A Darkness More Than Night (A Harry Bosch Novel, 7)

I've read all but two of Michael Connelly's books. I think he's a good writer, and through most of his work, I thought he was a good storyteller. Which is why I was unpleasantly surprised with A Darkness More Than Night.
I think this book is a cheat. Connelly presents a flawed premise, pads the middle of the book with a couple hundred pages of filler, and then creates an ending that is no surprise and doesn't even qualify for the term mystery. Connelly is a good writer, but even he couldn't pull this one off.
A recurring theme in Connelly's books is the "good" versus "evil" situation. He also likes his good guy characters to struggle with philosophical questions about the evil that men/women do and what it takes to bring these people to justice. Harry Bosch seems to fluctuate between good and evil to the extent that the guy is more schizophrenic in this book than he's been in any of the others. I would buy that if there were a good reason to make him such an undefinable character. But in this case, there wasn't a reason like that. For no reason other than Connelly apparently wanted to give Terry McCaleb something to do, Bosch becomes a suspect in a murder. And while lip service was given to the thought that an investigation of Bosch had better produce hard evidence that he did what McCaleb suspects he may have done, it seems to me that everyone had no problem believing that Bosch just suddenly decided to become a cold blooded murderer. Given everything readers of Connelly's books have been led to believe about Bosch up to this point, that just doesn't make any sense. 400 pages of fill doesn't make it any more credible a premise.
I held out until the very last page of this book hoping that Connelly could redeem himself with an ending that would salvage something from all the stuff following the beginning. In my opinion, that didn't happen. What's worse, one of the two main characters comes off as a crybaby.
The bottom line is that in an effort to maintain his strong sense of good versus evil, Connelly sacrifices realism. He presents two seasoned veterans of crime fighting, and he tells us that these two men have seen it all. So, if that's the case, how does one of them miss learning that life just isn't planted on that naive high moral ground that shows up at the end of the book? When I finished the last page and closed the book, I just wanted to tell Connelly to Grow Up.

When I was a young boy, the comic book business was at its hey day. You could buy a Giant comic on The Lone Ranger, one or two on the Green Lantern, one on Superboy, and get change from a dollar. At some point, the comic powers to be determined it would be more profitable to channel the virtues of the super heroes together. How hard would this be to believe? Not only did we live in a world with a Batman and his androgenous sidekick, his homeboy was Superman! And eventually, the three of them hooked up with Captain America!
The end result was, it didn't work. The heroes had certain virtues that when juxtaposed against ultimate evil, shone even more brightly. When they worked together, they seemed kind of silly.
That's what I found to be the case with A Darkness More Than Night. Connelly is a first rate author. There is no doubt about that. His Harry Bosch quartet, The Black Echo, The Black Ice, The Concrete Blond and The Last Coyote are first rate literature comparable to anything written by Chandler or Parker or Crais. The Poet, for other reasons, introduces Terry McCaleb and in it's own way, excels. Angels Flight, ditto. Void Moon, ditto. But in all those cases/stories, the hero lives and dies by his own wits.
In this case, we put McCaleb and Bosch together, and frankly, both end up the worse for wear. McCaleb makes an enormous mistake that one has the feeling a first year profiler wouldn't make. Bosch, on the other hand, comes off seedy, almost like a second rate gumshoe out of Spillane.
Additionally, I am beginning to find it tedious that all profilers are looked upon by their spouses as having to descend into the caverns of Hell in order to pay the rent. John Sandford does this in his Lucas Davenport series. Susan is always trying to talk Spenser out of matching wits with the bad guys, because somehow, I guess, it changes them and maybe, we are led to believe, in a parapsychological sort of way, the men they love will never come back.
Come on. This is Starksky and Hutch schtick. This is Chips. Graciela is crying in the dining room because Terry is going back. To where? Earn a living? Keep his job? We don't know, but we hope and pray he will be OK.
Finally, the first 130 pages were brutal. A struggle. Trying to get across the street. Swimming against the tide.
Skip this one. He's great but I was disappointed.

I have enjoyed other Connelly books (I would give Brass Verdict 5 stars) but this book makes leaps of judgment from scant evidence. Try other Connelly books, but pass on this one.

[...]. I'm a huge Connelly fan and it's my appreciation of his masterful writing that kept me from noting the missed opportunities while reading "A Darkness More Than Night". It's a great read when compared to the works of most other modern authors, but compared to the high standards that Connelly's other works have set for him, it sticks out as a (forgivable) misstep in the Harry Bosch timeline.

The initial idea of putting LAPD detective Bosch and FBI agent Terry McCaleb (introduced in the magnificent page-turner "Blood Work" - don't judge it by the lackluster movie) together on the same investigation is a great one. They exist as opposite sides of the law-and-order coin: Bosch's past has left him cynical to the point that he will pursue justice through any means, while McCaleb has found a new optimism through his second chance at a life and family. They maintain professional respect for each other while investigating related cases, but eventually their philosophies must collide. Along the way, each man also questions his own current belief set. These conflicts are the strongpoint of the book, but their examination comes too late and isn't handled with sufficient depth.

Instead, too much energy is devoted to weaving numerous other Connelly characters into the plot, and not always to great effect. For example, why force Jack McEvoy (the journalist from "The Poet") into the mix when established L.A. reporter Keisha Russell would have done just fine? Eventually, all of the crossovers [...] detract from the strengths that should have been the focus of the book. The introduction of characters from different book arcs is often used by authors as their series progress, and in lesser hands, they usually come off as ham-handed gimmicks. Connelly manages to salvage a good story out of this, but you're left disappointed that the crossovers kept it from being as good as it should have been.

The plotting of Bosch and McCaleb's parallel cases is very well done - Bosch is the star witness for the prosecution in a high-profile Hollywood murder case, while McCaleb has been asked by Jaye Winston (more crossovers, although justified here) to profile a current homicide that looks like a possible serial case. This duality is reminiscent of "The Concrete Blonde" except that it's McCaleb doing the current investigation this time. As a result, you won't find any of Bosch's usual supporting cast around (Jerry Edgar, Grace Billets, Irvin Irving) in this one; only Kizmin Rider makes a brief cameo.

Several other areas that didn't receive proper attention include an examination of the painter who is Bosch's namesake and the interesting parallels between the two, the arrogant Hollywood playboy defendant in Harry's trial, and the eventual resolution of that case. Each of these areas were given very promising leads that never fully matured as they should have.

I wish that Amazon allowed fractional ratings, because "A Darkness More Than Night" is a solid 3.5. It's both a good mystery read and a necessary chapter in the timelines of both Harry Bosch and Terry McCaleb. The story held great promise when focused on their distinct psychologies, the necessary conflict between the two, and the casework that draws them into each other's path. Unfortunately, this potential is never fully realized as too much time and effort is devoted to squeezing in crossovers from all of Connelly's different character arcs.

I have read a few Michael Connelly Harry Bosch books. I cannot say I am a great fan. But this finally just turned me off. The secondary hero, McCaleb, is supposed to have been an FBI profiler. Makes you wonder, when he suddenly decides that his friend, or at least long time colleague Bosch has turned into a bizarre killer.

This McCaleb is an idiot in other ways, or I guess Michael Connelly has never checked on baby behavior: McCaleb has a 4month old child that needs almost hourly feedings through the night. This is utter nonsense. Not even a newborn needs hourly feedings at any time, much less a 4month old one. A doctor should be called, for the parents!

Way too much boring filler in this book.

I so badly wanted to love this book as much as the other ones I've read, but I really disliked it. I am currently reading all of Michael Connelly's books that feature Harry Bosch as the main character. Though this was included on the list, I almost wish I would have skipped it. Of the books I've read so far (Black Echo, Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde, The Last Coyote, Trunk Music, and Angels Flight), A Darkness More Than Night stands out as having the thinnest plot and makes ridiculous leaps and assumptions.

The main character is from another Connelly book "Blood Work" and is wholly unlikable. The conclusions he arrives at (based on flimsy "facts") are ones that even the rookiest of rookie Agents would never come to. I found myself frustrated and continually hoping that the story would pick up, that there would be some sort of redemptive plot twist, ANYTHING to make this book likeable.

*possible spoiler*

I gave it two stars ONLY because I liked seeing Harry on trial for the prosecution for once. It was fun to see him on the same side as the "good guys", rather than being investigated by the IAD or being torn apart in court. Other than that, this book was a total disappointment.

"A Darkness More Than Night" is a book that restores my waning interest in mystery fiction. The plotting, pace, level of legal detail, and characterization are outstanding. Michael Connelly writes with a gritty, no-nonsense style that makes no attempt at wit, pretense, or flourish. The result is a classic hard-boiled detective tale of top quality.
The only problem with the book is that the story's premise starts out eerily similar to Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon," in which Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter makes his debut (and which the movie "Manhunter" was based on). An ex-FBI profiler (Terry McCaleb) with a medical condition (and a family that wants him to stay out of the sicko-hunting business) is approached by an ex-partner (Winston) for assistance in the bizarre, unsolved murder of ex-con Edward Gunn. He takes the case, of course, straining his health and family relations. But from there the story veers from Red Dragon and is quite unique and compelling.
McCaleb's analysis of the ritual-style murder scene uncovers hidden clues that connect the murder to 500-year-old paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, whose works depict his vision of hell and the sins of Man. When links to the deceased and LA detective Harry Bosch are found, McCaleb narrows his focus. Then he finds a print of one of these paintings in Bosch's apartment--and a possible motive for Gunn's murder. The case, though strange, begins to look routine and all but solved. But, of course, Connelly is only toying with the reader.
The plot is complicated by a seemingly separate high-profile murder case that Bosch is currently testifying at for the prosecution. McCaleb must determine whether Bosch is the actual killer, or the target of an elaborate frame. He must do so before Bosch's credibility is destroyed, ruining the prosecution's case. And he'd better do it before he and a few others get killed for their efforts. This is a marvelously twisty tale. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of BIG ICE.

I have read the other Bosch books and this one is by far the worst with The Overlook coming in a close second.

McCaleb is unsympathetic and appears to base his original accusation of Bosch as a serial killer on shaky, to say the least, facts and suspicions.

The Bosch segments concentrate on a supremely boring court case and its proceedings. Like we couldn't all see that the killing was a setup by the defendant in that case.

But the most unbelievable was the suggestion that Bosch allowed the first guy to get killed, a. because he deserved it, and b. to catch the guy that was on trial. Both scenarios are out of character for Bosch who has always lived by the motto "they all matter or none of them matter."

I guess I'm giving it two stars instead of one for the reason that he at least kept Bosch and McCaleb active and united in the end to solve things. Not a really good reason I admit.

It appears that Connelly got an advance and had to write a book to justify it. So he churned out this sub par performance. Good thing I only paid $2.00 used.

Harry Bosch becomes part of Terry MaCaleb's supporting cast in A Darkness More than Night. Although he has to give up much of the stage, it is very revealing for all of us Bosch fans as we see him in a new perspective. As an added bonus, McCaleb is a fascinating character by himself who I would like to see come alive in action again. Actually, I am convinced that Connelly is simply a great genre writer who can make any character interesting. A Darkness More than Night is basically two plots that converge into one of Connelly's typically imaginative crescendos. In the first McCaleb is asked to take a break from his seemingly idyllic retirement from a career as a FBI profiler to examine a case file and hopefully come up with some ideas. His analysis of the crime scene leads him to images of good and evil in Northern Renaissance art that then focuses on the fifteenth century artist, Hieronyomus Bosch, Harry's namesake. An added bonus of this book is an education in the person and art of Hieronymus Bosch. Since Harry Bosch has a history with the victim, he naturally becomes a suspect. Meanwhile, Bosch is involved on the prosecuting team of a nasty trial of a movie director he arrested. As Harry realizes what is going on, the two plots become intertwined with interesting interaction between him and MaCaleb. This reminds me of movies in which two Superstars team (how about Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis?) up to fight evil. The ending has plenty of surprises, heroism, and also some self-reflection for both MaCaleb and Bosch.

After reading Connelly's "Blood Work," I wondered if he'd do another book with Terry McCabe. Well, here it is, and it's a winner. Terry is now married and has a young child, and is drawn into a complex murder case by his former cohort, Jaye Winston. Of course, Graciella doesn't want him involved, even though they would never had met if she hadn't drawn him into her sister's murder years earlier. Anyway, Terry jumps in and guess who the main suspect is? Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch!!!
The way Connelly uses Harry's name is unique and a focal point in why Terry thinks Harry's guilty. Of course, Harry's involved in trying to put away a sleazy Hollywood director, accused of murdering a rising starlet. The case rests on Harry's testimony, as the smug killer confessed to Harry that he did indeed kill the girl.
Terry investigates and finds many unusual clues, such as an owl, which leads him to discover the painter Hieronymus Bosch, who Harry was named after. The pictures reveal murders that fit the graphic crime scene, and McCabe is certain Harry may have finally gone off the deep end.
The plot moves along and you keep wondering, what in the world is going on? Is Harry bonkers? Is he being set up? And why did Graciella turn out to be such a whiny woman?
This is answered and more, and the dark sides of both Terry and Harry are revealed.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.