Now that I’ve started the Renée Ballard series, it feels easy to continue. This is the second book in the series, and also crosses over into the Harry Bosch series as well. In this one, though, Bosch actually appears. One highlight is that Titus Welliver – the actor who plays Bosch – narrates the Bosch chapters of the book, which was pretty fantastic as listening experiences go!
This book has the same feeling as the first book (and the Bosch books, if memory serves), and makes it feel like it’s always night time in the Ballard/Bosch world, even when it’s bright California sunshine. This impression is aided by Ballard’s continued position on The Late Show (what they call the night shift). In this one, we’re following the pair as they look into a cold case, the murder of a young woman called Daisy. This case is particularly personal to Bosch, who is currently letting Daisy’s mother stay with him.
Of course, the case crosses paths with other cases, and a tangled web ensues. While The Late Show had a fairly decent climax, and so does this one, personally I found the pacing in this book a bit more even, a bit faster, and a bit more engrossing than the first. I liked the character of Ballard in the first book, but the back-and-forth between Ballard and Bosch in this book pulls the plot along a bit faster and creates a great dynamic. He’s the older, retired cop, and she’s the young, slightly messed up, energetic and devoted detective still scrabbling for her position. The combination of the two is excellent. If you’re a fan of Bosch or of Connelly in general, this is definitely worth picking up!
LAPD Detective Renée Ballard teams up with Harry Bosch in the new thriller from #1 NYT bestselling author Michael Connelly.
Renée Ballard is working the night beat again, and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours only to find a stranger rifling through old file cabinets. The intruder is retired detective Harry Bosch, working a cold case that has gotten under his skin. Ballard kicks him out, but then checks into the case herself and it brings a deep tug of empathy and anger.
Bosch is investigating the death of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a runaway on the streets of Hollywood who was brutally murdered and her body left in a dumpster like so much trash. Now, Ballard joins forces with Bosch to find out what happened to Daisy and finally bring her killer to justice. – Goodreads
Book Title: Dark Sacred Night
Author: Michael Connelly
Series: Yes – Renée Ballard #2, Harry Bosch Universe #21
Edition: Audiobook
Published By: Little, Brown and Company/Audible
Released: October 30, 2018
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Dark
Pages: 433
Date Read: August 13-15, 2022
Rating: 6/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.17/5 (56,169 ratings)