The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly

 At the intersection of “defund the police” and the “coronavirus pandemic” is hardworking Los Angeles Police Detective Renée Ballard trying to solve a murder case -- maybe two of them -- as well as catching a tag-team rapist duo dubbed the Midnight Men in Michael Connelly’s latest police procedural, The Dark Hours.

Hampered by masking, social distancing, and colleagues who are just trying to “call it in” during the days until retirement or a career change, Ballard turns to her unofficial mentor, Harry Bosch, Connelly’s well-known, now retired, LAPD detective. When Ballard finds a murder book was last checked out to Bosch, she turns to him to help her connect the clues in a murder that happened on New Year’s Eve to an unsolved murder Bosch investigated while still on the force. Trouble is Bosch did not sign out the murder book although he still has his own notes to consult for recall.

While Ballard finds little help from her burned out coworkers, some of whom she does not trust, Bosch is ready to offer her backup on all three cases as he is bored sitting home avoiding the virus. Soon the two investigators start drilling down into the evidence as they attempt to solve both his cold case and her midnight murder case. As Ballard draws nearer to solving the cases, the hassle from “the Brass” about involving Bosch and other tactics finds her questioning her own future with the department. Will she have to go rogue to catch the Midnight Men?

This is the fourth Connelly book featuring Ballard, a cop who is known for her risky and unauthorized actions. However, Ballard continues to show she is a gifted and talented investigator who could be a catalyst for important change within the police department.

After Michael Connelly spent three years covering crime in Los Angeles, he wrote his first novel featuring Harry Bosch, The Black Echo, which he based partly on a true crime. Connelly was the man behind the series “Bosch” on Amazon Prime and is integral in bringing a Bosch spin-off coming to Amazon-owned IMDB streaming service.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting October 6, 2021.

I would like to thank Little, Brown and Company, the Hatchette Book Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.