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Dark Sacred Night (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel) Hardcover – October 30, 2018
Michael Connelly (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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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).
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
- Publication dateOctober 30, 2018
- Dimensions6.57 x 1.65 x 9.57 inches
- ISBN-100316484806
- ISBN-13978-0316484800
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From the Publisher
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The Dark Hours | The Late Show | The Night Fire | The Black Ice | The Law of Innocence | Fair Warning | |
Read more from the New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly | LAPD detective Renée Ballard must join forces with Harry Bosch to find justice in a city scarred by fear and social unrest after a methodical killer strikes on New Year’s Eve. | The first installment of the Renée Ballard series introduces a "complicated and driven" young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD's toughest beat (The New York Times). | Together again, Bosch and Ballard take on the murder case that obsessed Bosch's mentor in this New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year and Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist. | When an LAPD narcotics officer is found with a fatal bullet wound and a suicide note, Detective Harry Bosch follows a bloody trail of drug murders across the Mexico border. | Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller is back on the job in this heart-stopping thriller from a renowned #1 New York Times bestselling author. | The hero of The Poet and The Scarecrow is back. Jack McEvoy, the journalist who never backs down, tracks a serial killer who has been operating completely under the radar - until now. |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Review
"Spectacular...Dark Sacred Night is ingenious, frantically suspenseful, and very, very, bleak."―Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post
"Michael Connelly is superhuman...His hallmark has been his precise, faultless plotting...Connelly has always been especially good when it comes to truly creepy killers-he was once a crime reporter-and his denouement here is thrilling."―Charles Finch, USA Today
"It was only last year that Connelly introduced Ballard, a fierce and fascinating new protagonist who instantly emerged as a reader favorite. Bosch, meanwhile, is a grizzled veteran by now; Dark Sacred Night marks the 21st novel to center on him. But fans always finish eager to come back for more."―David Canfield, Entertainment Weekly
"LAPD Det. Renée Ballard, first seen in 2017's The Late Show, makes a welcome return in this 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)
"Det. Renée Ballard is a formidable character, an insightful and tenacious investigator with an unusual background and a sturdy personality to carry a series...Connelly has achieved success as one of the top mystery writers by continuing to keep his storytelling fresh. In The Late Show, he delivers an exciting police procedural with a unique character."―Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Michael Connelly has earned his place in the pantheon of great crime fiction writers by creating characters people care about and are eager to come back to. In Dark Sacred Night, he brings together two of his best...Here's hoping we don't have to wait long for another Ballard and Bosch novel."―Paul Saltzman, Chicago Sun-Times
"This one needs no introduction...Expect all the dark, brooding LA neo-noir you've come to appreciate from Connelly's superlative procedurals."―CrimeReads
"Superb...Once again, Connelly delivers an exciting police procedural, only this time with two unique characters."―Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Harry Bosch has had plenty of partners, but he might have met his match...Both face complicated challenges to their personal ethics, challenges born not out of greed or fear but of their burning desire to make things right. Through it all, they challenge each other. Ballard brings a fresh perspective, and Bosch brings all the things so many readers love about him."―Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
"Of the myriad things Connelly does superbly as a crime writer, perhaps one of the least heralded is his ability to bring characters together from different series...A guaranteed chart-topper."―Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)
PRAISE FOR THE LATE SHOW:
"The Late Show introduces a terrific female character: Detective Renée Ballard... The pacing of Ballard's debut story is breathless... Ballard is complicated and driven enough to sustain the series Connelly doubtless has in mind for her."―Janet Maslin, New York Times
"Few writers can capture the gritty streets of L.A.--and the inner workings of the LAPD--like Connelly."―Entertainment Weekly
"The most intriguing mystery in The Late Show is Ballard herself. Connelly is too skillful to hand us her resume in one document dump; instead, he fills out her portrait with a subtle hand over the course of the novel, a little background here, a glimpse of her temperament there, the revelation of her unusual living conditions sketched in between."―Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
About the Author
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Product details
- Publisher : Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (October 30, 2018)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316484806
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316484800
- Item Weight : 1.52 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.57 x 1.65 x 9.57 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #190,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,762 in Police Procedurals (Books)
- #8,440 in Murder Thrillers
- #17,137 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of over thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Law Of Innocence, Fair Warning, The Night Fire, Dark Sacred Night, Two Kinds Of Truth, and The Late Show. Michael is the executive producer of Bosch, an Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, "Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story' and 'Tales Of the American.' He spends his time in California and Florida.
Customer reviews
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Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2018
Top reviews from the United States
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If I were looking for a story that was written to appease all the key points of interest to me, it would be difficult to find a literary work more on point than the latest novel by Michael Connelly. To be sure, it isn’t perfect, but it is as near the ideal police procedural as I could ever hope to read.
BLUSH FACTOR: This is not a story to share with children or your church prayer group. Street talk includes profanities (eff-words) and the affection of the two main heroes, although not overly graphic, will cause blushing if you read it to others. In fact, the description is tastefully done. This definitely is a crime story for mature audiences. Mature, but not obscene in any way, shape or form. PG-17, not R would be my thinking for a rating.
THE WRITING & EDITING: If you’re not turning away due to the blush factor, I believe you’re going to appreciate the quality of writing and editing – there is a reason the selling price is set as it is. Quality, big-name writers cost big bucks, and editors are well-paid to ensure the text is free of those persnickety typos, grammatical errors and misspellings, then, often, put back in to protect against copyright infringement.
EXCERPT
‘…led her out of the cell and back to the door to the Public Works yard.
“You looked at the book and the photos, right?” he said.
“Yes,” she said. “Everything that was digitized.”
They walked into the yard, which was a large open-air square surrounded by walls. Along the back wall there were four bays delineated by tool racks and workbenches where city equipment and vehicles were maintained and repaired. Bosch led Ballard into one of these.
“You saw the mark on the body?”
“The A-S-P?”
“Right. But they got the meaning of it wrong. The original detectives. They went down a spiral with it and it was all wrong.”
He went to a workbench and reached up to a shelf where there was a large, translucent plastic tub with a blue snap-on top. He brought it down and held it out to her.
“Twenty-five-gallon container,” Bosch said. “Daisy was five-two, a hundred and five pounds. Small. He put her in one of these, then put in the bleach as needed. He didn’t use a bathtub.”
Ballard studied the container. Bosch’s explanation was plausible but not conclusive.
“That’s a theory,” she said.
“No theory,” he said.
He put the container down on the floor so he could unsnap the S-P reading horizontally and vertically in the center.
“A-S-P,” he said. “American Storage Products or American Soft Plastics. Same company, two names. The killer put her in one of these. He didn’t need a bathtub or a motel. One of these and a van.”
Ballard reached into the container and ran a finger over the manufacturer’s seal. Bosch knew she was drawing the same conclusion he had. The logo was stamped into the plastic on the underside of the tub, creating a ridged impression on the inside. If Daisy’s skin had been pressed against the ridges, the logo would…’
Connelly, Michael. Dark Sacred Night (A Ballard and Bosch Novel) (Kindle Locations 580-595). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.
BOTTOM LINE
One of the most fulfilling reads I’ve come across in forty years. Easily the best police procedural since Wambaugh.
Five stars out of five.
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It is sad to have to report that this latest book is a disappointment. It reads very much like one of those continuation books, written by ghost writers, that come out after an author has died. The writing is flat and tedious, the story not particularly gripping, and the characters shallow. Either Connolly has lent his famous name to someone else’s inferior product, or he has completely lost interest in the terrific world that he created, and is just producing stories mechanically, to meet his contractual obligations. Such a shame.
They meet by happenstance when Ballard finds Bosch snooping through Hollywood’s case files in search of information about the murder of Daisy Clayton, whose mother, Elizabeth, Bosch rescued at the end of Two Kinds of Truth. They strike a bargain and investigate the case together. Along the way, Ballard and Bosch investigate other cases on the side, but it’s the Daisy Clayton murder that drives the plot forward.
As per usual with Connelly’s novels, this one is a page-turner. I started reading it after dinner and finished it before I went to bed. It held my interest throughout. Even the side plots kept my interest. What I love about Connelly’s novels is the way he moves the plot forward by means of good detective work, rather than an investigator’s flashes of insight. You see Ballard and Bosch working the evidence, piecing the story together bit by bit. This approach keeps you hooked, because you want to follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Additionally, I love the fact that unlike other serial novelists that I love to read—I’m looking at you, Lee Child and Craig Johnson—Michael Connelly is smart enough to realize that Bosch is getting older and simply can’t sustain the pace, the intensity, or the beatings he endured (or gave out) in previous novels. With this novel, Connelly seems to be moving his focus toward Ballard and transitioning Bosch into a lesser role. That’s great, as far as I’m concerned, both because Ballard is an intriguing character and because I still enjoy Bosch.
I’m not giving Dark Sacred Night a five-star review, however. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend reading it, but it’s not at the top of Connelly heap. I have two reasons for this: First, the side cases. One of the side cases is designed solely to introduce a character. Ballard’s side cases (an accidental death, an art theft, and a gruesome murder) are solved too perfunctorily. Bosch’s main side case is more interesting, but it’s difficult to tell whether how it ends is designed to set up a transition in Bosch’s life or to introduce a problem for a future novel. Second, a moment of intimacy between Bosch and another character seems way out of character for him. You’ll know what I mean when you read the novel.
Despite this, I’m happy with Dark Sacred Night, and I look forward to whatever Connelly cooks up next year. My guess is that Renée Ballard will play the leading role and Harry Bosch a supporting one. And that’s okay with me. They’re both great characters.
Top reviews from other countries

If you DO, I suggest you have a quick read here.
I’ve bought and read every single Connelly book.
The whole Bosch series, the Haller series etc.
In the later, ‘The Gods of Guilt’, ranks in my all time best reads.
It’s incredibly well crafted, beautifully written and hugely thought provoking.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone is working on a screen play to bring it out as a film sometime soon.
Now, the same can be said for the rest of the books.
Personally I have no problem giving them all 5*.
I would urge you to start of a series and work through.
There are some good offers in the Amazon store Via a search ‘Michael Connelly book Collections’, In the Bosch series UK store will get you going with Ten Paperbacks for ~ £20 - £25. Currently Nineteen are available for £40.
Amazing Value for what you are getting.
There’s an e book collection of fifteen for £55......
Library’s seem very Connelly friendly, I avidly dip in to find new writers, a search of my local, shows several Bosch in and all of them seem available via computer to order in, so I suppose you could go that way.
So where’s the review on this book????
What on earth is this reviewer going on about, urging you to spend and read this authors work and generally raving about how good they all are and yet...
‘Dark Sacred Night’, Is been given a measly one star??
Well, the problem is that if you wish to read it, saying anything about it would ‘give it away’, ‘spoiler alert’, etc
And that’s the problem.....
If you read a lot of this genre (or even if you don’t), you’re looking for all the usual associated with great books, then cunning twists and turns, misdirection, false trails and that final ‘Ah Ha’ moment when it all becomes clear and you didn’t get it (or where close but there’s some shocker etc).
You close you book, or shut down you kindle.
And reflect how great a read you’ve just had.
That doesn’t happen here.
If this is the first Connelly book you’ve ever read, I suspect it would be your last and would move on.
The book does nicely introduce Renée Ballard.
Great back story, strong and intriguing character.
And fans (like me) do want to see how she gets on and where it all goes.
And then the less said the better.
Michael Connelly is a brilliant author and quite rightly deserves all the plaudits and success.
Many don’t agree with me on this book it’s currently nearly five stars in the review section here.
However if you DO, take a breath, don’t be put off.



