Dark Sacred Night
A Ballard And Bosch Novel
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4.1 • 624 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Even detectives have a dark side . . .
At the end of a long, dark night detectives Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch cross paths for the first time.
Detective Renee Ballard works the graveyard shift and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old files.
The intruder is none other than retired legendary LAPD detective Harry Bosch, hunting for leads in an unsolved case that has got under his skin.
Ballard escorts him out but -- curious to know what he was searching for -- soon becomes obsessed by the murder of Daisy Clayton. Was she the first victim of a serial killer who still stalks the streets?
For Bosch, the case is more than personal: it may be all he has left.
But in a city where crime never sleeps, even detectives have a dark side . . .
'Outstanding, complex police procedural ... Bosch and Ballard, both outsiders with complicated pasts, form a perfect partnership in this high spot of Edgar-winner Connelly's long and distinguished career.' --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'Connelly has created wonderful characters with Bosch and Haller, and Ballard will easily be as beloved. Connelly is a master of crime fiction.' --Associated Press
'Superb crime writing from a master.' --Stephen Loosley, The Australian
'Crime thriller writing of the highest order.' --The Guardian
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This lean LA detective story features two of Michael Connelly’s most formidable characters: perennial favourite Harry Bosch and the more newly minted Renée Ballard. Connelly brings his relentless investigators together to crack a cold case, which evolves into a mystery reeking of corruption. Ballard, in particular, steals the show: She’s an un-quirky, undamaged crime-fiction heroine who corners the market on cool competence and brilliant logic. Connelly’s unsentimental portrayal of Los Angeles turns the city into a dark and charismatic co-star, making his gritty, realistic tale that much more absorbing.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
LAPD Det. Ren e Ballard, first seen in 2017's The Late Show, makes a welcome return in this outstanding, complex police procedural. Relegated to the night shift at the Hollywood Station following a sexual harassment suit against her former lieutenant, Ballard works her cases with a quiet focus and intensity. Late one night, Ballard surprises a man looking through some old case files. It turns out to be retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch, now working cold cases for the San Fernando PD. After Bosch leaves, Ballard takes a look at the file, detailing the unsolved 2009 murder of Daisy Clayton, a 15-year-old runaway. The slain girl was the daughter of a recovering addict, who has been taken in by Bosch. Ballard is hooked, and begins working the case with Bosch. Meanwhile, Bosch's investigation into another cold case, the execution-style killing of a 52-year-old gang leader, has put the detective squarely in the sights of Varrio San Fer 13, one of the valley's most violent gangs. Bosch and Ballard, both outsiders with complicated pasts, form a perfect partnership in this high spot of Edgar-winner Connelly's long and distinguished career.
Customer Reviews
Step into the world of the police.
Detailed and like other Connelly novels, clearly written methodically and accurately in relation to police and detective life. Compelling but not seeking to shock or be graphic. An insider’s take on murder investigations.
Great reading
Kept me wanting to continue reading, great combination. Love Bosch character
A memorable pairing
This is the first in the Bosch/Ballard series, showing the two loner detectives when they meet.
It’s very readable and although Bosch is as bleak as usual, the growing partnership between the 2 loners is compelling.
Bosch has been forced into early retirement and is now working as a reserve detective for the cash-strapped San Fernando Police Department where his office is a former drunk tank cell.
LAPD Detective Renée Ballard is half Bosch’s age, and works the graveyard shift. Although she is a gifted detective she is shunned by many colleagues because of a sexual harassment complaint she filed against a superior, Renée has a personal life that makes Harry’s look healthy: her family consists of her dog and a grandmother she sees occasionally; her home is a tent she pitches on the beach.
By the end of the novel the two have teamed up and I will be keen to read more about their work together. Although the mood is bleak, the writing is good and the characters memorable.