Customer Reviews

Blue Hour

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first time I've had the pleasure of reading one of Parker's books. I was impressed. This was not only a riveting and complex murder mystery, but the choice of two very opposite lead characters was a masterful stroke. Tim Hess, a 67 yr. old semi-retired detective is in the twilight of his life. He's recovered from surgery for lung cancer and is undergoing a very draining course of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Merci Rayborn is in her 30's, a brash,ambitious offficer who is having some problems in the Department after filing a long overdue sexual harassment charge against a fellow cop. Tim's boss asks him to work with Merci on a missing persons case where the only clues found are the victims' purses, blood soaked ground, and parts of human intestines--but no bodies. Merci lays down the ground rules. It's her case and she's in charge. As the two gradually mesh together, Tim tries to help Merci by giving her the benefits of his years of experience. At first, all she sees is a dying older cop she's been partnered with, but her growth begins as she comes to know and admire him for his vast knowledge and dedication to the job and his courage in dealing with his illness. Merci soon finds herself enjoying Tim's company, sharing meals and offtime with him, and looking at him with new respect and genuine affection. Their relationship is one of the aspects that sets this story apart from other serial murder mysteries. THE BLUE HOUR should go to the top of your reading list if you enjoy an unusual and innovative thriller, with an ending that leaves you with a lump in your throat and an appreciation of a well written keeper to add to your collection of outstanding books.

I have read all of his books, and I can say like 'Where Serpents Lie', The Blue Hour is a real page turner....So much so, that I finished the book in about 2 days.

What is so amazing about his novels is his character development. His characters are not cookie-cutter super detectives, but real people with real problems, sometimes even tragic problems. This lends a lot more to a stories credability. In addition, being a resident of Southern California, I know many of the places he writes about, and he nails them to a 'Tee'.

I have noticed that Mr. Parkers novels as of late have taken a darker tone to them. The more horrific side of homicide, almost tickled the musings of Rod Serling. No, this is not fantasy like the Twighlight Zone, but the crimes are bizarre and so real...

The Blue Hour had many plot twists near the end and reached a climatic stage that really made you want to read faster and placed you right in the middle of things. The nice (or not so nice thing) is that Mr. Parkers novel's always have an unexpected ending, and they are not always happy endings!

Why this didn't rate 5 stars in my eyes is that there were two incidents in the book I had a hard time getting over: 1) The very end <didn't quite understand the relevance>, and a brief interlude about 2/3rds of the way through that sets up the very end. I think it was somewhat unlikely, though possible.

Also, anyone out there that knows how I can get in touch with Hyperion Books for fan mail to Mr. Parker, please let me know. Looking forward to his next novel 'The Red Light'

I typically get all fired up and write a review on a book I can't stand. I'm finally writing one for a book I loved. This is one marvelous read. It works wonderfully as a thriller but it's the depth of the characters that really makes this a special book. On top of that Parker has a great way of creatively moving the story along that keeps you guessing right up to the end. Merci Rayborn's character is not very likeable yet she never becomes annoying. She's argumentative and abrasive and completely tactless and non political but the truth is that I know many people just like that...including me! She often say's just what I had been thinking. I was hoping that she would grow up a little bit and be less self absorbed, sort of my wish for myself as well. I found this book after discoving T Jefferson Parker with Silent Joe, which I also loved, and I've become a confirmed fan! He is truly gifted and it'll be fun to continue reading his books.

T Jefferson Parker had me hooked with his previous book, Where Serpents Lie, and The Blue Hour does not disappoint. It is truly a super thriller with an edge of your seat ending. One of the things I like about the characters in Jeff Parker's books are their real human traits and the struggles they go through to overcome the circumstances facing them. You will want to read The Blue Hour in one sitting if you can stay sitting from the tension in the end.

Detective Merci Rayborn is smart, talented, ambitious, and also very rough around the edges. By Sheriff Department standards she's pretty unpopular, and does not work or play well with others. Retired detective, Tim Hess, has seen it all and then some during his forty plus years on the job. Three times divorced and fighting lung cancer, he's back on the payroll as a full-time consultant. He needs the benefits. This unlikely, mismatched team is hand picked to catch the "Purse Snatcher", a serial killer who abducts attractive women from Orange County malls, leaving behind only their purses and lots of blood in remote locations. With no bodies or other forensic evidence, and very little else to go on, Hess and Rayborn dig deep, working every conceivable angle to draw this killer out in the open, and hopefully push him to make a mistake..... T Jefferson Parker has written a masterpiece of suspense that grabs you from page one and never lets go. The writing is crisp, vivid, and intelligent, and the dialogue rings true. His intricate and compelling plot cleverly twists and turns, keeping the reader off-balance and guessing, and is filled with intense, riveting scenes. Mr Parker's indepth knowledge of Southern California, law enforcement, and police procedures adds real credibility to the story. But it's his brilliant characterizations that make this thriller stand out and sparkle. These are well defined, real people, sometimes heroic and well-meaning, often flawed and chasing their own internal demons, and Parker breathes life into even the most minor of characters. The Blue Hour is the first book of a superb series that just gets better with each installment, and those who have not yet met Merci Rayborn should begin here, at the beginning, and read them all.

When I bought The Blue Hour, I had only read one other of Parker's book, Where Serpents Lie, and considered it quite good. The Blue Hour is superb. The plot is well constructed and twisty; every page holds your attention. The characters are so real, you can see them and feel for them. It's definitely a one sit reading and not for the squeamish.

As well as being a perplexing mystery story, this is also a story of two opposites who are brought together and work very well as a team. She is an up-and-coming deputy sheriff with designs on the top job. He's been brought out of retirement, going through chemotherapy, and has seen it all.

While developing a complete character picture, we are also treated to a compelling mystery that had me guessing right to the end.

There is the old cliche that says "practice makes perfect. Well, T. Jefferson Parker has six other novels that I know of to his credit and he just keeps getting better with each outing.

THE BLUE HOUR, his latest installment in the generally unrelated crime novels set in Orange County, CA rings with a truth all its own. Parker introduces two new but completely disparate characters. One I liked, respected and admired. The other, I didn't. The first is Tim Hess, a 67 year old retired detective called back into service to help solve some horribly gruesome murders. He is facing a death sentence of his own because he has already lost more than half a lung to cancer and is awaiting with that patient acceptance, the inevitable outcome. He thinks of himself as a loser; he has been divorced several times, is childless and alone as he enters the final phase of his life.

His new partner is Detective Merci Rayborn. She is half his age and a lot easier to look at. In fact, some think of her as a beauty. There's a problem with her though and her name is very inappropriate. She is not merciful and gives none. She is difficult to be around, brash, temperamental and unforgiving. She seems to be singlehandely out to catch and punish all the evildoers in Orange County. If given her way, the reader wonders not about her possibilities for success but just how long it will take before she cleans up the entire state.

There is a truly horrible criminal antagonist in this novel. He is the one committing the unspeakable crimes. He is the one Tim and Merci must stop. What Parker does with these characters and the spare but biting prose is nothing short of masterful. It is obvious that while these are imaginary characters, Parker has met them (or variations thereof) in his former life as a journalist in Orange County.

Before the end of the book Parker ensures that Merci and Tim will become lovers. While somewhat implausible when taken out of context, I actually came to view it as inevitable. Both detectives are flawed characters who have never been able to make a permanent connection to other people. In the story, the author ensures that they finally do (and I wondered if he didn't do so for the sake of Tim Hess knowing that his time was finally coming to an end).

Parker writes with an intimate knowledge of police procedures. He knows about the types of criminals police officers deal with every day. He knows how the penal system sometimes fails to protect society from its most degenerate predators. As Joseph Wambaugh wrote almost 30 years ago in his debut novel THE NEW CENTURIONS, it becomes readily apparent that the Tim Hesses and the Merci Rayborn's may be all that stands between civilization and total criminal chaos. T. Jefferson Parker carries on the tradition of Wambaugh by reminding us of that. He also shows his respect and admiration for the people who keep the barbarians at the gates from entering to wreak havoc upon the citizens inside the walls of the citadel.

Other reviewers have said that this may well be Parker's best effort to date. I'm not here to dispute them. I discovered Parker early on and have read just about everything he's written. This is an outstanding novel in this genre. If you haven't read any of his other works, don't worry. Read this one first and then go back and read some of his earlier efforts (such as LITTLE SAIGON and LAGUNA BEACH). They were good, exciting and enjoyable reads but I think readers will be surprised and pleased to see just how far he has come as a master of this genre and in such a relatively short period of time.

And if you liked this book, Merci Rayborn is reprised in Parker's latest release RED LIGHT.

Thank you Mr. Parker for many enjoyable hours of reading pleasure. Much continued success in the future and I anxiously await your next effort.

"The Blue Hour" is a psychological thriller filled from start to finish with suspense, drama and excitement. The book revolves around Tim Hess, a sixty-seven year old detective who comes out of retirement to track down the "Purse Snatcher," a mentally deranged man who abducts beautiful women from a shopping mall. Not for the faint of heart, the book can be very graphic and explicit when it comes to describing what the this demented mind actually does to his victims.

Tim Hess, is also chasing his own demons after three failed, childless marriages. On his plate, however, is a more life-threatening battle - cancer. Following lung surgery, Tim endures agonizing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, while pushing himself to the limit to find this violent, psychotic killer. Working alongside a much younger female partner, Merci Rayborn, Tim is intrigued with her independent, often brash, manner and her driving ambition to become sheriff. In pursuit of the Purse Snatcher and the horror left in his wake, Tim and Merci find solice and refuge in each other. As the story unfolds, you will meet the tortured mind of the killer and his bizarre, contolling mother. You will discover that a psychotic mind does not think, feel or behave as a healthy mind would. The killer's childhood abuse and hatred for his domineering mother lead to unthinkable acts of violence.

Written with the same suspense as James Patterson's "Alex Cross" novels, "The Blue Hour" will keep you reading late into the night. The end will leave a tear in your eye, and perhaps the realization that the life we often take for granted is far too short and can quickly be taken away from us and those we love.

it's surprising that i've never heard of parker before june of 2000. but blue hour kept me awake for a couple of days while i finished reading. so many novels these days deal with the same subjects--law-room dramas, murder mysteries, techno-thrillers, super viruses, and the impending destruction of the human race. blue hour stands out a bit because of parker's characterization. little details about merci rayborn and tim hess kept me interested in what would happen to them. at first glance the may-december romance between these two characters seemed a bit contrived--how many times do we read (or see in movies/television) that a much older man catches the heart of a young woman so easily? but by the end of the book, hess had charmed me enough that i believed. merci rayborn's tough-girl act also had me rolling my eyes at times--not because it seemed false, but because it was so real. to use a worn phrase: i felt i knew her.