Customer Reviews

A Darkness More Than Night

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When the LAPD run into a brick wall solving a bizarre murder, sheriff's detective, Jay Winston, asks her friend Terry McCaleb, a retired FBI agent recently recovered from a heart transplant, to help them out by polishing up his psychological profiling skills and putting them back to work on their stalled case. Edward Gunn, a small-time LA hood involved with the murder of a prostitute was himself found tied, gagged and strangled. McCaleb is convinced that the key to finding Gunn's murderer rests with two bizarre clues - the statue of an owl found in the room with Gunn and the inscription on the tape binding his mouth, "Cave Cave Dus Videt" or "Beware, Beware, God Sees" translated from a version of Latin spoken around the time of the Renaissance.

McCaleb started his search for details on Gunn's murder with an interview of detective Harry Bosch. Bosch, who had been assigned the case of the prostitute's murder and was certain that Gunn had been the killer, was apparently one of the last people to see Gunn alive. But Bosch can only find time to give McCaleb the most cursory of interviews. His time and his mind are fully occupied as the star witness in the very high profile prosecution of David Storey. Storey, a fabulously wealthy Hollywood producer, is on trial for the sex slaying of a young actress. He's alleged to have strangled her during a bout of rough sex and then staged the scene to make her death look like a case of accidental auto-erotic asphyxia.

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.

"A Darkness More Than Night" is unquestionably the darkest and most complex story yet in the ever growing Harry Bosch canon. Connelly skillfully weaves the story of Gunn's murder into the tale of David Storey's trial for murder and brings both stories to a superb conclusion. But for all the complexity and brilliance of the plot that Connelly has devised, it is really the growing, ever deepening and ever darkening character of Harry Bosch that takes centre stage in this particular play. From his earliest appearance in "The Black Echo" as a shell-shocked Vietnam War tunnel rat returning to an ungrateful country to his suspension for pushing his supervisor through the glass window of his office, Connelly continues to make Bosch an ever-deepening mystery. Maverick, loner, cowboy, sinner, saint, psycho ... all of the above? How are we to know?

A superb addition to the Harry Bosch series. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

A Darkness More than Night draws you in on the first page and doesn't let you go until the last. You are drawn deep into the soul of Harry Bosch to view the good, the bad, and the ugly in this haunting book. Terry McCaleb is the perfect complement to Bosch's extremely complex character. He is drawn from retirement to help solve a baffling murder and the trail seems to lead in Bosch's direction. Not since The Last Coyote has there been such an intense Harry Bosch novel.

It is always a difficult thing to do - to bring 2 of your major characters together in a novel. Connelly pulls it off with a flourish.

What makes Connelly tick?

He does not write poetic paragraphs but his writing is crisp and clear.

His characterisation is brilliant. There are no always do-good, super-American heroes in his books

His plotting is almost always brilliant with just about enough twists and turns. I go crazy with plots that twist and turn like a hairpin bend road - it just seems so contrived. This plot would have been perfect except for the last bit with Harry and Terry

There is always a problem with great writers running out of steam - Connelly seems to have not lost it so far (Looks like Narrows passed the test)

The Owl, Paintings and title add to the psyche of the setting

There is something about novels set in LA that has a great feel (like a Western) - from Chandler, McDonald and Connelly continues that tradition with aplomb

Michael Connelly is without doubt the best crime fiction writer alive today.

What more you have in store for us?

In A Darkness More than Night Michael Connelly combines two of his greatest characters, Harry Bosch and Terry McCaleb. In this book, you're not sure who you like more.

In an ironic twist of fate, Bosch is the main suspect in a murder that McCaleb is investigating as a favor for an old friend. And if that weren't enough, Bosch is in the middle of an important trial, where his testimony could make or break the case and puts the responsibility of a killer punished or set free on his shoulders. With two suspenseful stories playing out, with characters we know and love, this book proves yet again Connelly's talent for writing. As of yet, I haven't been able to guess an ending yet- he keeps you on your toes!

I enjoyed this book, as I've enjoyed all that came before it from Connelly. The only thing that was a little strange, was that it seemed Connelly had a hard time juggling the two characters and giving them equal time in the book. In a book that is considered part of the "Harry Bosch" series, it really was more about McCaleb and that left a little of a bad taste in my mouth. Even though I enjoy both characters, Bosch is still my favorite and I was looking forward to a book that again, focuses more on him and I didn't quite feel I got that. However, that's the only let down, BUT surprisingly, I did begin enjoy getting to know McCaleb more and more through out this book. I do hope Connelly writes another one featuring him, I just think it might be better though to keep the two characters separate and give them each their own stage.

Modern noir doesn't get any better than A Darkness More Than Night, as Michael Connelly delicately creates a full literary development of the personality of his avenging detective character, Harry Bosch, while accurately portraying ordinary peace officers as the frail humans that they really are. Those who realize that FBI profiling of serial killers is more pseudo-science than science will be amused by Terry McCaleb's misreading of the clues he's given to inspect.

Those who like a novel's progress to be very opaque won't like this book. You'll see where it's headed pretty early on. The pleasure in this plot is to see if the good guys can outmaneuver some very obnoxious bad guys.

I was impressed the way the plot's design cross-cut between police investigations and a trial. I did find that Mr. Connelly's portrayal of what prosecutors do to be more than a little stilted. Janis Langwiser, co-prosecutor, is more incompetent than any first year law student I can imagine.

Those who are familiar with Mr. Connelly's earlier works will be impressed by how smoothly he combines characters and references from several books. Robert Parker could take a lesson from Mr. Connelly in this area. If you don't know the earlier books, you'll still have a fine time with the story . . . the references are well explained before the book's end.

If you like this book, you'll want to be sure to read The Narrows (Harry Bosch).

"A Darkness More Than Night" is Michael Connelly's tenth book, his second to feature Terry McCaleb and was first published in 1999. McCaleb, who made his first appearance in "Blood Work", is a former FBI Agent who retired after a heart attack. He lives on Catalina Island, runs a fishing charter and has now married Graciela Rivers. The couple met when Graciela asked him to look into her sister's murder, some three years previously. Since then, McCaleb hasn't been involved in any investigation - until Jaye Winston comes to visit. Winston, a Sheriff's detective, requests his help with a murder she's investigating - something she terms Terry's "sort of thing". Edward Gunn, the victim, was killed in his apartment in what appears to have been a very carefully constructed murder. Studying the case file, McCaleb notes some of the more significant features, including the message written on the victim's gag. However, he spots something on the crime scene video that Winston seems to have overlooked. A hand-painted plastic owl - roughly two feet in height - had been placed on the shelves in such a way that it 'watched' as Gunn died.

A background check on Gunn shows that he was 'known' to the police : he had a record for 'small-time' crimes, including soliciting for prostitution and drink-driving. He had also been questioned by the LAPD about the murder of a prostitute six years previously. However, the department reluctantly dropped the case and wrote it off as self-defence. McCaleb notices that the lead detective on the case was a man he'd once worked with : Harry Bosch. McCaleb decides to contact him, initially to see if he has any thoughts about Gunn's murder. The investigation, however, puts a very different slant on things and ensures the two men will be talking again.

Bosch, who makes his seventh appearance in this book, is already a well-established character. Orphaned at the age of twelve, he is the son of a prostitute who named him after the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. After serving in Viet-Nam, he returned home and joined the LAPD. He was once a member of the elite Robbery-Homicide Department, but following an IAD investigation was demoted to the Hollywood Division. While McCaleb is investigating the Gunn killing, Bosch is in court helping to prosecute a high-profile case. The defendant, David Storey, is a very famous (and notorious) film director, charged with the murder of a young actress. Jody Krementz's body had been found in her own bed, though it was believed the pose was staged so that it would look like accidental death. Storey is joined at the defence table by John Reason Fowkkes, his lawyer, and Rudy Tafero, his PI. Tafero was once a LAPD cop who, like Bosch, worked out of Hollywood. He retired after twenty years, went private and took out a bail bonds licence.

There's some history between the two lead characters. Although this is the first time they've shared the spotlight in print, this isn't the first time they've met. McCaleb was setting up the Bureau's BSS and VICAP outpost in LA when Bosch - then still at RHD - asked for his help with a profile for a killer. The victim had been a Mexican girl, in her early teens. Never identified, Bosch christened her 'Cielo Azul' and McCaleb named his daughter 'Cielo' in her honour. Connelly subsequently wrote a short story about the case, which has now been included in the collection "Dangerous Women".

I'm not entirely sure dividing the action between Bosch and McCaleb really helped the story - I would certainly have liked Bosch to feature more, given that I think he's a stronger character than McCaleb. Connelly has nearly overdone it with the number of cameos - Jack McEvoy and Brass Doran, from "The Poet", make brief appearances, while there's a nod to Thelma Kibble from "Void Moon". Meanwhile, both Bosch and McCaleb bring a number of their own 'support characters' it was nice to see Teresa Corazon again. Harry's investigation into Gunn was never covered in any book, though it did form the backdrop to "The Last Coyote". (Harry's Lieutenant at the time, Harvey "98" Pounds, had interfered with Gunn's questioning - as a result, Harry lost his temper and pushed his bureaucratic boss head first through an office window. "The Last Coyote" deals with his subsequent suspension). As a result, this is far from the best place to start if you haven't read anything by him before - I'd recommend reading at least "Blood Work" and "The Last Coyote" first. If you are a fan of Connelly's, though, you should enjoy this - the more you've read by him, the more you'll get out of it.

Connelly is a good writer but, as in THE POET, the plot is a little too contrived/clever for its own good. The opening scenes of McCaleb grudgingly accepting the case were a little too reminiscent of Will Graham in the beginning of Harris' RED DRAGON. Also, McCaleb was too quick to accept Bosch as the killer of Gunn (If Bosch was the killer, why would he leave such elaborate clues pointing to himself? And why didn't Bosch, or someone else, point this out to him?). The ending wraps everything up a little too neatly and conveniently for my taste and, at 470 pages, this novel could probably have benefited from a little trimming here and there. Finally, would the real killer(s) have had the intelligence and ability to concoct such an elaborate murder scene? Not a bad novel, but not worthy of the high praise it has garnered.

This book is not the best of Michael Connelly but is a good read, but if you want you can skip the last three chapters and you will miss nothing, the part of McCaleb's investigation is much better than the trial, but this part is also good, if you are a Connelly reader don't expect to much of this book and with that in mind read it.

I really enjoyed this! I'll definitely being reading more of Connelly's books- this was my first one.

I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but (as a mystery reader) I had the outcome of this book figured out about 100 pages into it. I had read "Blood Work" and "Last Coyote", so was happily familiar with both Terry McCaleb and Harry Bosch as characters, and with Michael Connelly as an author.
Despite thinking ahead to the resolution, I was compelled to finish by Connelly's crisp writing about some good, solid detective work. (Even though I do feel the references to Bosch, the painter, were contrived, I guess suspending one's imaginative boundaries allows for fiction in the first place.)
For a quick summer read, people could do lots worse than Connelly. And even if you know where it's headed, there are some nice twists and turns along the way to keep you motivated.