Tag / Harry Bosch

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Book 6 (of 52) – The Dark Hours

The Dark Hours – Michael Connelly

2020 has been a dark year for the LAPD, as Covid and the public’s waning trust in the police have affected morale.  As midnight strikes to close out the year. Detective Renée Ballard is out on patrol, waiting for the latest attack from the Midnight Men, a duo who use the excitement of a holiday as a cover to rape an unsuspecting woman.  While waiting, she gets called to a murder scene, a former banger who bought his way out years ago.  Working both cases solo, with help from former detective Harry Bosch, she finds the only thing bigger than her desire to close the cases is her desire to leave the department, and its bullshit, behind.

In the fourth entry of his Renée Ballard series, The Dark Hours, Michael Connelly continues to team her up with his old Harry Bosch character, first introduced in 1992’s The Black Echo.  The two seem likely to continue working together, so I imagine any future entries in the series (of which there are currently two more) will continue the pairing.  The next entry, Desert Star, is the basis for the first season of the Ballard series on Amazon Prime, which I am two episodes into as of this writing.  Hopefully that isn’t a mistake on my part.

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Book 52 (of 52) – The Night Fire

The Night Fire – Michael Connelly

When Bosch’s old partner dies leaving behind an old, “borrowed” murder book, he brings it to Detective Renée Ballard for them to work together.  While investigating the case, Ballard and Bosch learn that two other cases they are working independently of each other may be connected.  Can they close the three cases, involving gangs, the mob, and a crooked law firm, while keeping their sources, and themselves, out of harm’s way?

In the third entry of his Renée Ballard series, The Night Fire, Michael Connelly continues to team her up with his old Harry Bosch character, first introduced in 1992’s The Black Echo.  The two seem likely to continue working together, so I imagine any future entries in the series (of which there are currently three more) will continue the pairing.

For the fourth straight year, I have completed my goal-reaching 52nd book.  Given that I am a month ahead of last year’s pace, I should be able to give my personal record of 61 books, set last year, a run for its money.

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Book 61 (of 52) – Dark Sacred Night

Dark Sacred Night – Michael Connelly

When Detective Renée Ballard finds a former LAPD detective hanging around the squad room rifling through cabinets, she joins him in working a cold case, the murder of a teenage prostitute nine years earlier.  She juggles her usual workload on the night shift to look through old files looking for suspects.  Meanwhile, her new friend, Harry Bosch, sees his other case, and job working part-time for the San Fernando police force, blow up after a colleague gives away the identity of his informant to the gang he’s trying to bust.  Can Bosch stay ahead of the gang that is trying to kill him?  And can he and Ballard find out what happened to a young girl nine years ago?

Michael Connelly wasted no time in getting his new character, Renée Ballard, intertwined with Harry Bosch, the detective he introduced in 1992, in Dark Sacred Night., the second entry in Ballard’s series and the 21st in Bosch’s.  After getting introduced to Ballard, and Connelly, two months ago, this was my first time interacting with the book version of Bosch.  It looks like the two characters go hand in hand going forward, so it looks like I’ll be getting more exposure in the future.