The Dark Hours is a mystery novel by Michael Connelly. Just knowing that pretty much guarantees it is a good read. It is. The Dark Hours features LAPD detective Renee Ballard and Michael Connelly’s long-time character former detective Bosch.
In The Dark Hours, detective Ballard has two cases. The first is a shooting which used the L.A. tradition of firing bullets in the sky to mark New Year’s to mask a hit on a shop owner and former gang banger.
The Second involves The Midnight Men, a team of two men who go around raping women. Ballard ends up with that case because the detective originally in charge of it is taking some vacation time and is not particularly interested in doing much more than necessary.
Not doing much more than necessary seems to be the mood in The Dark Hours’ version of the LAPD. This rubs Ballard the wrong way. Connelly tells more than shows that mood in the LAPD
Ballard gets the help of former Detective Bosch in the shop owner case as he was killed by the same weapon that was used in one of his cold cases.
You have to give it to Michael Connelly. His characters age credibly and this adds a degree of believability to his mystery novels.
The Dark Hours is a solid, entertaining read. It is well worth the investment
The Dark Hours
Michael Connelly
Thriller
Little, Brown and Associates 2021
388 pages
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