Dark Sacred Night sees Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch teaming up together for the first time, an unlikely pairing but one that works. Bosch is investigating the death of Daisy Clayton, a case that has been cold for some 9 years. Ballard’s interest is peaked when she catches Bosch searching through evidence at the Hollywood precinct where she works as a detective on the late show (night shift) after initial uncertainty the pair work the case together, Ballard as a ‘hobby case’ while still holding down a full caseload with Hollywood and Bosch in between his reserve duties with San Fernando PD.

It is truly amazing that after all these years Michael Connelly keeps delivering top notch crime thrillers, there is nothing stale, tired or formulaic about his writing, in his hands you relax and enjoy the ride, you know all the ‘T’s’ will be crossed and the ‘I’s’ dotted. Dark Sacred Night is a slick and satisfying police procedural that is highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Harry Bosch teams up with another detective - as usual a good read

This latest novel by Michael Connelly sees Harry Bosch, still getting older, teaming up with Renee Ballard, a detective working the night shift in LA. He is investigating a cold case about a young runaway murdered nine years earlier. She joins him while they both also get involved with other crimes. As one might expect, this is a fairly fast-moving police procedural with quite a lot of action and strong developed characters. We already know Bosch’s personality and learn a lot about Ballard and their colleagues. The only annoying thing for me is the unnecessary LA street directions which will be meaningless to anyone outside of Los Angeles.

Enjoyable and engaging, this thriller will please Connelly fans and anyone who enjoys well-written American detective stories. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of the Michael Connelly/Harry Bosch series, so I expected to like this book, but this one is a bit different due to the informal partnership with Detective Ballard.

Bosch goes to LAPD looking for some old information relating to a cold case and Ballard realises that he has broken into a file cabinet. She is intrigued and does some digging and figures out what Bosch was looking for. Gradually they start to work together on the cold case despite Ballard being LAPD whilst Bosch is SFPD. They individually continue with their active cases and then come together when they can to work on their 'hobby case'. All sorts of problems crop up, she saves his life and he saves hers but they solve the case, although they do not follow established procedures.

The cliffhanger is around whether or not they will work together again. It is not clear whether Bosch has a job to return to at SFPD. So how can Bosch and Ballard partner again, even informally, if he is not employed by a police department. Can't wait to read what happens next!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advance copy if this book in exchange for an honest review.

So glad Bosch is back along with an equally moral and unique partner. Great balance between characters , not too much of either getting their own way. Sometimes amusing but it's black humour and blends well with the sadistic and brutal subjects. More of this duo please.

Whilst I have read a few of Michael Connelly's books featuring Harry Bosch, this one was the best so far.

I believe the new partnership of Harry and a night shift female detective is one for the future (is it Michael?).

Harry is working on a cold case, and this takes him into the vaults and old records of LA's Hollywood Station where he meets Renee Ballard for the first time. She did not really know him, and there are lots of verbal interaction between them which I found totally believable. They join forces to find the killers of Daisy (the cold case mentioned above).

Plenty of action in the book with an exciting ending. Yes, maybe I was not sure about the amount of favours Ms Ballard was 'callng in' but it didn't really detract from a crime thriller of the highest order. I have to go back in time now slightly to read Mr Connelly's "The Late Show" featuring just Renee Ballard. Excellent, and thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review. the book.

Connelly doing what he does best - crime.
I love the way Connelly has joined his character Bosch so seamlessly with the newly-introduced Ballard. Ballard had her own stand alone, centre stage novel in Late Show. Now she has teamed up with veteran Bosch in a way that flows really well.
Connelly has made Ballard, a female officer, as equally strong as his male lead. hats off to him, it's a rare combination.
Connelly has been able to keep the Bosch crime novels going, despite Bosch's departure from the force, and now, potentially, from his voluntary role. However the way has been paved for this great series to continue, the Bosch & Ballard partnership.

9/10

*slow claps*

Surprise surprise, another quality book by Michael Connelly. Doesn’t he get bored of knocking them out of the park every time? This one is up there with some of his best work and to say it’s the 21st book in the Bosch series, that’s no mean feat.

This outing has a combination of the perennially awesome Bosch and the newcomer Ballard from his previous book, The Late Show (unsurprisingly, really good). I’ve been a bit on the fence with these combo novels before due to the forced nature of the narrative changes between characters. This didn’t happen here and things flowed smoother than silk between the two leads, both looking into their own missions and a joint effort combining their skills. I liked how both were wary about the other, neither have histories of working well with authority so naturally cautious, but once they have worn some rubber together they develop a firm bond.

I liked all the plot lines here and I didn’t see how things were going to weave together and finish up which is always a bonus. The characters are great, Bosch is a firm favourite of mine and Ballard is like a female version of him so what’s not to like? The massive downside of finishing this novel, having to wait for the next one!

An interesting departure for Michael Connelly to put two lead characters together in one novel, although we have previously seen references to characters from other books in passing or in subsidiary roles. In this book we again meet Renee Ballard, who was introduced recently in 'The Late Show'. Renee is an accomplished detective who found herself the subject of unwanted sexual advances from a senior colleague and was subsequently deployed to the unpopular overnight detective shift for making a formal complaint. But this time Renee meets Harry Bosch and forms an interesting, if unofficial, partnership. Connelly fans expecting a high quality crime novel will not be disappointed. The writing is highly evocative and always fast-paced. There is certainly potential in this partnership for further development and I look forward to more Ballard/Bosch outings. Very highly recommended!

Michael Connelly is an great crime thriller writer with the excellent character Harry Bosch, but he doesn't stop there. He has created other enjoyable lead characters like Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer) and now Renee Ballard who comes into her own in this 2nd book where she teams up with
retired detective Harry Bosch.
Detective Renee Ballard works the late shift and teams up with Bosch who is investigating the death of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a drug addicted runaway who was brutally murdered 9 years ago. The pair share similar attitudes and are both prepared to bend the rules to get justice where necessary and make enjoyable reading. The character of Renee is further developed throughout the novel following on from 'The Late Show' where she was introduced by the skilful Connelly who looks to have another winner with this one. His books are so well thought out and show an inner knowledge of police procedural's and an eye for detail, supplying the reader with realistic entertaining books that rarely fail. I finished the book wanting to read another one straight away.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Orion Publishing for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant. Bosch is brilliant as ever. I really enjoy reading Michael Connellys books about Bosch. I have read all of them and I eagerly await the next one. This is a series of books that I highly recommend. Bosch is a character that has developed over the years. Reading about all his cases is a pleasure. All the books are really well written and really well thought out.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for my copy.

I really enjoyed the first Ballard book, The Late Show, in which the young female cop showed some of the vim and vigor we’d seen from Harry Bosch back when he too was an LAPD detective. Banished to the night shift after calling out her boss for sexual harassment, Ballard consequently nursed a chip on her shoulder as she remorselessly chased down her quarry. I thought it was a great book and seemed to promise a even money chance that at some point in the future she’d share some page space with Bosch.

Harry Bosch was last spotted in Two Kinds of Truth where he teamed up with his half brother, lawyer Mickey Haller. He continued to tread a precarious line between playing it straight and bending the rules, working now as a detective for the San Fernando PD. It's well known that Connelly likes to link up his various players in his books and here he does it again in bringing Ballard and Bosch together. Surely this is a marriage that can't possibly fail, can it? It's a simple question and a there’s equally simple answer: no it can't!

I won't spoil the fun for future readers by giving too much away, suffice to say there are a number of cases covered here: some investigated individually by the two cops and one taken on as a joint venture. The various elements of the cases paint a broad picture of the darker side of modern day Los Angeles and some of the lessons learned prove to be of wider value along the way. Bosch is on top form, showing his determined one-track mind approach to solving his cases with his forthright (OK, let's just call it what it is – rude) approach to all, constantly shaking the tree loose of just enough debris to give himself a chance of closure. Ballard shows that she can also bend a rule or two as she adopts a similarly dogged plan of attack.

The chemistry between the two feels just right: some mutual respect but mixed in with a little nervousness, a smidgen of suspicion too. They're both feeling their way in this new professional relationship. We're in the hands of the master as Connelly seamlessly allows the action to flow whilst keeping a captain’s eye on the tiller. At no point does he allow the reader to lose track of the multiple plot lines or feel any tinge of disbelief that things should play out in such a way; it’s brilliantly done.

At the end there’s a nice teaser suggesting that there's more to come from this pair. Thank goodness for that! I'm already in withdrawal - having finished this latest offering I seriously hope I don't have to wait too for the next instalment.

I have read some Harry Bosch before and enjoyed them, but the addition of disgraced detective Ballard ups the game. This is a fast moving thriller with many cases to be solved along the way. I really like the characters in this book, especially Ballard who is smart and determined but not overly written as hard boiled. The seedy side of Hollywood is shown really well here too, it's not all glamour and glitz. The writing is so descriptive, I could almost smell the stench of the rubbish tip.

Very exciting to be back in Harry Bosch's world via a smart woman detective Ballard, who pushes her easy into an old murder case because she has a hunch Bosch is onto something. Actually it refreshes the series wonderfully although Bosch's renegade past is matched by Ballard's who'd been unfairly related to night duty after her misogynist partner dumped her in the sxxt ... like Harry she has supporters and detractors.. a good team with clever skills. I look forward to more .. excellent heightening of the series, raise the stakes and the gruesome killing gets figured out ...

There's no such thing as a poor Michael Connelly book, particularly a Harry Bosch story, and this book is no exception. By introducing the Late Show's Renee Ballard as Bosch's partner on this case we now have two detectives who share the burden of Bosch and his mission. Unsurprisingly brilliant story and writing yet again.

What's left to say about Harry Bosch? The fact that I keep coming back to the series after so many books is a testament to what a great character he is. Even with one foot in retirement, he's a shoe-in on my reading pile. Love the fact that it still feels fresh despite where he's at in his career,. Where so many series can stagnate, this one continues to evolve. Loved it!

This was the first book I read of the series and the Bosh/Ballad combo certainly don't disappoint. It would have been even better if I had read the book in order which I'm planning to do.
The settings and the characters were interesting, the police procedure detailed and I enjoy the mix of investigation. A great read for the lovers of the genre.

Thank you Orion for this ARC.

Love Bosch, loved The Late Show where we first met Ballard and now Bosch & Ballard together - the dream team, a match made in haven or is it hell? Fabulous main plot, brilliant characterisation and nods to other Connolly favourites like Micky Haller too. I absolutely loved this book, read in less than 24 hours it was an absolute blast and I can’t wait for the next one

Michael Connelly is one of my favourite authors and his Harry Bosch books are always excellent.
Dark Sacred Night was great as it combined Bosch with Connelly’s new female protagonist Renee Ballard whom he’d initially introduced in his earlier novel The Late Show so the book was twice as enjoyable!
Sections alternated between Bosch and Ballard’s viewpoint and in my opinion this worked really well.
There were several investigations; Bosch is looking into the 9 year old murder of runaway teenager Daisy, for Elizabeth her mother who is a former drug addict rescued by Bosch in his last adventure in the book ‘Two Kinds Of Truth’. This brings him into Ballard’s world as he returns to LAPD to look at old records and after meeting for the first time they start working on the case together.
He is also investigating an old gang related murder in his position as San Fernando Police Department volunteer Detective which leads him into extreme danger as the book progresses.
Meanwhile Ballard solves a number of cases on her night shift whilst helping Bosch with the Daisy investigation.
I felt that the two characters worked well together and the plots intertwined cleverly so that the book was compelling as well as being fast moving.
It would be possible to read this as a stand alone but it would be better to have read the previous Bosch book as well as the earlier Ballard novel as there are a lot of character back stories in these two books. If you haven’t read any of the Bosch series you’ve got a real treat in store as they are all great novels.
These two characters really gelled together and I sincerely hope that Michael Connelly decides to do another book where they work as a team.
Harry’s career as he heads towards retirement has been just as exciting as in the earlier novels and I really hope he decides to keep on working!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so looking forward to this and was worried that it would be a letdown, but I should not have been concerned as Michael Connelly has hit the bullseye yet again.

Great writers - and he certainly is one of them generally have a set formula that works but they also know when to tweak, amend and innovate so that things remain fresh for his/her readers.

Connelly did this successfully with the introduction of Micky Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer and he soon linked up with Harry Bosch. "The Late Show" saw the feisty but troubled Renee Ballard brought to our attention and she was an obvious keeper - in shorthand terms a female version of Bosch as she shared his commitment and passion for the job, had her own set of issues, was brilliant at her job, fought against the unfairness of the system and was treated with suspicion by her colleagues.

They had to meet up but would they clash or would their similar but slightly different personalities gel?

Read the book to find out but it is a triumph of characterisation and plotting and is as contemporary as you can get. Hard hitting and lyrical and deeply satisfying.

This is one of his best and the franchise is in safe hands for many years ahead.

Reading a new Michael Connelly novel is like meeting up with an old friend, over the years I have read EVERY Harry Bosch novel, and in the latest in the series I was interested to see Harry double up with Renee Ballard who started in the author's previous stand-alone novel "The Late Show".

In alternating chapters Bosch and Ballard meet and end up working the same case. Even though Bosch is pretty much retired he sees something in Ballard he respects and together they look into a cold case.

As usual there are multiple storylines, which truly give a flavour of Los Angeles. I have never visited this city, but through these Bosch books I think I could negociate myself along the famous Mulholland Drive!

Hopefully Bosch will return, as he says "everyone counts or no one counts" Michael Connelly ranks as one of the greatest living thriller writing, having a knack with words that there are very few authors who can write as fluidly as him.

I enjoy recommending Harry Bosch to as many people as I can!

#DarkSacredNight #NetGalley I have long been a fan of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series so I was excited to have the opportunity to review this new book seeing Harry paired up with Detective Renee Ballard and this did not disappoint at all. I love the authors writing style which gets down to the action without lots of flowery descriptions and I love the way there are several side cases investigated as well as the main cold case which kept me glued to the pages. I would have liked to have seen a bit more from Harry's perspective but I guess this was understandable as we are introduced to Renee. I hope this is the start of a long and productive relationship with many more books in this series! Fabulous read!

Renee Ballard, meet Harry Bosch.....

When cold cases start hotting up, things get rather tricky for both detectives

Simply brilliant

In this Harry finds a new partner Rene Ballard who gets involved with helping him on a cold case. Meanwhile Harry has another case that takes up his time. It seems that raking up old coals can bring to light vested interest that don’t like things to be brought to light. It ends up that each saves each other’s bacon that cements their relationship. All together a most exciting story.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion for an advance copy of Dark Sacred Night, the first novel to feature an investigative collaboration between Detective Renée Ballard of LAPD and Detective Harry Bosch, currently a part timer with the San Fernando PD.

Ballard works night shift or the late show as it's known in LAPD, a solitary job with its slow times so she's immediately curious when she finds Bosch rummaging in the department's filing cabinets. He explains about his "hobby case", looking for the killer of teenage runaway Daisy Clayton back in 2009 and soon she's as involved as he is.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Sacred Night with its mixture of procedure, or in Bosch's case non-procedure, mystery, thrills, tension and character. Mr Connelly is currently peerless in his ability to weave so many disparate elements together seamlessly into a very readable novel. While Daisy Clayton's killer is very much at the forefront of their minds the investigation has to take a backseat to their regular jobs so the reader is treated not just to that investigation but Bosch's efforts to solve the cold case murder of Uncle Murda, a San Fernando gangbanger killed 10 years previously, and a series of vignettes as Ballard responds as and when required. All of it has something to say about Los Angeles, its denizens and lifestyle with some of it amusing, some of it sad but all of it hugely enjoyable. It's like a massive tableau of life with the reader being offered glimpses.

I said it about The Late Show and I'll say it again here. I love the tone of the narrative with its dry recounting of facts and the cops' acceptance of whatever is thrown at them. That's not to say they don't care, more that it's often just another obstacle they can't change to overcome in their dogged pursuit of justice. The arrival of Harry Bosch, however, brings a more emotionally charged atmosphere to the novel as he identifies with the victims and survivors.

Dark Sacred Night is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship". If you have seen the movie Casablanca, then you know this classic line. And, it's such a perfect way to describe the paring of Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch.

FULL REVIEW TO COME ON PUB.DATE!

Michael Connelly brings us the second in the LAPD detective Renee Ballard series and he brings in Harry Bosch, a man Renee knows nothing about. Renee has been shunted onto The Late Show, the Hollywood nightshift, after an injustice earlier, but oddly enough she has settled in there and somehow it suits her. Her partner is on bereavement leave and she is on her own when she is called to a home where a woman's body, heavily decomposing, is discovered. It is assumed to be murder but it does not take Renee long to ascertain that it was an accident, with a starved cat feeding on the corpse. On returning to write up her report, she finds Harry rifling through a file cabinet of a colleague, and throws him out. However, her curiosity is aroused, she cannot help herself as she tries to find out who Harry is and what he was doing there.

Harry has the traumatised Elizabeth Clayton, a recovering drug addict, temporarily living with him, someone he met on his last case. Nine years ago, Elizabeth's 15 year old daughter, Daisy, was brutally murdered, her body bleached and discarded like trash in an alley. This spurs Harry to look into the cold case, as he witnesses Elizabeth's unrelieved grief destroying her. Having Elizabeth staying with him is not ideal, as his daughter, Maddie, is refusing to visit him while Elizabeth is there. Once Renee learns of Harry's investigations into finding Daisy's killer, she wants in. It soon becomes transparent that there is much the pair have in common, a dogged determination to work cases that borders on obsession and a penchant to bend the rules. In the meantime, both have other demands on their time. Harry as a reserve at SFD is looking into a cold case murder of the 52 year old gang member of the Varrio San Fer 13, Cristobel Vega, gaining insight into what happened after locating a witness, only to find the case exploding out of his control. Renee finds herself with the horrifying task of searching for the dismembered body parts of a murder victim at a refuse dump. As Renee and Harry plough through the mountains of information looking for a lead on Daisy's killer, the truth proves to be elusive. Will they succeed in finding the killer?

I did not expect Renee and Harry to be working together so soon, but after an initial awkwardness the two, unsurprisingly, mesh well, something they will sorely need as each finds themselves in life threatening and dangerous scenarios. Harry's future with SFD is uncertain, but what is clear is that this is not going to stop him doing what he does best, and it looks like we will see him pairing up with Renee again in the future. Connelly once again displays his attention to detail in police procedures, showing us that his research is demonstrably impressive. I loved this addition to the Renee and Harry series, but there is a strong part of me that wished I could have seen far more of Renee prior to her working with Harry. As usual, Connelly gives us a superb crime thriller with his trademark aplomb. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.