Rating: 
Summary: RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE LAST COYOTE
Review: A Darkness More than Night draws you in on the first page and doesn't let you go until the last. You are drawn deep into the soul of Harry Bosch to view the good, the bad, and the ugly in this haunting book. Terry McCaleb is the perfect complement to Bosch's extremely complex character. He is drawn from retirement to help solve a baffling murder and the trail seems to lead in Bosch's direction. Not since The Last Coyote has there been such an intense Harry Bosch novel.
Rating:
Summary: RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE LAST COYOTE
Review: A Darkness More than Night draws you in on the first page and doesn't let you go until the last. You are drawn deep into the soul of Harry Bosch to view the good, the bad, and the ugly in this haunting book. Terry McCaleb is the perfect complement to Bosch's extremely complex character. He is drawn from retirement to help solve a baffling murder and the trail seems to lead in Bosch's direction. Not since The Last Coyote has there been such an intense Harry Bosch novel.
Rating:
Summary: Bosch and Cnonelly are back better than ever...
Review: After two weaker efforts, Angels Flight and Void Moon, Connelly is back with a vegenance here (in more ways than one). The story is tight and very noir. This is not happy story for either bosch or terry. It probes motive and explores the pysches of both burdened men. It has the usual brillant touches--a paragraph where Bosch sees Thelma from Void Moon going back to work--and a note about selling the TV and Movie rights to Blood Work. Jack McEvoy is here and still a bit sleazy (although his sleaze factor is no where near that of earlier reporters in this series). A bit outlandish at times, but overall a wonderful book that explores motives and behaviors of the good guys.
Rating: 
Summary: Less than the sum of its parts?
Review: Author Michael Connelly presents an intriguing premise: what if retired FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (from "Blood Work") were coaxed into working one more case - and his analysis led him to suspect LAPD detective Harry Bosch (from "Black Echo" and others) to be a murderer? Having both of these complex characters working interlocking cases in an atmosphere of increasing suspicion could make for a great book, but unfortunately here the whole is less than the sum of its parts. The author relies on the reader's recollection of previous books in the series rather than develop the characters, especially Bosch, in this book. The story is told mostly from McCaleb's perspective, though several chapters are devoted to Bosch as he prepares to testify in a trial happening at the same time as McCaleb's investigation. The relevance of the trial becomes clear in time, but it is too bad that a character as interesting as Bosch is given so little to do in this story. As the plot threads begin to come together, the suspense increases and there are some interesting twists toward the end. All in all this was an enjoyable and quick read, but not up to Connelly's usual high standard.
Rating:
Summary: a bit too clever and tidy
Review: Connelly is a good writer but, as in THE POET, the plot is a little too contrived/clever for its own good. The opening scenes of McCaleb grudgingly accepting the case were a little too reminiscent of Will Graham in the beginning of Harris' RED DRAGON. Also, McCaleb was too quick to accept Bosch as the killer of Gunn (If Bosch was the killer, why would he leave such elaborate clues pointing to himself? And why didn't Bosch, or someone else, point this out to him?). The ending wraps everything up a little too neatly and conveniently for my taste and, at 470 pages, this novel could probably have benefited from a little trimming here and there. Finally, would the real killer(s) have had the intelligence and ability to concoct such an elaborate murder scene? Not a bad novel, but not worthy of the high praise it has garnered.
Rating: 
Summary: Michael Connelly is a genious
Review: I am surging through the Bosch series and loving every minute of it.
First, this book would probably get very low reviews if the reader hasn't read the previous ones.
For those who have been reading the series, I think you will love this one. Connelly has a gift of pulling from previous books and developing top notch plots. This book has Harry in the midst of a trial against an arrogant Hollywood show-off. McCaleb, from Blood Works, is asked to look at a murder book on a victim who Bosch knows well. McCaleb is lead down a road where Bosch becomes a prime suspect. The 2 plots then come together at the end.
I really liked the reference to the painter Bosch's pieces. I found them very interesting.
This story kept me on the edge...I was pleased with the resolution, however, the only thing that puzzled me was the ending. I had to read the last 2 pages to figure out if there was something I missed....I hope I didn't.
Rating:
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.
Rating:
Summary: Not Enough Bosch
Review: I'm a great fan of Michael Connelly's and would recommend the Harry Bosch books to anyone who likes a good detective novel. It's obvious that Connelly has read Chandler and read him closely, and while he can't reach the heights that Chandler did, Connelly gives Hollywood a dark and tawdry glamor. Bosch is an interesting character, sometimes traced back to "Dirty Harry" Callahan, but Bosch has been enriched and rounded out over the novels that precede "A Darkness More Than Night." Bosch is willing to break all the silly procedural rules and he's dogged in pursuit of the truth, but from the beginning a reader knows there's no real cruelty in Bosch. Anger, yes; impatience, yes; short-sightedness, yes. But no real cruelty. So anyone familiar with the earlier Bosch books would have trouble accepting the premise that Harry has crossed over to the dark side and taken to executing criminals. Anyone familiar with the reputation of Terry McCaleb, master profiler, would have trouble accepting the premise that McCaleb would easily embrace the idea of Bosch's transformation. Yet that's precisely the situation that we're faced with in "A Darkness More than Night." Speaking for myself, I didn't find McCaleb that interesting in the earlier "Blood Works," and I was less impressed with him here. McCaleb is almost as whiny as his wife, Graciela. Glad to see the new heart's working out, but it's hard to believe this man was ever a crack FBI agent. Perhaps the immuno-suppressive drugs have eroded McCaleb's intuitive capabilities. So--this book has too much meandering McCaleb and not nearly enough Harry. The ending, too, with a moment of weak-kneed insight for each major character, is no way to end a hard-boiled police procedural. Connelly's weaker offering is still better than the average writer's best. But I hope in the future he leaves McCaleb parked out on Catalina and gets Harry back on the streets of Hollywood.
Rating:
Summary: Quick Summer Entertainment from Connelly
Review: I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but (as a mystery reader) I had the outcome of this book figured out about 100 pages into it. I had read "Blood Work" and "Last Coyote", so was happily familiar with both Terry McCaleb and Harry Bosch as characters, and with Michael Connelly as an author.
Despite thinking ahead to the resolution, I was compelled to finish by Connelly's crisp writing about some good, solid detective work. (Even though I do feel the references to Bosch, the painter, were contrived, I guess suspending one's imaginative boundaries allows for fiction in the first place.)
For a quick summer read, people could do lots worse than Connelly. And even if you know where it's headed, there are some nice twists and turns along the way to keep you motivated.
Rating:
Summary: The colliding of two great characters
Review: In A Darkness More than Night Michael Connelly combines two of his greatest characters, Harry Bosch and Terry McCaleb. In this book, you're not sure who you like more. In an ironic twist of fate, Bosch is the main suspect in a murder that McCaleb is investigating as a favor for an old friend. And if that weren't enough, Bosch is in the middle of an important trial, where his testimony could make or break the case and puts the responsibility of a killer punished or set free on his shoulders. With two suspenseful stories playing out, with characters we know and love, this book proves yet again Connelly's talent for writing. As of yet, I haven't been able to guess an ending yet- he keeps you on your toes! I enjoyed this book, as I've enjoyed all that came before it from Connelly. The only thing that was a little strange, was that it seemed Connelly had a hard time juggling the two characters and giving them equal time in the book. In a book that is considered part of the "Harry Bosch" series, it really was more about McCaleb and that left a little of a bad taste in my mouth. Even though I enjoy both characters, Bosch is still my favorite and I was looking forward to a book that again, focuses more on him and I didn't quite feel I got that. However, that's the only let down, BUT surprisingly, I did begin enjoy getting to know McCaleb more and more through out this book. I do hope Connelly writes another one featuring him, I just think it might be better though to keep the two characters separate and give them each their own stage.
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