met her neighbor， who said he went to a protest and hoped she wouldn't hold it against him。 But that's pretty much it。 There is no analysis or acknowledging about the killing and maiming of black and brown bodies， or how systemic racism is entrenched in law enforcement as well as the court system。 At the end， Ballard does acknowledge that there should be change from within。 She doesn't know what that is， or her role in it。 It's in this book， that the author seems to have willful ignorance as to what defund the police really means and not the knee jerk reaction from those words。 I expected more from this author and just disappointed。 The tv show， The Rookie， has handled these issues， so well， and has acknowledged how racism has effected the BIPOC members of the LAPD itself。 I wish the author had taken that route instead of the one he did take。 （hide spoiler）]Ballard and Bosch team up again， during this pandemic， to help solve the murder and as well as the sexual assaults。 Both storylines are quite well done， especially the procedural aspect。I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Mike Hughes
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Got a review copy。 Great book， another awesome installment in the new Ballard series。 Bosch plays a role in the book as well but could have had a larger role。 But none the less this is a great book， Ballard works a couple cases and you can see some of the influence that Bosch is having on her and her procedures。
Tim
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"The Dark Hours" is an exceptional novel。 In fact， I think it's the best novel Michael Connelly has written to date， and I am quite sure I've read them all。 It's a great mystery – make it two mysteries， one about a pair of serial rapists， the other about a New Year's Eve shooting in Hollywood that unfolds into a much larger case – but the book is much， much more than a clever procedural。Connelly has found a way to write about every major theme in today's society: violence， obviously， and violenc "The Dark Hours" is an exceptional novel。 In fact， I think it's the best novel Michael Connelly has written to date， and I am quite sure I've read them all。 It's a great mystery – make it two mysteries， one about a pair of serial rapists， the other about a New Year's Eve shooting in Hollywood that unfolds into a much larger case – but the book is much， much more than a clever procedural。Connelly has found a way to write about every major theme in today's society: violence， obviously， and violence against women， also obviously， but also public attitudes towards the police after the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020， cops' increasing sense of remove from their own mission as public trust erodes in the police force， misogyny in the workforce and at home， the sense of divide in America that led to the most contentious election ever and culminated in the horrible， criminal insurrection in January of 2021， and， of course， the pandemic。 The book starts on New Year's Eve of 2020 and covers the next several days， so it's a world where most people are still not vaccinated and some are refusing to wear masks – and everyone's nerves are frayed and fraying。 Lest anyone is put off by the above， don't be。 The book is not a diatribe or an aggressively political statement; it's a police procedural featuring two great characters， Reneé Ballard （in her fourth outing from Connelly） and Harry Bosch （whom I hope lives forever）。 It has tremendous procedural chops; Connelly always does his homework on that front。 And， once again， Connelly proves that he is the noir poet of Los Angeles。 But he has also made "The Dark Hours" into a "state of the nation" novel， one that reflects and refracts a broad swath of contemporary life。 This is a really great book。 。。。more
Brad
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The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly is the 4th book in his Ballard & Bosch series。“Ballard seeks shelter on New Year’s Eve to avoid the shower of lead from the guns fired in celebration。 She is called out to a scene where someone has been shot。 She ties it back to a cold case that Bosch investigated。 They think it’s a cop。 This time he knows someone is after him。”This is a bleak LA Police force that Bosch writes about。 Covid and social unrest have driven many of the officers inside and away from The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly is the 4th book in his Ballard & Bosch series。“Ballard seeks shelter on New Year’s Eve to avoid the shower of lead from the guns fired in celebration。 She is called out to a scene where someone has been shot。 She ties it back to a cold case that Bosch investigated。 They think it’s a cop。 This time he knows someone is after him。”This is a bleak LA Police force that Bosch writes about。 Covid and social unrest have driven many of the officers inside and away from solving crimes - many just putting their time in until retirement。 Ballard is different。 She just wants to catch bad guys - even when it’s not her responsibility。 Connelly weaves another case in that has a wild ending also。 There’s some surprising news about Bosch。 Connelly gives us more great crime fiction。 。。。more
Stephanie
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I’m a BIG Michael Connelly fan。 Recently， I have enjoyed 2020’s Law of Innocence， （he latest “Lincoln Lawyer” novel featuring Mickey Haller） and Fair Warning （with Jack McEvoy from The Poet and Scarecrow books）， but have been eagerly awaiting more of Detective Renee Ballard， introduced in 2017’s The Late Show。 The strong female protagonist always appealed to me， and the combination of Detective Ballard and retiree Harry Bosch is terrific！ In Connelly’s latest， The Dark Hours， Ballard is back！ No I’m a BIG Michael Connelly fan。 Recently， I have enjoyed 2020’s Law of Innocence， （he latest “Lincoln Lawyer” novel featuring Mickey Haller） and Fair Warning （with Jack McEvoy from The Poet and Scarecrow books）， but have been eagerly awaiting more of Detective Renee Ballard， introduced in 2017’s The Late Show。 The strong female protagonist always appealed to me， and the combination of Detective Ballard and retiree Harry Bosch is terrific！ In Connelly’s latest， The Dark Hours， Ballard is back！ No longer sleeping in a tent on the beach when she isn’t crashing briefly with family， Renee has an actual apartment and is looking for a new dog to replace her former tentmate and protector。 She is still working the night shift， and as the story opens， it is New Years Eve and she is temporarily partnered with Lisa from Sex Crimes， working the case of the “Midnight Men”， serial rapists who have been terrorizing women in L。A。 A call comes in about a death possibly caused by one of the many falling bullets that come down after being shot into the air in celebration of the start of the New Year （or perhaps the end of the past year， which has been a tough one for the everyone， but even more so for police， with both the pandemic and the anti-police feelings going strong throughout the community）。 Lisa displays a serious lack of work ethic， which aggravates Ballard， even though she gets it: “After a year of pandemic and anti-police sentiment， commitment to the job was sometimes hard to find。” Both issues （pandemic and anti-police sentiment） are deftly woven throughout the story， and Connelly superbly captures Renee’s frustration as she deals with what seems like a lack of support from fellow cops， too burned out to want to even leave the precinct， let alone seriously pursue solid leads。 Fortunately for Renee， one of her leads goes straight to a cold case that was handled back in the day by none other than Harry Bosch， someone with whom Renee has a history of tackling sticky situations in a slightly unorthodox way。 I love Renee’s struggle as she tries valiantly to work the cases despite challenges that are exacerbated by departmental politics intertwined with current social and public health issues。 “It sometimes seemed to her as though the biggest barricades in the so-called justice system were on the inside， before you even got out the door。” Although there is some resolution to the cases Renee is working so hard to solve， the story ends with a bit of a question as to what is next for Renee， both personally and professionally。 Here’s hoping she and Harry Bosch are back soon with another outstanding entry in this series。 Five stars， and thanks to Little， Brown and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more
Linda
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I received this as an Advance Read Copy （to be published Nov。 2021）。 It is one of Connelly's best！ The world is dealing with Covid， masks， protests， and calls to defund the police。 While Renee investigates a New Year's Eve murder made to look like an accident， she also becomes involved in a case involving serial rapists -- yes， a team of two。 Once again， she finds that the retired Harry Bosch is the best partner she could have。 Connelly is a master。 I received this as an Advance Read Copy （to be published Nov。 2021）。 It is one of Connelly's best！ The world is dealing with Covid， masks， protests， and calls to defund the police。 While Renee investigates a New Year's Eve murder made to look like an accident， she also becomes involved in a case involving serial rapists -- yes， a team of two。 Once again， she finds that the retired Harry Bosch is the best partner she could have。 Connelly is a master。 。。。more
Debra Berding
，
Long time fan of this author， and I love the Renee Ballard series。 She is such a badass。 Great story。Great characters。 Curious as to where she will end up。 Note that I did receive a free copy of this book。
Maureen
，
The only thing wrong with a Connelly book is that they end。 I could read pages and pages more。 He has not dropped a step even this far into the Bosch Universe。
Sherry
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Two cases are on Renee’s docket- a series of rapes and a murder that is connected to an unsolved case of Harry Bosch’s 。 What more could you ask for than Renee Ballard investigating a case with Harry Bosch？ Made a six hour plan flight go by in the blink of an eye。
Suzanne
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I look forward to Michael Connelly books with even greater anticipation in this extended period of Corona Virus and the never ending summer of global warming writ large。 I now read to mentally escape flash floods， fires， and heatwaves。 Lucky for me THE DARK HOURS provided plenty of distraction。 This is really a Renee Ballard book with Harry Bosch providing assistance on the edges of two cases; much as Bosch fans might wish it otherwise。 Ballard is up to the task and has now become a strong enoug I look forward to Michael Connelly books with even greater anticipation in this extended period of Corona Virus and the never ending summer of global warming writ large。 I now read to mentally escape flash floods， fires， and heatwaves。 Lucky for me THE DARK HOURS provided plenty of distraction。 This is really a Renee Ballard book with Harry Bosch providing assistance on the edges of two cases; much as Bosch fans might wish it otherwise。 Ballard is up to the task and has now become a strong enough character in her own right that she carries the book。 But the real strength in this book is Connelly’s ability to weave the present into the atmosphere of the LAPD。 If readers are struggling with issues， than consider the police having experienced everything， and then some。 Connelly makes it real for his characters as Ballard struggles to work cases without much support from burned out cops reluctant to leave precincts。 When Ballard decides to solve the cases on her own， she sets the stage for a showdown with her superiors。 Bosch has a few things to say about her methods， as you might imagine。 The book is a great addition to the Bosch Universe。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more
Martina
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Harry Bosch helps Renee Ballard #4。 How can one resist Harry Bosch？ Will be published by Little， Brown and Company on November 9， 2021。
Joanne Hurley
，
Read it in one day - two sittings。 Excellent story。
Natalie
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I love the team of Ballard and Bosch。 Connelly has written another exciting book about their involvement in 2 major cases。 I enjoy the relationship between these two。 Ballard is a rebel and a professional which is constantly getting her into trouble with the LAPD。 When a former cop turns up in the middle of a murder investigation， she finds herself a pariah in the force。 Even more fascinating is her brave and careful involvement in the series of rapes by a team known as the “Midnight Men”。 Sure， I love the team of Ballard and Bosch。 Connelly has written another exciting book about their involvement in 2 major cases。 I enjoy the relationship between these two。 Ballard is a rebel and a professional which is constantly getting her into trouble with the LAPD。 When a former cop turns up in the middle of a murder investigation， she finds herself a pariah in the force。 Even more fascinating is her brave and careful involvement in the series of rapes by a team known as the “Midnight Men”。 Sure， we have to suspend disbelief as we follow this pair。 I must say I enjoyed every page。 I can’t wait to see how Connelly positions Ballard and Bosch for their futures。 Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review another remarkable Connelly book。 。。。more
Unseen Library
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