Dark Sacred Night

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Christine Lakin, Titus Welliver

In this thrilling novel from New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch teams up with LAPD Detective Renée Ballard to face the unsolved murder of a runaway, and the fight to bring a killer to justice.​
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).

Critic reviews

"Dark 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 Journal

"Spectacular...Dark Sacred Night is ingenious, frantically suspenseful, and very, very, bleak."—Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post

"Michael 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 Today

"It 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 Weekly

"LAPD 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-Sentinel

"Michael 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-Times

"This one needs no introduction...Expect all the dark, brooding LA neo-noir you've come to appreciate from Connelly's superlative procedurals."—CrimeReads

"Superb...Once again, Connelly delivers an exciting police procedural, only this time with two unique characters."—Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Harry 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 Times

Please Stop The Madness

I love Bosch. Ballard? Meh. This is not Connelly’s best but it’s still a good one for the genre. But the audio! Oh my. For audio, double narration is simply an abomination. They are just slightly south of ensemble casts. If publishers are determined to force these on their customers, please offer a solid, single narrator option. Titus Welliver is typically excellent.

Flop

Could not get interested. To much Ballard and not enough Bosh. Listened to ten chapters and had enough. Put Ballard in her book and Bosh in his. Wasted a credit.

Another great book by Connelly...

For those complaining about the two narrators. It is fine just the way it is and does not effect the story.

Predictable but still fun!

This is like every other Bosch novel; predictable but fun anyway. Some parts were unrealistic, but if you are a fan, you won't mind.

Performance could be better.

I did not like how you switched between the two people reading the story. It would have been much better if the woman read the women's parts and the man read the man's parts instead of switching off for whole chapters.