Rating: 
Summary: a good murder mystery/police drama that makes you think
Review: It was hard for me to decide whether to give this book four stars or five. The strong story and suspense as well as the drama which unfolded between two unlikely police partners in a search for a serial killer was about as good as one would expect from the genre.The reason I finally decided to give this book four stars instead of five however, was because I really was not very fond of one of the main characters (Merci). Merci is a tough ambitious police woman who is partnered with a semi-retired hard-boiled cop (Tim Hess) who is dieing of cancer. I think the relationship between Merci and Tim is believable. But I just didn't find Merci very likable because it seemed as though she was just driven by rage and hate (nothing more). People like her undoubtedly exist in the real world (I've met some like her). I'll even go so far as to say that under some circumstances, I've had some characteristics of Merci. The story revolves around the relationship between Merci and Tim but the main theme is the search for a serial killer called the purse snatcher who kills young women (attractive professional types) and drains all of the blood out of their bodies. The story moves relatively fast with a number of suspects and leads being interrogated by the police. I thought however that it was easy to figure out who the killer was. I figured out who the killer was very early, but assumed later that the author wouldn't make it so easy for readers to figure it out, but it was.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine introduction to Mr. Parker
Review: it's surprising that i've never heard of parker before june of 2000. but blue hour kept me awake for a couple of days while i finished reading. so many novels these days deal with the same subjects--law-room dramas, murder mysteries, techno-thrillers, super viruses, and the impending destruction of the human race. blue hour stands out a bit because of parker's characterization. little details about merci rayborn and tim hess kept me interested in what would happen to them. at first glance the may-december romance between these two characters seemed a bit contrived--how many times do we read (or see in movies/television) that a much older man catches the heart of a young woman so easily? but by the end of the book, hess had charmed me enough that i believed. merci rayborn's tough-girl act also had me rolling my eyes at times--not because it seemed false, but because it was so real. to use a worn phrase: i felt i knew her.
Rating: 
Summary: FLAWLESS READING
Review: Parker's a master of suspense, and he reminds us of that again in his seventh California set adventure. This time out a maniacal serial killer is menacing a pleasant beach community. Our hero, Tim Hess, a retired, divorced cop who is fighting a personal battle with cancer, and gorgeous but pesky Detective Merci Rayborn join forces to track down the madman. Their task is uniquely formidable because there are no bodies - only the women's purses lying in blood.
This explosive thriller with its surprise ending is made even more enthralling by the flawless delivery of accomplished actor McGonagle.
Rating:
Summary: FLAWLESS READING
Review: Parker's a master of suspense, and he reminds us of that again in his seventh California set adventure. This time out a maniacal serial killer is menacing a pleasant beach community. Our hero, Tim Hess, a retired, divorced cop who is fighting a personal battle with cancer, and gorgeous but pesky Detective Merci Rayborn join forces to track down the madman. Their task is uniquely formidable because there are no bodies - only the women's purses lying in blood.
This explosive thriller with its surprise ending is made even more enthralling by the flawless delivery of accomplished actor McGonagle.
Rating: 
Summary: Yet ANOTHER serial killer story...
Review: Reading this I was compelled to look up what James Ellroy wrote about serial killer novels: "silly literary s**t from any standpoint ... a real-life statistical rarity and a media plague." If Thomas Harris can't take the subject any further (and HANNIBAL shows he can't), you can be pretty sure it can't be done.
Rating:
Summary: Tense and human
Review: Real characters I could feel and griping suspense from the first moment right to the end. Superb writing.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbingly creepy. Beautiful, very human protagonists.
Review: Should be considered a new standard within the serial killer fiction genre. Parker captures a creepiness and depravity, while also depicting an unlikely pair of very flawed and oddly beautiful protagonists. The pursuit of the killer is riveting, and what a finale.
Rating:
Summary: The Blue Hour is a GREAT book.
Review: T Jefferson Parker had me hooked with his previous book, Where Serpents Lie, and The Blue Hour does not disappoint. It is truly a super thriller with an edge of your seat ending. One of the things I like about the characters in Jeff Parker's books are their real human traits and the struggles they go through to overcome the circumstances facing them. You will want to read The Blue Hour in one sitting if you can stay sitting from the tension in the end.
Rating:
Summary: An Odd Couple
Review: T. Jefferson Parker's The Blue Hour captures two unusual police detectives at work on a series of murders. Tim Hess is an old school cop, recovering from cancer surgery, aware his days are numbered. Mercy Rayborn is today's policewoman. She is young, energetic, ambitious, and, some say, ruthless. Her career is mapped out clearly ahead of her, date by date for future promotion after future promotion are already inscribed firmly on her heart. The developing relationship between Hess and Rayborn is perhaps the facet of this thriller I most enjoyed. Mr. Parker spins his usual complicated plot, and my native Orange County is captured perfectly. Excellent book, and I plan to read his follow up, Red Light, soon.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: T.Jefferson Parker has done it again. "The Blue Hour" is a REAL page-turner. Semi-retired cop Tim Hess and Detective Merci Rayborn are on the trail of the "purse snatcher", a psychotic killer abducting women and (possibly) keeping their DEAD bodies as trophies. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the pages turning and have us anxiously awaiting the sequel "Red Light. Also of note: check out his previous novel "Where Serpent's Lie".
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