A Darkness More Than Night    by Michael Connelly Order:  USA  Can Warner, 2002 (2001) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson I have enjoyed reading the author's Harry Bosch series in the past, and also appreciated the additional protagonists he introduced in Blood Work and The Poet. The former featured ex-FBI profiler Terry McCaleb, investigating the death of a woman who, not so coincidentally, ended up as the donor for his heart transplant. The latter starred reporter Jack McEvoy. The author brings all three protagonists together in A Darkness More Than Night, though Jack has only a minor role this time. Harry is on center stage as the chief investigator and key witness in the high-profile murder trial of film director David Storey. Harry has a secondary role in this story, which brings Terry out of retirement once more, to the dismay of his wife Graciela - she feels that their life together and new baby daughter should be enough for him. Terry is asked to profile the scene of the murder of Edward Gunn, a small-time criminal in whom Harry had an interest stemming from an old investigation into a prostitute's murder (Harry's mother was herself a murdered prostitute). Items at the scene (an owl and text in Latin) lead Terry to the dark painter Hieronymus Bosch, and the suspicion that the modern detective who shares that name might have succumbed to his own dark side, which has always been apparent to colleagues (and to Connelly's readers). Harry soon clues in that he is being investigated and, despite their past mutual respect, Harry and Terry end up as adversaries. There is also a very real danger that a revelation of this investigation could compromise the case against David Storey, and so release a serial killer back into society. I enjoyed A Darkness More Than Night very much, though the tale was tied up just a little too easily at the end. It developed Terry's character and paved the way for us to see more of him. It also explored the boundary between the manipulations of those who commit crimes and those who investigate them. As McCaleb says 'You don't go into the darkness without the darkness going into you'. It will be interesting to see how his character develops. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews