Dark Sacred Night
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4.3 • 4.6K Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Harry Bosch teams up with LAPD Detective Renée Ballard to face the unsolved murder of a runaway, and the fight to bring a killer to justice.
Detective Renée Ballard is working the night beat -- known in LAPD slang as "the late show" -- and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old file cabinets. The intruder is retired detective Harry Bosch, working a cold case that has gotten under his skin.
Ballard can't let him go through department records, but when he leaves, she looks into the case herself and feels a deep tug of empathy and anger. She has never been the kind of cop who leaves the job behind at the end of her shift -- and she wants in.
The murder, unsolved, was of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a runaway on the streets of Hollywood who was brutally killed, her body left in a dumpster like so much trash. Now Ballard joins forces with Bosch to find out what happened to Daisy, and to finally bring her killer to justice. Along the way, the two detectives forge a fragile trust, but this new partnership is put to the test when the case takes an unexpected and dangerous turn.
Dark Sacred Night for the first time brings together these two powerhouse detectives in a riveting story that unfolds with furious momentum. And it shows once more why "there's no doubt Connelly is a master of crime fiction" (Associated Press).
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This lean L.A. detective story features two of Michael Connelly’s most formidable characters: perennial favorite 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
Good but too much ID politics
As a woman, who worked in male dominated field, I don’t feel like a victim, I don’t feel that I have to constantly focus on our differences. I wish this new character would do the same. There are tons of woman haters out there, but there are just as many man haters too. One is not wrong, and the other justified. Murder is murder, it is not worse for one sex or another.
Great book, but the ID politics in the news is more than enough- best to leave this one dimensional view of the world to social media & fake news.
Maybe my favorite Bosch…?
It’s crazy that the 21st book in a series winds up my favorite. There’s soul and depth here that frankly is unusual for Connelly, along with his usual excellent plotting, pacing, action and authenticity. My issue with Bosch is always that the side characters and villains were always more interesting but he and Ballard turn out to be a great combo, both characters complementing and enhancing one another.
Never Stop Looking - Great New Crime Team
The first book of more to follow. Great story of murders solved after years of trying to find the trust. Renee and Bosch are the new team and they are persistent.