The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly

Posted December 6, 2021 in review Tags: 4.5 stars, police procedural

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly
Pages: 401
Length: 11 hours, 4 minutes

Series: Renee Ballard #4
Genres: Mystery
Setting: Los Angeles, CA
Source: ARC
Narrator: Titus Welliver, Christine Lakin
Also by this author: Behold the Monster: Confronting America's Most Prolific Serial Killer

Goodreads

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.

The Dark Hours was my first foray into the Harry Bosch universe and I am really glad I gave it a shot. First, the narration is top notch, so if you listen to audiobooks, this is a must. But, aside from that, the story is well written, interesting, and fast paced.

The story focuses on a night shift detective, Renee Ballard, and the cases she has on her plate during the New Year holiday of 2020-2021. Both cases are interesting and I was engaged very quickly. You have some supporting characters in the PD that I really didn’t care for, but Renee reaches out to Bosch for support and they work great together. I felt that her partnership with Bosch really showed how flawed things were at the LAPD during the time period.

Ballard is a great protagonist because she wants to do whatever she can to solve cases. She is dealing with a post George Flyod world and police department and that has resulted in many cops just “phoning it in” until retirement. It was an interesting perspective on policing during the time of COVID as well. I thought Connelly did a good job of addressing these issues without making a story about these issues.