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Dark Sacred Night: A Ballard and Bosch Novel    by Michael Connelly Amazon.com order for
Dark Sacred Night
by Michael Connelly
Order:  USA  Can
Little, Brown & Co., 2018 (2018)
Hardcover, CD, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Michael Connelly's Bosch has long been one of my favorite lawmen, up there with James Lee Burke's Robichaux, Rankin's Inspector Rebus, and Nesbø's Harry Hole. They all go their own way, clash with authority, and tend to be their own worst enemies - but get the job done.

Bosch fans have a rare treat in store in Dark Sacred Night. It teams Harry (now with the San Fernando PD) with another very talented and determined LAPD detective, young Renee Ballard (introduced in The Late Show). Renee was relegated from an elite posting to the night beat after she complained about her formal lieutenant's sexual assault. I really like Renee, a surfer, whose home is a tent on the beach.

Renee bumps into Harry one night when she finds him digging into old file cabinets. As often happens, Harry can't let go of a cold case, the murder of fifteen-year-old runaway, Daisy Clayton, whose brutalized body was left in a dumpster. When Renee reads what's in the files, she sees 'a sexual predator hiding behind the words and reports' and wants in. Soon, Renee and Harry are both (unofficially) working the case.

Harry's day job involves a gang murder - when a key witness is murdered, it seems that the department has 'sprung a leak'. Harry is threatened and has a very close call, leading to a heart stopping race against time to save him - yes, you guessed it, led by Renee. He has his turn to help her later, when they catch the serial killer who's been preying on young women for a very long time.

Renee, her dog Lola, and Harry make a most effective team, and I'm looking forward to more joint investigations. Don't miss Dark Sacred Night!

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