A Darkness More Than Night (Harry Bosch)

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Although both are Connelly's creations, Harry Bosch and Terry McCaleb are kept distinct and different by the author. We clearly see the effect that other people make in each man's perspective on life. A Darkness More Than Light: Lead investigator on a murder case that saw the arrest of the son of a wealthy and powerful man, Harry Bosch now finds himself in the midst of a high stakes trial where his every method is questioned. Meanwhile, criminal profiler Terry McCaleb is called to a murder scene where the killer has left a message that seems to implicate Bosch. The pair, first at odds, must now work together to clear Harry's name... stars. I had a few complaints, but the series is so good that I’m glad I read it, and I’m on to the next. The book begins with sheriff's deputy, Jaye Winston, bringing Terry a current murder case file that scares her deeply. It involves a gruesome murder with bizarre and dark artistic elements that makes her think a serial killer may be at work. Jaye asks Terry to look over the case file and let her know his thoughts because the police are getting nowhere on it. However, the trouble begins after Terry performs his analysis and the clues point him towards a certain police officer that he knows from a previous investigation before retiring – LAPD’s own Harry Bosch. Not one to start the series off with but definitely one to advance it. I’m glad I read the standalone “Blood Work” before reading this (even if I disliked it) as the main characters from that are in this one and there are some things that happen in that which influence this book. Not essentially, but advisory. Yet again though, Connolly reminds me why he is one of my top “go to” authors with a great novel. Looking forward to the next one.

Nos adentramos en la parte más oscura de Harry Bosch. ¿Después de tanto tiempo luchando contra el crimen, se habrá pasado al lado oscuro nuestro detective? ¿Habrá sucumbido a sus demonios? ¿Habrá decidido utilizar la guerra sucia para combatir a sus enemigos? Ugh... so much to dislike in this book. I sincerely hope this is the last I ever see of Troopy McCrawdad. After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written. McCaleb tries to convince us that Bosch might have, just like anyone, descended into darkness after watching so much dark human activity (you know, that Nietzschean injunction that has become a cliched: “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster”).

The murder trial story was mostly being done through trial testimony. This resulted in a “telling” feel rather than “showing.” So it wasn’t the best way to hear a story, but it was ok. I viewed this as a supporting story to the McCabe investigation. McCaleb uncovers how clearly, how uncannily, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch fits the killer's psychological profile. The similarities are indisputable. McCaleb has no choice but to tell sheriff's detective Jaye Winston.

The storyline follows Terry McCaleb, with Harry Bosch popping in and out of the action. An ex-FBI profiler, Terry used to be as angry as Harry; but then he received a new heart and now his family life with Graciela and their daughter CiCi has softened his raw edges. This has served to make him more cautious, given him pause and a chance to reflect on life's mysteries.Police procedurals, in particular, are about heroes. They are the literal descendants of classics like The Iliad, Beowulf and The Song of Roland. What makes police procedurals different is only that many of our 21st century heroes are deep in their middle age and thus worry about medical benefits and workmen's compensation. City of Bones: When the bones of a young boy are found scattered in the Hollywood Hills, Harry Bosch is drawn into a case that recalls the darkest memories from his own haunted past. Then a love affair begins to blossom for Bosch — until a disastrous mission leaves him in more trouble than ever before, as he faces an unimaginable decision... I know you know the law, but I am compelled to explain the last charge. Your brother's death occurred during the commission of a felony. Therefore, under California law you, as his co-conspirator, are held responsible for his death. Although this book is labeled a “Bosch” book, that is not completely true. It has dual protagonists. This time out Harry shares the stage with Terry McCaleb, ex-FBI profiler, and the lead character in Connelly’s previous book, “Blood Work”. Terry and Graciela Rivers, whose sister provided him with his heart replacement, have married. They have a baby daughter, Cielo, and Terry runs a fishing charter off Catalina island. But the book, the title says, focuses on the (spiritual) darkness in the life and soul of Harry Bosch, facing his own lonely existence, seeing deeply into case after case of human depravity, evil, in this case a woman killed in a sexual act by some predator (you know right from the beginning who this is, so the police procedural aspect of this is not filled with twists and turns).

As Connelly does so well, he brings some of his characters together from other series (McCaleb, McEvoy) and blends them into the storyline. So much so, this book is actually considered the second in the McCaleb series, for good reason, as the former FBI agent takes centre stage. A great book with some courtroom drama, gumshoeing, and the blame game, as well as some very detailed analysis of Hieronymous Bosch, the artist. The ending of the novel is a surprise, but works with Connelly trying to balance the light and the dark as the theme of the book and the last part of the book is absolutely great. The most interesting personal turn comes at the end when Bosch discovers that he has a four year old daughter which his ex-wife never told him about. Read the book if you want to know what happened with the case. It’s worth a read! Winston's visit is the classic call to quest. She needs to catch a killer and has run out of leads to follow. She needs the hero's help. Time is of the essence, of course. Law enforcement agencies operate on a philosophy of triage. If the killer can't be caught soon, they must move on to other also-urgent cases. Connelly is on sure footing in A Darkness More Than Night, much more so than he was in his last novel, the stand-alone Void Moon . His stance is surer, perhaps because his storyline follows the classic conventions and because he observes the rituals with greater diligence.A Darkness More Than Night is about heroes. As any student of mythology can tell you, the hero's job is to fight and (if need be) die for the greater good of his community. This is not a job for the weak of heart. That's why the world has so many of us ordinary people and so few heroes. Connelly pits his latest series hero, FBI agent Terry McCaleb ( Blood Work, 1998), against his veteran series op, LAPD detective Harry Bosch ( Angels Flight, 1999, etc.), in this extraordinary excursion into good, evil, and the labyrinth of human motives. It's that bizarre owl that's the centerpiece of McCaleb's investigative efforts. Author Connelly leads McCaleb (and this fascinated reader) on a magnificent journey through "A Garden of Earthly Delights", as it were - a fabulously informative sidebar on the paintings of sixteenth century Dutch Renaissance painter, Hieronymus Bosch. It isn't long before McCaleb and Winston have Harry Bosch in their sights as their sole suspect in Gunn's murder. They've got it figured as Bosch meting out frontier justice because he couldn't corral Gunn within the framework of the legitimate legal system. I was surprised and delighted by the inclusion of the art of Hieronymus Bosch, which I am familiar with through art class. I also happen to own a jigsaw puzzle version of The Garden of Earthly Delights, one of Bosch's paintings that is referred to in this book!