Rating: 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.
Rating: Summary: An entertaining read Review: Not as complicated as some of Connellys novels but a very enjoyable plot. Part of the ending you can see coming but true to form the author leaves the reader some surprises. I rate by should I wait for the paperback or buy the hardcover and I am happy I bought the hardcover. Feel comfortable shelling out the dough; you'll be happy.
Rating: Summary: How well do you know Harry Bosch? Review: By now those of us who are regular Connelly readers reckon we know the character of Harry Bosch pretty well, and finding him suspected of a gruesome murder makes for a jarring but not completely implausible premise. We know already that he can be violent, but could he have done this? Finding out whether Connelly agreed with my answer was half the fun of this novel, which also develops the character of Terry McCaleb, previously seen in Blood Work. With both of Connelly's master creations in the same story, one fears that the plot has been designed merely to be as marketable as possible, but in fact it's as entertaining and fast-paced as any in the series. This far in, the Bosch series is starting to recycle plots as well as characters, so I for one hope Michael Connelly continues to experiment as he did in the enormously enjoyable Void Moon. I don't think this is his best book, but even so it's better than almost any of his competitors.
Rating: Summary: Major Disappointment Review: Having read all of Michael Connelly's books, some of them more than once, I was looking forward to this one because he was teaming his characters McCaleb and Bosch for the first time. What I didn't know was that he'd come up with the ludicrous idea of having McCaleb think Bosch was guilty of murder, perhaps even being a serial killer! Those of us who've read this series know Harry Bosch has got a lot of flaws, but deep-seated psychosis isn't one of them. So, the book just didn't ring true for me and completely lacked any suspense. Bosch and McCaleb would've been better served if Connelly'd had them tracking a serial killer together, instead of Bosch trying to prove his innocence. Plus the references to Connelly's other books (Poet and Void Moon) were disconcerting. Reread The Black Echo or The Concrete Blonde and hope Connelly returns to form with the next book.
Rating: Summary: Well-done! Review: I enjoyed Terry McCaleb's character far more in this book than in "Blood Work." Mr. Connolly does a spiffy job of taking us through the profiler's logic and thought processes, and he somehow manages to keep track of minutiae that would send most authors screaming for Prozac. The only flaw that I see in this book is an arguable one: This was really a McCaleb story, far more so than a Harry Bosch story. And the fact is, for me, Harry remains a far more intriguing character than McCaleb. So I give this book 4 stars instead of 5, only because I wanted more Bosch! (For a 5-star Bosch story, "Angels Flight" is the one to read.)
Rating: Summary: AN MAGNIFICENT MICHAEL CONNELLY NOVEL! Review: "A Darkness More Than Night" features Harry Bosch (Trunk Music, Angels Flight, Black Ice) and Terrance McCaleb (Blood Work) as the main "detectives". These two are great characters to read about. Terrance McCaleb is enjoying his retirement on Catalina Island, California. He loves spending time with his wife, Graciela, and his new born baby. The good times end when he gets a surprise visit from an old police colleague asking for his help in a murder case. A man named Edward Gunn, has been brutally murdered. The police cannot find the killer. They are stumped! Terrance goes to the scene and starts investigating. As he looks at the pictures that the police took, he discovers that there is an owl decoy planted on a dresser looking down at the victim. When Terrance gets to the scene, he discovers that the owl is stolen. He thinks that the owl could be the killer's trademark, and he goes on the look for it. Terrance then links the owl to gothic and evil painting done by people who perceive owls as evil. As Terrance travels to museums to see what artist uses owls, he finds that the main artist that uses owls is Hiernonymous Bosch, aka Harry Bosch! The detective Harry Bosch was named after the painter! Terrance starts to believe that Harry Bosch has been setup for the murder of Edward Gunn. Unfortunately, some other people believe that Harry is the killer. Harry Bosch is in the courtroom testifying against a man named David Storey. Harry knows that David has killed a young woman, and he must use his police tactics to prove to the jury that David is a guilty man. As Terrance and Bosch hook up to try and prove Bosch's innocense, they find a disturbing link between David Storey and Edward Gunn. This is probably Michael Connelly's best novel yet. It is a must read for Connelly fans and for all suspense fans. Don't be left in the dark, read "A Darkness More Than Night." Brad Stonecipher
Rating: Summary: MASTERFUL SUSPENSE WITH FAMILIAR CHARACTERS Review: Michael Connelly outdoes even his magnificant reputation with A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT. A cast of characters from his previous works team up for a near perfect mystery. Terry McAleb (Blood Work) is asked by Jay Winston to investigate a grisly murder that looks to be the first in an eventual series. Through his gritty detective work and outstanding profiling his pegs a sure fired suspect.....the problem is that the suspect is the infamous Harry Bosch (Black Echo, Angel's Flight, etc.....). Each piece of evidence points to Bosch and throughout the book the reader is forced to ask "Did Bosch go over the edge?". All the while, Bosch himself is in the middle of a tedious trial of a Hollywood murder. Other familiar characters in the Connelly world show up including reporter Jack Mcevoy (The Poet). Therefore it may help to have read previous Connelly novels to gain the full efect of this work. The book is a non stop piece of intrigue. Once picked up it beckons the reader to keep going until the masterful ending. There are no dull moments and the characters of Bosch and McAleb feed off of eachother. There are bad guys worthy of your spite and good guys with the weaknesses that are a Conelly trademark. Is Bosch a fallen heroe? Has McAleb missed the mark on this profile? Will the killer strike again? All of these questions run through the course of the brilliant five star fiction.
Rating: Summary: Loved It Review: I waited anxiously for two of my favorite fictional characters to be together against crime and I was not disappointed. The story was predicatable in a good way and unpredictable at times. To be outside of Harry Bosch's mind for most of the book was frustratingly interesting. Definately a great ride-especially for Michael Connelly fans.
Rating: Summary: character studies artist to explain character Review: Recently several popular authors have created new characters and moved away from focusing on their original creations.(eg. Robert Parker, Robert Crais) Connelly takes three characters from earlier books and has them interact in this page-turner. We get a very different look at Harry Bosch in this mystery. Connelly's stories are getting smoother, with less heavy handed plotting, with each outing. His books are among the best of the genre being created today. Come into the dark.
Rating: Summary: Fabulous .There are no words to decribe how great this book Review: Though retired due to medical reasons and happily married with a new baby in his family, former FBI profiler Terry McCaleb agrees to help the LAPD on a difficult murder case. Most of society would agree that the killing of Edward Gunn is no loss, but Terry and cohorts conduct a professional investigation anyway. This homicide and others very similar appear to be the work of a serial killer. Terry concludes that the killer seeks vengeance and knows his paintings as the deliberate clues left at the murder scene come from the works of Dutch master Hieronymous Bosch. The profile Terry draws up fits Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch, an associate on previous joint investigations. Adding to the picture is that Harry unsuccessfully once tried to put Gunn away for first degree murder. Has Harry taken the law into his on hands or is a killer so devious and cunning he can manipulate two old law enforcement pros into becoming enemies? Michael Connelly takes his two best characters, McCaleb (see BLOOD WORK) and Bosch (see THE BLACK ICE) and converges them as foes in a serial killer police procedural tale. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action though several references and other characters from other Connelly novels dot the landscape. That technique should please the author's die hard fans, but to many readers this seems more like an over-Spielberg gimmick that takes away from the prime confrontation. Still, DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT is a clever who-done-it starring two strong opponents whose personalities not only shine, but will send readers seeking their previous starring roles. Harrriet Klausmer
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