Detective Renee Ballard is back in her third team up with Harry Bosch in The Dark Hours. In this latest entry in the series, Ballard is working New Year’s Eve 2020 and is called to the scene of a celebration that has turned to tragedy.
Auto shop owner Javier Raffa has been killed, struck with a bullet that was seemingly fired into the sky by NYE celebrators to ring in the new year. Upon investigating the unusual circumstances, Ballard discovers that this was not a falling bullet and that the shot had to have come from close range – not an accident as previously thought. While further investigating the victim, Ballard discovers the bullet from the murder weapon is tied to an unsolved case from over a decade ago – and the lead detective on that case was none other than retired Harry Bosch. And so Ballard enlists Bosch’s assistance on the case.
To add to the already difficult task at hand, Ballard is simultaneously working on a case regarding serial rapes by a pair dubbed as the Midnight Men. A potential third victim, Cindy Carpenter, had been raped in her home and Ballard pieces the details that Cindy recounts to determine that the Midnight Men have indeed struck again.
Connelly has once again delivered another stellar thriller worthy of his previous entries in the Bosch series. He tells a great detective story while also touching on real life events and moments from 2020, such as the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, along with the subsequent protests and calls to defund the police. It was interesting to read about these events from the point of view of a police officer (one who agreed with the protestors) and about the attitudes that the community within the book had towards the police, while also seeing the perspective of the police department as a whole.
Overall, this is a perfect read for anyone who has enjoyed reading Connelly’s previous Bosch and Mickey Haller books and especially the other Ballard & Bosch books Dark Sacred Night and The Night Fire.
—The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly (Allen & Unwin) is out now.

The Dark Hours
Renee Ballard: Book 4
There's chaos in Hollywood on New Year's Eve.
At the end of the countdown, LAPD Detective Renee Ballard seeks shelter from the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revellers shoot their guns into the air. Minutes later, 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 swiftly concludes that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky and connects it with another unsolved murder - a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch...
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