Dark Sacred Night (A Ballard and Bosch Novel) Hardcover – October 30, 2018

Short review: read it!

Michael Connelly is a must buy, must read author. This stand-alone is easy to follow and difficult to put down. No editing errors, gratuitous violence or drag-you-down drama.

This compelling storyline skillfully weaves between the works of Bosch, Ballard and their partnership. Descriptive, at times lyrical, writing thst draws the reader into each scene. Realistic procedures, actions and reactions. Believable characters with distinct personalities. Thought-provoking, memorable and real life dialogue.

“What happens when you eat too much alphabet soup?”
"What?”
"You have a vowel movement.”

'As he drove down the hill he thought about Elizabeth and her fatal sadness. He realized that the long wait for justice had been too long and not enough to keep her alive. And that his effort to help her ultimately hurt her. Getting her sober only made the pain sharper and less bearable. Was he just as guilty as the unnamed killer?'

I will re-read this story and always look forward to, pre-order when possible, new works by this authir.

Michael Connelly’s Dark Sacred Night picks up where his two previous novels, The Late Show and Two Kinds of Truth, left off. Renée Ballard continues to work the late shift for Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollywood Division. Harry Bosch continues to work cold cases for the San Fernando Police Department.

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.

I rarely agree with the crowd, but, this once, I am on board with all the other reviewers:

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.

I am striving to produce reviews that help you find books that you want, or avoid books that you wish to avoid. With your help, my improvement will help you and me improve book reviews on Amazon. Together, you and I can build a great customer review process that helps everybody. Will you join me? It is people such as you who have helped me improve over the years. I'm still learning, and I have a great deal yet to learn. With your help, I'll improve every day.

One request: Be respectful and courteous in your comments and emails to me. I will do likewise with you.

Thank you so much for indicating if this review helped you, or for your comment.