Rating: 
Summary: Tight, Tense, and Suspenseful.....
Review: Detective Merci Rayborn is smart, talented, ambitious, and also very rough around the edges. By Sheriff Department standards she's pretty unpopular, and does not work or play well with others. Retired detective, Tim Hess, has seen it all and then some during his forty plus years on the job. Three times divorced and fighting lung cancer, he's back on the payroll as a full-time consultant. He needs the benefits. This unlikely, mismatched team is hand picked to catch the "Purse Snatcher", a serial killer who abducts attractive women from Orange County malls, leaving behind only their purses and lots of blood in remote locations. With no bodies or other forensic evidence, and very little else to go on, Hess and Rayborn dig deep, working every conceivable angle to draw this killer out in the open, and hopefully push him to make a mistake..... T Jefferson Parker has written a masterpiece of suspense that grabs you from page one and never lets go. The writing is crisp, vivid, and intelligent, and the dialogue rings true. His intricate and compelling plot cleverly twists and turns, keeping the reader off-balance and guessing, and is filled with intense, riveting scenes. Mr Parker's indepth knowledge of Southern California, law enforcement, and police procedures adds real credibility to the story. But it's his brilliant characterizations that make this thriller stand out and sparkle. These are well defined, real people, sometimes heroic and well-meaning, often flawed and chasing their own internal demons, and Parker breathes life into even the most minor of characters. The Blue Hour is the first book of a superb series that just gets better with each installment, and those who have not yet met Merci Rayborn should begin here, at the beginning, and read them all.
Rating: 
Summary: This is how mystery books must be written
Review: I just finished the book and I have to conclude it was a good read. The main characters are Vess(the old and experienced) and Merci (the unexperienced hard) in chase of the purse snatcher. The purse snatcher leaves a pool of blood on the crime scene with no futher evidence. It hunts on young females in malls and make them his prey. Pick it up if your a real mystery reader.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!
Review: I typically get all fired up and write a review on a book I can't stand. I'm finally writing one for a book I loved. This is one marvelous read. It works wonderfully as a thriller but it's the depth of the characters that really makes this a special book. On top of that Parker has a great way of creatively moving the story along that keeps you guessing right up to the end. Merci Rayborn's character is not very likeable yet she never becomes annoying. She's argumentative and abrasive and completely tactless and non political but the truth is that I know many people just like that...including me! She often say's just what I had been thinking. I was hoping that she would grow up a little bit and be less self absorbed, sort of my wish for myself as well. I found this book after discoving T Jefferson Parker with Silent Joe, which I also loved, and I've become a confirmed fan! He is truly gifted and it'll be fun to continue reading his books.
Rating:
Summary: Unique police duo and terrific plot make this a winner
Review: In this police procedural, the partner combo of young, ambitious, abrasive Merci Rayborn and retired, insightful Tim Hess make a terrific partnership. Merci has planned out her path to being police chief but this plan was interrupted by her lawsuit charging sexual harassment by her former partner. This assignment, to track down a henious serial killer who leaves behind only the purses of the women he abducts and supposedly kills,may be Rayborn's last chance to redeem herself on the force. Hess is also familiar with last chances as he is undergoing chemotherapy for pervasive lung cancer and his call back from retirement is another chance for him as well. This unlikely duo really works and complements each other. It is really fascinating to see how the veteran Hess deduces what the killer is doing with the phantom bodies and how both Rayborn and Hess track down the clues. Meanwhile we are led on several false goose chases where the killer is supposedly revealed. Hess also mentors Rayborn to be more insightful and less compulsive, something really needed as she is a very unlikable person. A relationship develops between the two and comes into play when one of them is threatened by the killer. The ending is exciting and unusual, to say the least, but satisfying. I look forward to reading more of this series.
Rating:
Summary: Mastery of the written word abounds
Review: in this serial killer mystery. Parker has such great definition of the characters and such mastery ot the plot that it becomes impossible to put it down. Tim Hess and Merci Rayborn are at different ends of the spectrum in emotions and temperment.She is young with much to learn...he is older and has learned too much of life which colors his attitude but also makes him much more knowledgeable,patient and understanding. At the time of the killings he is fighting a caner, and one cannot help but fight with him. I felt all along that a romance would and should happen between the two.Sorry but you must read it to find out. Parker's knowledge of the many facets of the law and criminology add zest to the story and I find him fascinating as well as his characters,Tim and Merci. The ending is suberb and soooo unexpected and that in itself is refreshing. Thanks for a great read..I will read Red Light next..then Silent Joe..and on to the newest Merci adventure.
Rating:
Summary: a good murder mystery/police drama that makes you think
Review: It was hard for me to decide whether to give this book four stars or five. The strong story and suspense as well as the drama which unfolded between two unlikely police partners in a search for a serial killer was about as good as one would expect from the genre. The reason I finally decided to give this book four stars instead of five however, was because I really was not very fond of one of the main characters (Merci). Merci is a tough ambitious police woman who is partnered with a semi-retired hard-boiled cop (Tim Hess) who is dieing of cancer. I think the relationship between Merci and Tim is believable. But I just didn't find Merci very likable because it seemed as though she was just driven by rage and hate (nothing more). People like her undoubtedly exist in the real world (I've met some like her). I'll even go so far as to say that under some circumstances, I've had some characteristics of Merci. The story revolves around the relationship between Merci and Tim but the main theme is the search for a serial killer called the purse snatcher who kills young women (attractive professional types) and drains all of the blood out of their bodies. The story moves relatively fast with a number of suspects and leads being interrogated by the police. I thought however that it was easy to figure out who the killer was. I figured out who the killer was very early, but assumed later that the author wouldn't make it so easy for readers to figure it out, but it was.
Rating:
Summary: a good murder mystery/police drama that makes you think
Review: It was hard for me to decide whether to give this book four stars or five. The strong story and suspense as well as the drama which unfolded between two unlikely police partners in a search for a serial killer was about as good as one would expect from the genre. The reason I finally decided to give this book four stars instead of five however, was because I really was not very fond of one of the main characters (Merci). Merci is a tough ambitious police woman who is partnered with a semi-retired hard-boiled cop (Tim Hess) who is dieing of cancer. I think the relationship between Merci and Tim is believable. But I just didn't find Merci very likable because it seemed as though she was just driven by rage and hate (nothing more). People like her undoubtedly exist in the real world (I've met some like her). I'll even go so far as to say that under some circumstances, I've had some characteristics of Merci. The story revolves around the relationship between Merci and Tim but the main theme is the search for a serial killer called the purse snatcher who kills young women (attractive professional types) and drains all of the blood out of their bodies. The story moves relatively fast with a number of suspects and leads being interrogated by the police. I thought however that it was easy to figure out who the killer was. I figured out who the killer was very early, but assumed later that the author wouldn't make it so easy for readers to figure it out, but it was.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine introduction to Mr. Parker
Review: it's surprising that i've never heard of parker before june of 2000. but blue hour kept me awake for a couple of days while i finished reading. so many novels these days deal with the same subjects--law-room dramas, murder mysteries, techno-thrillers, super viruses, and the impending destruction of the human race. blue hour stands out a bit because of parker's characterization. little details about merci rayborn and tim hess kept me interested in what would happen to them. at first glance the may-december romance between these two characters seemed a bit contrived--how many times do we read (or see in movies/television) that a much older man catches the heart of a young woman so easily? but by the end of the book, hess had charmed me enough that i believed. merci rayborn's tough-girl act also had me rolling my eyes at times--not because it seemed false, but because it was so real. to use a worn phrase: i felt i knew her.
Rating:
Summary: FLAWLESS READING
Review: Parker's a master of suspense, and he reminds us of that again in his seventh California set adventure. This time out a maniacal serial killer is menacing a pleasant beach community. Our hero, Tim Hess, a retired, divorced cop who is fighting a personal battle with cancer, and gorgeous but pesky Detective Merci Rayborn join forces to track down the madman. Their task is uniquely formidable because there are no bodies - only the women's purses lying in blood.
This explosive thriller with its surprise ending is made even more enthralling by the flawless delivery of accomplished actor McGonagle.
Rating:
Summary: An Odd Couple
Review: T. Jefferson Parker's The Blue Hour captures two unusual police detectives at work on a series of murders. Tim Hess is an old school cop, recovering from cancer surgery, aware his days are numbered. Mercy Rayborn is today's policewoman. She is young, energetic, ambitious, and, some say, ruthless. Her career is mapped out clearly ahead of her, date by date for future promotion after future promotion are already inscribed firmly on her heart. The developing relationship between Hess and Rayborn is perhaps the facet of this thriller I most enjoyed. Mr. Parker spins his usual complicated plot, and my native Orange County is captured perfectly. Excellent book, and I plan to read his follow up, Red Light, soon.
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