The Dark Hours (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel, 3)
The Dark Hours (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel, 3) book cover

The Dark Hours (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel, 3)

Paperback – April 5, 2022

Price
$10.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
400
Publisher
Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1538708477
Dimensions
5.2 x 1.4 x 7.95 inches
Weight
10.7 ounces

Description

“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 Michael Connelly is the author of thirty-five previous novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Law of Innocence , Fair Warning , and The Night Fire . His books, which include the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renée Ballard series, have sold more than eighty million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He is the executive producer of Bosch , starring Titus Welliver, and the creator and host of the podcasts Murder Book and The Wonderland Murders. He spends his time in California and Florida.

Features & Highlights

  • 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
  • ).

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(37.9K)
★★★★
25%
(15.8K)
★★★
15%
(9.5K)
★★
7%
(4.4K)
-7%
(-4419)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Almost mind numbing

Connelly has all but forsaken Bosch in favor of Renee Ballard making her the brains of the team. Having her make all the right conclusions as Harry simply nods saying, “that’s true”, as if he’s her rookie partner. Dialogue is generally mind numbing and repetitive. But the most unbelievable part is Bosch listening to a John Legend version of the iconic jazz classic, “Compared To What “ as opposed to the Les McCann and Eddie Harris original. Connelly seems to be dumbing down in favor of trying to be cool to a new audience. Those giving 5 stars are either newer Bosch fans or just rate high out of devotion to the author. He should do the decent thing and kill Harry off so his fans can move on.
9 people found this helpful
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I Shouldn't Have Bothered!

I read one of the previous books in this series and was not impressed but thought I would try another one given the overall great reviews. The story opens when night shift officer Rene Ballard is called out to investigate a shooting at an outdoor venue on New Years Eve. She was actually on duty at the time investigating the case of the Midnight Men, two rapists who are terrorizing the local area.

As the case progresses it is discovered that a shell casing found at the scene matches that of a murder committed twenty year ago and never solved under Harry Bosch's watch so the two begin working together to solved the murders.

I disliked this book for a couple of reasons, the first being that the plot is wafer thin and ridiculous from the get go. Secondly, I find Rene to be a dislikable person.......cold, arrogant and working outside the lines of police procedures, a know it all with her own agenda. Then there is Harry filling the role as a lap dog backup in this case which I find totally out of character since he has always been a lone wolf while on the police force. His role in this story is almost non-existent. Finally there is just nothing for this reader to want to keep turning the pages.....absolutely boring and had a hard time even finishing the book.
4 people found this helpful
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Obnoxious Ballard and a neutered Bosch

It seems that many readers object to this novel because it’s too “woke”. Wow, some people are way too easily triggered. A couple mentions of people wearing masks and it’s off to woke jail with them. As the novel takes place at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 it’s certainly not odd to see mask wearing and covid integrated into the plot; I think it’s a stretch to say that Mr. Connelly is pushing some agenda especially since Bosch shows no compunction about not wearing a mask.

Aside from being “woke spooked” there are many other reasons to dislike this latest book in the Bosch/Ballard universe…mainly that Renee Ballard is a thoroughly dislikable character. I’ve read reviews of the first two Ballard/Bosch books that made mention that it wasn’t believable that an LAPD detective would live in a tent on the beach. A point well taken. But in “Dark Hours” her utter lack of likability shines through. It’s made very plain over the course of the story that many of her colleagues don’t like working with her. And why should they? She’s condescending, self-righteous, and most importantly never wrong…about anything. Anyone who doesn’t measure up to her standards is labelled as lazy or uncaring. She routinely flouts LAPD rules to get her way. She withholds evidence, lies to her superiors or just tells them what she wants them to know to further her own agenda. Even after she is suspended from the force she continues working what she calls “my case” instead of turning it over to the task force that it’s been assigned to.

And then there’s the manner in which Harry Bosch is shoe horned into the plot. Although he’s now retired are we supposed to believe that he’s had a character transplant and is now willing to let Ballard treat him like her lapdog? She bullies him into getting vaccinated, calls him multiple times expecting him to be at her beck and call and of course he drops everything to run to her aid. Sure, Bosch may be slowing down but this just seems like a different person.

Lastly….plot spoiler ahead….after running roughshod over police procedures and resigning from the force we’re expected to believe that at the end the chief of police comes to see Ballard and asks her to come back to the force because the LAPD needs to change? One can only conclude that the chief wants a police force full of renegade cops who pursue their own agenda and ignore policy whenever it suits them. Very disappointing work by Mr. Connelly.
1 people found this helpful
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Never Disappoints. That is guaranteed when I pick up a Michael Connelly book.

Connelly writes crime novels with strong characters and interesting plots, usually set in LA Police department. His latest, The Dark Hours, features female cop Renee Ballard and her retired friend, Harry Bosch. By now they are old friends of this reader. Enjoy slipping into their world. Each book brings them new challenges. It is a pleasure to “ride along” with them.
1 people found this helpful
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You cannot go wrong by stepping into this adventure.

There is something so very comfortable about Michael Connelly's stable of characters. Seeing the world through their practiced and noble gaze lets you believe that there are heroes out there looking out for the common man. Connelly reliably builds his stories in a very engaging manner such that it is hard to put the book down until all of the details come to light.
1 people found this helpful
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Not his best effort

Way too much politics and preaching from Connelly who usually stays away from that. The Ballard and Bosch characters, as he created them, you'd think they wouldn't be the types to "mask up" but here we are, Connelly rewriting his characters to suit his politics.
1 people found this helpful
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COVID &. Mask References Galore

we ve had enough of COVID so reading constant mask or vaccine references wound through this story was just boring enough to quit and return it after page 17. I have no idea if this book is any good
1 people found this helpful
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Too dark for me

Very graphic crimes. Cringe worthy.
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Why did you take this book and make a covid & political joke out of it?

I am very disappointed that a professional author would make the plot of this book a covid, political, sham. Go woke, go broke.
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Renee Ballard with a touch of Harry Bosch

Not my favorite Michael Connelly book although I do admit it turned into a decent story. I am not much of a fan of Rene Ballard. As far as Harry Bosch, who I loved through so many books for so many years; I almost don't even care for him anymore. He's not even in this story all that much and does virtually nothing. Maybe it's time to let the poor guy rest in peace. I've gotten to the point where I no longer go right out and buy a Michael Connelly book anymore, I always wait for it to be discounted ($7.95) for this one, and that may have been a couple dollars more than it was worth.