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Summary: Connelly's newest is Top Notch
Review: I read about 40-50 mysteries a year, and Connelly's works have quickly become some of my favorite reads. In his newest novel, "A Darkness More than Night," I especially like the way he combines his primary series character (Bosch) with Terry McCaleb, his hero from but one novel. I've often wished that more writers had the guts to do this, and Connelly pulls off the melding of his hero (McCaleb) and anti-hero (Bosch) beautifully. If you've yet to read any of Connelly works, I'd recommend going back to the beginning of the Bosch series, reading them all, and reading the one work with McCaleb. Though this is not a necessity, many earlier books and characters are alluded to in this latest work. Not only does Connelly manage to present an intriguing case to be solved, it is his knowledge of police work and the court systems are what really make his novels awesome. His stories have a way of sucking you in, making you care for his characters, and wanting to see justice done. Connelly is as good and better than most all that are out there now, and this latest novel is marvelous.
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Summary: Clash of the Titans
Review: Connelly is one of the few novelists who could actually have two of his protagonists go head-to-head and have you wondering if maybe one of them has gone over to the dark side. Bosch has been becoming progressively more disillusioned and erratic throughout the series, making the idea of him as bad-guy frighteningly convincing. As if all this wasn't enough, C. manages even to squeeze in a cameo from POET star Jack McEnvoy (and by the way, where the hell's the sequel to the POET? Last I looked, the bad guy wasn't dead at the end - not for sure, anyway...)
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Summary: masterpiece
Review: "A darkness more than night" is Michael Connelly's second novel featuring retired LAPD detective Terry McCaleb. After "Blood Work", which came to a very well-rounded and satisfying conclusion, a second McCaleb novel was definitely a surprise, a positive one at that. "A darkness more than night" is a superb book. Connelly's writing is right up there with the great classics of the genre. Although his stories take place in modern day Los Angeles, they have a noir touch to them that reminds us of the Philip Marlowe stories. In this book Terry McCaleb crosses paths with Harry Bosch, star of several Connelly novels, most recently "Angel's flight". Without giving away too many clues it is safe to say that a very captivating story develops as personalities collide and two seemingly unrelated investigations enter a web of darkness. As in "Bloodwork" the reader follows breathlessly and until the very end is unable to figure out where this tale is heading. Believable, well-drawn characters, great storyline, athmosperically dense writing, great book!
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Summary: Exceptionally good! Sorry it ended.
Review: For this genre, I can't think of a better writer than Michael Connelly with the possible exception of Scott Turow. Two mysteries at the same time and using the protagonists from his other books. Clearly his best so far. It's hard to review it without giving too much away but let's just say that there are many wonderful plot turns. I also wish I'd read it in only one or two sittings. If Hollywood doesn't turn this into a movie I'd be shocked.Robert Downey, Jr. as Storey, Jack Nickolsen as Bosch and Robert Redford as McCaleb. Easily movie of the year with or without big stars in the leads.
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Summary: Five glimmering, glistening stars to Michael Connelly!
Review: Having followed Michael Connelly from his very first novel, I am in awe at this; his latest, his best! Watching his growth in his literary carrer has become a joy for me. I have always been intrigued by his characters and story lines, but with his intertwining of characters from several books in A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT, he has produced a slick,heart-tugging freight train of a story. It would be easy just to outline the book. But that would be an injustice. It is imaginative, intriguing and absolutely unpredictable!I invite you take a seat on this streamlined, fast-moving vehicle and then just hang on and enjoy the ride! But pack a few sandwiches first, because you won't be able to put it down.
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Summary: Connelly Continues to Crank 'Em Out
Review: I discovered Michael Connelly last summer and tore through his Bosch series in a couple of weeks. It quickly became one of my favorite detective series. I had read The Poet prior to these books and finally made the connection. I was a little worried when I got to Blood Work and Connelly departed from good old Hieronymus and took up with Terry McCaleb as his protaganist...but the storyline with the detective investigating the murder of the donor whom he received his heart from was too delicious to pass up. Now, in A Darkness More Than Night, Connelly makes the brilliant move of pairing these two characters up in more than just the passing manner of prior stories. Even Jack McEvoy from The Poet makes an appearance. The strength of this book is web of characters and events that fans will remember and enjoy. If you haven't read Connelly before, you might enjoy this book even more by starting the series from the beginning (The Black Echo) and watching the pieces fall together...but I suppose you could read this book alone and still be gripped by the storyline. The plot is yours to discover, but I will say that the darkness that seems to seep into my favorite detective makes the possibilities suggested by the twisting discoveries of McCaleb more than a little disconcerting. This is a guaranteed hit.
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Summary: Another great read from Connelly
Review: Connelly is one of those writers who never seems to disappoint. This book is no exception. Given the relatively short length of the book I was initially concerned that he would not do justice to both the Bosch and McCaleb characters, each of which can support a book on their own. My concern was unfounded. Connelly tells each of their individual stories with his usual depth and does a great job of intertwining them in the plot(I won't even think about ruining the surprises>....
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Summary: Two Heroes, Together for the First Time
Review: We first met Terry McCaleb, the former FBI profiler with a bad heart, in "Blood Work." In that book, he had recently received a transplant and his health was very tenuous. That didn't stop him, though, from finding the man who killed the former owner of his new heart. This time out he's in better shape and it's a good thing, too. Terry is asked by a former colleague in the Sheriff's department to look into a troubling murder that shows no promise of being solved. McCaleb begins to investigate, trying to understand the killer's thoughts and motivations. He is soon shocked to discover that his profile seems to fit one person perfectly: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. (For those of you unfamiliar with Connelly's work, Bosch is the hero of six of his books.) Connelly has once again demonstrated that he's an enormous talent. His plotting is swift and gripping, the details perfect, and the characters intriguing and believable. It's amazing that such a normal-seeming writer can create such madness on paper. This book is highly recommended, both for fans of Connelly's, and for new readers as well.
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Summary: Good writing overcomes plot flaws
Review: A bizarre torture killing brings together two series detectives, retired FBI serial-killer profiler Terry McCaleb ("Blood Work") and the brooding LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch. Ritualistic elements in the murder of a sadistic drunk, trussed up so as to slowly strangle himself, prompt LAPD detective Jaye Winston to consult McCaleb, whose heart transplant forced his retirement. McCaleb's immediate and intense focus on the case threatens his tranquil Catalina Island idyll as new father and husband. His wife, Graciela, views his work as inviting darkness into their lives, while McCaleb sees it as a crusade against darkness. Bosch's attitude is more sardonic. Having once arrested the victim for the murder of a prostitute but unable to make the charge stick, Bosch would as soon congratulate the killer as arrest him, an attitude which reinforces the horrifying profile McCaleb is compiling. The artfully constructed murder scene points to Bosch himself, whose motive - vigilante justice - is plain. The prime witness in another murder case - an arrogant Hollywood producer accused of the murder of an aspiring young actress and suspected of another - Bosch spends his time tracking down reluctant witnesses and shoring up the prosecution's shaky case. Alone and cynical, it's almost possible to believe he's crossed the line into darkness. Though intricate and diabolical, the plot is ultimately incredible. But this takes little from the reader's enjoyment. Connelly's attention to forensic detail, character and setting, his well-developed portrait of depravity and his assured writing successfully drive the story, no doubt to Connelly's next stop on the bestseller list.
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Summary: Dark and edgy, but the mystery isn't too hard to figure out
Review: "A Darkness More Than Night" (the title comes from a line in a novel by Raymond Chandler, who was Connelly's inspiration for becoming a writer) is Michael Connelly's 10th novel. Six of the first nine star LAPD detective Harry Bosch; one of the other three ("Blood Work") stars Terry McCaleb, a former FBI agent forced into retirement by heart disease necessitating a transplant. Although Bosch and McCaleb had worked together before, offscreen so to speak, "Darkness" brings them together in the same novel. McCaleb is happily retired from the serial killer profiling business, making a living from chartering fishing trips around Catalina Island in Southern California, when an LA Sheriff's Dept. deputy friend of his comes to him for his help on a strange murder. (In case you are wondering, the Sheriff's Department is a county agency; it polices the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Crimes within L.A. city limits fall within the jurisdiction of the LAPD.) Against his wife's wishes, McCaleb agrees to take a look. He comes across a clue that the sheriff's deputies missed the first time, and that clue leads him into a whole new area of investigation that eventually points at . . . Harry Bosch. Some of Connelly's mysteries contain what for me were stunning twists -- "The Concrete Blonde" and "Trunk Music" come to mind. "Darkness," on the other hand, proved to be relatively easy to figure out about 100 pages before the end of the novel. Nevertheless, it's still a gripping read. Most of Connelly's books are dark and edgy, but the darkness and edginess are even more palpable in this book. McCaleb's investigation takes him (and the reader) into a very grim Renaissance age painter, the owl as a symbol of evil, and an unnervingly cocky defendant in a media circus trial. One of the most interesting things about "Darkness" for readers who've read the Bosch novels is the glimpse of what Bosch comes across like to someone else. The encounters between McCaleb and Bosch -- not the first one, but the ones after that -- are fascinating and point to the difference between the two men: especially Bosch's "avenging angel" nature. Another interesting thing about this book (and many of Connelly's others) is the way that he weaves in facts and characters from earlier books. Readers of "Void Moon" who wonder what happened to Cassie Black's parole officer (Thelma) find out here. It's just a throwaway paragraph, but it's a nice touch. In summary, Connelly is a consistently good writer, and "Darkness" doesn't disappoint, even if it telegraphs the solution to the mystery a little too early. It's still satisfying to the end.
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