A Darkness More than Night: Harry Bosch Series, Book 7

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is up to his neck in a case that has transfixed all of celebrity-mad Los Angeles: a movie director is charged with murdering an actress during sex, and then staging her death to make it look like a suicide. Bosch is both the arresting officer and the star witness in a trial that has brought the Hollywood media pack out in full-throated frenzy.

Meanwhile, Terry McCaleb is enjoying an idyllic retirement on Catalina Island when a visit from an old colleague brings his former world rushing back. It's a murder, the unreadable kind of murder he specialized in solving back in his FBI days. The investigation has stalled, and the sheriff's office is asking McCaleb to take a quick look at the murder book to see if he turns up something they've missed.

McCaleb's first reading of the crime scene leads him to look for a methodical killer with a taste for rituals and revenge. As his quick look accelerates into a full-sprint investigation, the two crimes - his murdered loner and Bosch's movie director - begin to overlap strangely. With one unsettling revelation after another, they merge, becoming one impossible, terrifying case, involving almost inconceivable calculation. McCaleb believes he has unmasked the most frightening killer ever to cross his sights. But his investigation tangles with Bosch's lines, and the two men find themselves at odds in the most dangerous investigation of their lives.

Don't miss Detective Harry Bosch on the case in these Michael Connelly crime fiction novels.

©2001 by Hieronymus, Inc., All Rights Reserved (P)2001 Time Warner AudioBooks, a Division of Time Warner Trade Publishing

Critic reviews

"[This] novel is...flawless, cleverly conceived, superbly plotted, and morally complex..." (Publishers Weekly)
"Connelly allows Bosch and McCaleb to regard each other critically in ways that sharpen the reader's perception of them..." (New Yorker)

Narrator is the worst ever

The book content is good. But, the narrator completely ruins it. His voice is extremely annoying -- starts sentences loudly and ends sentences in a barely audible mumble.

A Darkness More Than Night

I'm sure this is a good book--Michael Connelly is a major crime novel talent--but the reader, Richard M Davidson, is terrible. I could only bear listening to a couple of chapters, then I had to stop. Davidson's crude narration is like someone sightreading the 6:00 News rather than reading a story. And he mispronounces words. I will never purchase or listen to anything by this reader again.

Great story, but mispronunciations were annoying

Cabrillo does NOT rhyme with Brillo (as in Brillo pads). Cabrillo is a Spanish word--ca-bree-o. There were other words also mispronounced--it distracted from the story. Also, Harry was voiced as an old cop, with a gravelly voice--not in tune with prior audio books in this series.

Next narrator, please!

The story was OK, I found it entertaining, if not up to par for a Harry Bosch story. However, Mr. Davidson's narration was simply annoying. The reading sounded like an old 40's newsreel, which did not suit the genre or the story at all.

Terrific Pairing of Connelly's best Detectives.

For fans of Michael Connelly this book was a delight. Terry McCaleb back in a new book and the main suspect is Harry Bosch. Connelly did a masterful job of combining his two stars into one novel. The story is well written and full of twists and suspence. Definitely a book that deserves to be called a page turner.

Screams and Whispers

This book lost one star for its narration and one star for the ridiculous way that one of the suspects was profiled. I listened to the book primarily in my car and was constantly adjusting the volume to account for Davidson's screams and whispers. Maybe it wasn't the narrator's fault. Maybe the sound mixer should have done a better job. Either way, the frequent highs and lows were distracting and annoying. Pretend, if you will, that you're not an ex-president and you're name is Richard Nixon. If you were going to commit a crime would you leave a photograph of the Watergate Hotel at the crime scene? Or if you were trying to frame Mr. Nixon for a crime, would you leave a photo of the Watergate at the scene? Well the premise is similar in this book, although the connection is not as obvious. Even if you accept the premise then the more likely conclusion would be that someone was trying to frame Nixon. Not in the this book. If you can get past this and the narration, it was an otherwise enjoyable listen. This was my second Connelly book but my first McCaleb/Bosch listen. I'll try another with a different narrator.

Not As Good!

First off, Richard Davidson's reading comes as a shock! I was used to Dick Hill's powerfully nuanced interpretation of Harry Bosch and the Connelly ensembles of characters. Davidson's growling, one-dimensional performance is abrasive. He's just as annoying with his interpretation here of the legendary Terry McCaleb who Clint Eastwood created in his film portrayal.

Secondly, Connelly demands that we stretch our levels of disbelief to the point of tearing to make it over critical plot demands. I almost chucked things at how abruptly we were asked to accept the way Bosch's friends turned on him.

If not for the momentum this series has ignited in me, and the promise of a new reader in oncoming novels, I'd not have held on through the adequate ... but PREACHY... remainder of this novel.

I'm hoping the next in this series will repay the tenacity it took to finish... A Darkness More Than Night. Up until now, I owed Connelly for an entertaining series. Going into Peter Jay Fernandez's reading of the next... City Of Bones... We're even and I'm wondering if that will be my last visit to Harry Bosch's California...

Anchor Steam, strangulation, sinners and set-ups

A classic well-drawn West Coast cop thriller. A minor criticism is that it takes a while (from the cop perspective) for the penny to drop, straining credibility a little. This is the third Harry Bosch book I’ve listened to, and Michael Connelly certainly has a gift for creating interesting characters, using a crisp and effective writing technique. The narrator, Richard Davidson, does a great job, not only with the obligatory “tough guy” stuff, but also with the full range of characters.

Meh story, even worse narrator

Off the bat, in the prologue, you'll notice two things: this isn't structured like a typical Bosch novel and the narrator is subpar (especially on Bosch's voice).

The story is told half and half between a retired FBI guy Terry McCaleb and Bosch. You spend most of the novel wondering when things are going to get more consolidated and you get back in the seat with Bosch full time, but they don't, it never becomes a true Bosch novel and the plot remains split between two main characters.

On top of that, the plot is just ridiculous. I know Connelly likes to leave a little surprise for the ending, but this one was just sad. You could see it coming (the twist), but at the same time, it was so absurd and inconsequential that you had no idea what it was nor even really cared after it was revealed.

Definitely not one of Connelly's best works, and the narrator made it even worse.

Disappointing

This was by no means a bad book, but after reading the reviews I expected a little more from it. This was my first time reading about the Adventures of Harry Bosch, but as such I never really, truly cared about the characters. Sure, I had some vested interest, but even this hardly mattered.
My main complaint is the lack of things to keep the book going. Except for maybe a tiny bit in the beginning, and a tiny bit at the end, there was absolutely no action going on. A detective-type story has lots of potential for exciting scenes; this book rarely capitalized on that. Frankly, I just didn't find the investigation that exciting. There were only a select few times that I didn't find it easy to put the book down.
Overall, it's an average book. Not bad - it was enjoyable, after all - but nothing to tell a friend about either. There are better choices out there.

Excellent listen

After a slightly sluggish beginning I soon found myself totally hooked (making longer journeys in the car than necessary, offering to do the washing up, listening on runs). This is a really compelling listen - highly recommended.

Another great Harry Bosch thriller

Although this is a later title, it draws together a number of Connelly's characters from his other novels and fills in some of their back-stories. I like the way Connelly rounds-out the characters and it starts with two separate plots and two different detective genres - the private eye and the psychological profiler - both of which unfold in a very entertaining way and are eventually drawn together in a satisfying conclusion. Plenty of plot twists and turns and, as the title suggests, some dark secrets. Highly recommended.

Another good

Realy enjoyed it - took a while to get into it but once got going excellent.

Solid addition to the Bosch franchise

Another superior thriller from Michael Connolly. Excellent narration from Richard Davidson kept me involved in the story rather. Strangely might have been even better if I hadn't read any others in the series.

A Darkness More Than Night

Brilliant as ever. Michael Connelly is one of the best modern crime writers in my opionion.

Great story

Read some not so great reviews of this book but I dont see where they are coming from.
The story is excellent and enthralling. I thought the narration was great. This is probably my favourite Harry Bosch book so far.

Totally engaging

If you could sum up A Darkness More than Night: Harry Bosch Series, Book 7 in three words, what would they be?

Riveting, addictive, exciting

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both central characters are well presented but Bosch is definitely the star.

What about Richard M. Davidson’s performance did you like?

His performance is excellent. He differentiates between the characters and makes it a really exciting read. I don't understand why he has not been selected to read more fiction. First class!!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me want to listen to it even when I should have been doing other things!!

Boring... Performance weak

Would you try another book written by Michael Connelly or narrated by Richard M. Davidson?

I might, be will check it out first. But will avoid narrated by Richard Davidson, his voice is just... not adequate.

Has A Darkness More than Night: Harry Bosch Series, Book 7 put you off other books in this genre?

Yes.

What didn’t you like about Richard M. Davidson’s performance?

Tone, speed, everything really.

Any additional comments?

Disappointed after first 6 books from the Bosch series.

Another Great Story but I missed Dick Hill

Who was your favorite character and why?

It has to be Harry. Why get the book otherwise?

Did Richard M. Davidson do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

Richard M. Davidson did a great job of narrating the story and his characters were well delivered. Vocally though I prefer the way Dick Hill presents Harry's voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I found this book better when broken up over a week.

Any additional comments?

Harry fans be warned, a large amount of this one is dedicated to the investigation from Terry McCalebs side. That said, McCaleb is a good character and the interaction between him and Harry when the story gets going is worth the wait.

A darkness more than night

I'm sorry but I can't really say I enjoyed this book until virtually the conclusion. I found the first half quite boring, and it seemed to me that the author had 2 stories nearly told and then linked them together right at the end. The last quarter of the book was good though.