Harry Bosch teams up with LAPD detective Renée Ballard to solve the murder of a young girl in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.
Detective Renée Ballard is working the night beat -- known in LAPD slang as "the late show" -- and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours 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 can't let him go through department records, but when he leaves, she looks into the case herself and feels a deep tug of empathy and anger. She has never been the kind of cop who leaves the job behind at the end of her shift -- and she wants in.
The murder, unsolved, was of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a runaway on the streets of Hollywood who was brutally killed, her body left in a dumpster like so much trash. Now Ballard joins forces with Bosch to find out what happened to Daisy, and to finally bring her killer to justice. Along the way, the two detectives forge a fragile trust, but this new partnership is put to the test when the case takes an unexpected and dangerous turn.
Dark Sacred Night for the first time brings together these two powerhouse detectives in a riveting story that unfolds with furious momentum. And it shows once more why "there's no doubt Connelly is a master of crime fiction" (Associated Press).
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"In this book, the long-running series about detective Harry Bosch merges with newcomer, Renee Ballard (The Late Show). Since Harry has burned bridges with most every law enforcement agency, it makes sense that he teams up with a young and upcoming detective with LAPD. As with most Connelly books, there are multiple stories weaved throughout. The main thread is the story of a young woman murdered 9 years prior, with Bosch and Ballard picking up the cold trail. A must read for fans of Connelly."
— Skyler (5 out of 5 stars)
“Bosch…is a grizzled veteran by now…but fans always finish eager to come back for more.”
— Entertainment Weekly“Christine Lakin skillfully performs the chapters written from Ballard’s point of view, and Titus Welliver returns to confidently narrate Bosch’s chapters…In the epilogue, Ballard and Bosch have an actual dialogue—a moment that suggests listeners will be hearing more from the pair as a team. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile"Dark Sacred Night is one of the best and most affecting Bosch novels…underscoring the growing and unsettling ambiguity surrounding its central character.”
— Wall Street Journal“Connelly hits his stride. He’s always been especially good when it comes to truly creepy killers—he was once a crime reporter—and his denouement here is thrilling.”
— USA Today“Welliver’s Harry Bosch, speaking in deep, rich tones, contrasts nicely with Lakin’s softer, restrained voicing of Reneé Ballard, as the two investigators team up to work a cold case in this stunning recording.”
— Booklist (starred audio review)“[An] outstanding, complex police procedural…Bosch and Ballard…form a perfect partnership in this high spot of Edgar-winner Connelly’s long and distinguished career.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“The author’s gift to the genre is his experience as a police reporter in both Florida and LA; his intricate plots are grounded in grit, humanity and telling detail.”
— Los Angeles Times, praise for the Harry Bosch seriesDark Sacred Night is one of the best and most affecting Bosch novels since Mr. Connelly began the saga in 1992, underscoring the growing and unsettling ambiguity surrounding its central character.
— Tom Nolan, Wall Street JournalSpectacular...Dark Sacred Night is ingenious, frantically suspenseful, and very, very, bleak.
— Maureen Corrigan, Washington PostMichael Connelly is superhuman...His hallmark has been his precise, faultless plotting...Connelly has always been especially good when it comes to truly creepy killers-he was once a crime reporter-and his denouement here is thrilling.
— Charles Finch, USA TodayIt was only last year that Connelly introduced Ballard, a fierce and fascinating new protagonist who instantly emerged as a reader favorite. Bosch, meanwhile, is a grizzled veteran by now; Dark Sacred Night marks the 21st novel to center on him. But fans always finish eager to come back for more.
— David Canfield, Entertainment WeeklyLAPD Det. Renée Ballard, first seen in 2017's The Late Show, makes a welcome return in this outstanding, complex police procedural...Bosch and Ballard, both outsiders with complicated pasts, form a perfect partnership in this high spot of Edgar-winner Connelly's long and distinguished career.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)Det. Renée Ballard is a formidable character, an insightful and tenacious investigator with an unusual background and a sturdy personality to carry a series...Connelly has achieved success as one of the top mystery writers by continuing to keep his storytelling fresh. In The Late Show, he delivers an exciting police procedural with a unique character.
— Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-SentinelMichael Connelly has earned his place in the pantheon of great crime fiction writers by creating characters people care about and are eager to come back to. In Dark Sacred Night, he brings together two of his best...Here's hoping we don't have to wait long for another Ballard and Bosch novel.
— Paul Saltzman, Chicago Sun-TimesThis one needs no introduction...Expect all the dark, brooding LA neo-noir you've come to appreciate from Connelly's superlative procedurals.
— CrimeReadsSuperb...Once again, Connelly delivers an exciting police procedural, only this time with two unique characters.
— Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-SentinelHarry Bosch has had plenty of partners, but he might have met his match...Both face complicated challenges to their personal ethics, challenges born not out of greed or fear but of their burning desire to make things right. Through it all, they challenge each other. Ballard brings a fresh perspective, and Bosch brings all the things so many readers love about him.
— Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay TimesOf the myriad things Connelly does superbly as a crime writer, perhaps one of the least heralded is his ability to bring characters together from different series...A guaranteed chart-topper.
— Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)Few writers can capture the gritty streets of L.A.--and the inner workings of the LAPD--like Connelly.
— Entertainment WeeklyThe most intriguing mystery in The Late Show is Ballard herself. Connelly is too skillful to hand us her resume in one document dump; instead, he fills out her portrait with a subtle hand over the course of the novel, a little background here, a glimpse of her temperament there, the revelation of her unusual living conditions sketched in between.
— Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times" The first of the teaming of Renee Ballard & Harry Bosch another great read. The 2 narrators are both good but Christine Lakin doing the voice of Harry Bosch just doesn''t work that well. "
— Barney, 1/21/2021" This is a nice story, with enough twists to keep the reader interested. Good read, typical of Michael Connely's work. "
— sophia, 12/8/2018Michael Connelly, author of suspense thriller and detective mysteries, was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2023. He has written several #1 New York Times bestsellers and numerous titles that made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. He has won most every award given in the mystery and thriller genres, including the Anthony Award for Best Novel and the Barry Award for Best Novel. He is a former newspaper reporter who also won numerous awards for his journalism.
Christine Lakin is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and acclaimed television actress, best known for her roles as Alicia “Al” Lambert on the hit family comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc on Showtime’s Reefer Madness.
Titus Welliver, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an actor best known for his starring role as Harry Bosch on the Bosch television series, as well as roles in the television’s Deadwood, Lost, Sons of Anarchy, and The Good Wife. He has also starred in numerous movies, including Argo, Man on a Ledge, Gone Baby Gone, and The Town.