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.
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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. |
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Customer reviews
Bosch & Ballard complement each other
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2018
Great original story! Murder is a hot topic and psychopathic serial killers abound in recent novels; however, Michael Connelly had a muse of an uncommon kind this Halloween season! His serial killer is straight out of the same fabric as Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Hitchcock's Norman Bates because they all lack a conscience. By the way, Lady Macbeth would have washed her hands using bleach in this tale! Norman would have bleached the shower. In all sincerity, I think Connelly created an original makeup for his team, Ballard & Bosch. One of their common attributes is that they are extremely dedicated to their craft, which enhances their professional relationship. On another note, Ballard brings a uniqueness to their personal relationship as the story unfolds. She is unique when you consider Bosch's female relationships. Yet, her personality traits are similar to Bosch's in that they are alone, somewhat isolated at times, yet both have a similar integrity when it comes to working cases, digging deep into the heart of crime and in this novel, coming up with an evil and deceptive killer that couldn't possibly bleach the blood off his hands.
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2018
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Top reviews from other countries
Zax
Connelly Finally Drops The Ball.......
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Running out of credibility
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2018Keith Scholes
Somewhat disappointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2018
