The Blue Hour

Rating:
Summary: This Parker writes with the best!
Review: THE BLUE HOUR is top-notch detective fiction, and T. Jefferson Parker is definitely among the elite writers of this genre. The plot is complicated and holds the reader's attention and the characters are wonderfully complex and multi-dimensional. In fact, Tim Hess and Merci Rayborn became like "old friends" to me during the course of reading this book, which made the ending kind of hard to take.

This is the third Parker novel I've read and I most definitely will read others. His descriptions and dialogue are riveting and authentic, and handles jargon and technical details well. Do yourself a favor and find a copy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Parker Just Keeps Getting Better and Better!
Review: There is the old cliche that says "practice makes perfect. Well, T. Jefferson Parker has six other novels that I know of to his credit and he just keeps getting better with each outing.

THE BLUE HOUR, his latest installment in the generally unrelated crime novels set in Orange County, CA rings with a truth all its own. Parker introduces two new but completely disparate characters. One I liked, respected and admired. The other, I didn't. The first is Tim Hess, a 67 year old retired detective called back into service to help solve some horribly gruesome murders. He is facing a death sentence of his own because he has already lost more than half a lung to cancer and is awaiting with that patient acceptance, the inevitable outcome. He thinks of himself as a loser; he has been divorced several times, is childless and alone as he enters the final phase of his life.

His new partner is Detective Merci Rayborn. She is half his age and a lot easier to look at. In fact, some think of her as a beauty. There's a problem with her though and her name is very inappropriate. She is not merciful and gives none. She is difficult to be around, brash, temperamental and unforgiving. She seems to be singlehandely out to catch and punish all the evildoers in Orange County. If given her way, the reader wonders not about her possibilities for success but just how long it will take before she cleans up the entire state.

There is a truly horrible criminal antagonist in this novel. He is the one committing the unspeakable crimes. He is the one Tim and Merci must stop. What Parker does with these characters and the spare but biting prose is nothing short of masterful. It is obvious that while these are imaginary characters, Parker has met them (or variations thereof) in his former life as a journalist in Orange County.

Before the end of the book Parker ensures that Merci and Tim will become lovers. While somewhat implausible when taken out of context, I actually came to view it as inevitable. Both detectives are flawed characters who have never been able to make a permanent connection to other people. In the story, the author ensures that they finally do (and I wondered if he didn't do so for the sake of Tim Hess knowing that his time was finally coming to an end).

Parker writes with an intimate knowledge of police procedures. He knows about the types of criminals police officers deal with every day. He knows how the penal system sometimes fails to protect society from its most degenerate predators. As Joseph Wambaugh wrote almost 30 years ago in his debut novel THE NEW CENTURIONS, it becomes readily apparent that the Tim Hesses and the Merci Rayborn's may be all that stands between civilization and total criminal chaos. T. Jefferson Parker carries on the tradition of Wambaugh by reminding us of that. He also shows his respect and admiration for the people who keep the barbarians at the gates from entering to wreak havoc upon the citizens inside the walls of the citadel.

Other reviewers have said that this may well be Parker's best effort to date. I'm not here to dispute them. I discovered Parker early on and have read just about everything he's written. This is an outstanding novel in this genre. If you haven't read any of his other works, don't worry. Read this one first and then go back and read some of his earlier efforts (such as LITTLE SAIGON and LAGUNA BEACH). They were good, exciting and enjoyable reads but I think readers will be surprised and pleased to see just how far he has come as a master of this genre and in such a relatively short period of time.

And if you liked this book, Merci Rayborn is reprised in Parker's latest release RED LIGHT.

Thank you Mr. Parker for many enjoyable hours of reading pleasure. Much continued success in the future and I anxiously await your next effort.

Rating:
Summary: Parker Just Keeps Getting Better and Better!
Review: There is the old cliche that says "practice makes perfect. Well, T. Jefferson Parker has six other novels that I know of to his credit and he just keeps getting better with each outing.

THE BLUE HOUR, his latest installment in the generally unrelated crime novels set in Orange County, CA rings with a truth all its own. Parker introduces two new but completely disparate characters. One I liked, respected and admired. The other, I didn't. The first is Tim Hess, a 67 year old retired detective called back into service to help solve some horribly gruesome murders. He is facing a death sentence of his own because he has already lost more than half a lung to cancer and is awaiting with that patient acceptance, the inevitable outcome. He thinks of himself as a loser; he has been divorced several times, is childless and alone as he enters the final phase of his life.

His new partner is Detective Merci Rayborn. She is half his age and a lot easier to look at. In fact, some think of her as a beauty. There's a problem with her though and her name is very inappropriate. She is not merciful and gives none. She is difficult to be around, brash, temperamental and unforgiving. She seems to be singlehandely out to catch and punish all the evildoers in Orange County. If given her way, the reader wonders not about her possibilities for success but just how long it will take before she cleans up the entire state.

There is a truly horrible criminal antagonist in this novel. He is the one committing the unspeakable crimes. He is the one Tim and Merci must stop. What Parker does with these characters and the spare but biting prose is nothing short of masterful. It is obvious that while these are imaginary characters, Parker has met them (or variations thereof) in his former life as a journalist in Orange County.

Before the end of the book Parker ensures that Merci and Tim will become lovers. While somewhat implausible when taken out of context, I actually came to view it as inevitable. Both detectives are flawed characters who have never been able to make a permanent connection to other people. In the story, the author ensures that they finally do (and I wondered if he didn't do so for the sake of Tim Hess knowing that his time was finally coming to an end).

Parker writes with an intimate knowledge of police procedures. He knows about the types of criminals police officers deal with every day. He knows how the penal system sometimes fails to protect society from its most degenerate predators. As Joseph Wambaugh wrote almost 30 years ago in his debut novel THE NEW CENTURIONS, it becomes readily apparent that the Tim Hesses and the Merci Rayborn's may be all that stands between civilization and total criminal chaos. T. Jefferson Parker carries on the tradition of Wambaugh by reminding us of that. He also shows his respect and admiration for the people who keep the barbarians at the gates from entering to wreak havoc upon the citizens inside the walls of the citadel.

Other reviewers have said that this may well be Parker's best effort to date. I'm not here to dispute them. I discovered Parker early on and have read just about everything he's written. This is an outstanding novel in this genre. If you haven't read any of his other works, don't worry. Read this one first and then go back and read some of his earlier efforts (such as LITTLE SAIGON and LAGUNA BEACH). They were good, exciting and enjoyable reads but I think readers will be surprised and pleased to see just how far he has come as a master of this genre and in such a relatively short period of time.

And if you liked this book, Merci Rayborn is reprised in Parker's latest release RED LIGHT.

Thank you Mr. Parker for many enjoyable hours of reading pleasure. Much continued success in the future and I anxiously await your next effort.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is the first T. Jefferson Parker book I have read and I already have Red Line and Black Water waiting in the wings. This book has kept me interested and glued to the pages. Of course I had to reach the end of the book at lunch at work today so needless to say the makeup needs retouching. Mr. Parker's writing made Tim and Merci feel like real people. You couldn't help rooting for Tim and wishing you could somehow help him beat the cancer. In the ending you felt the losses as much as if the people were real. Great writing! Highly recommended. I can't wait for work to end so I can start Red Line.

Rating:
Summary: "GOOD BUT SCARY"
Review: This is the first T. Jefferson Parker book I have read. It will not be the last one that's for sure. The book was great. Tim Hess was a fantastic character. He was so real to life. You can just feel the pain he is going through. He is called back into service to help catch a killer who is abducting young women from malls and then doing strange things to their bodies. He is paired with Merci Rayborn, a young detective who has a short fuse and very impatient. The book has many twist and turns. It is not for everyone as part is pretty graphic. Parker does a good job of making you feel the thoughts of the people involved. I did not want to put the book down, especially the last several pages. Then I was afraid to put it down, afraid the monster man would come after me if he was not caught. A real thriller!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Not Sure!
Review: This is the first time I read this author so I'm not familiar with his writing. I did find this book to be too wordy. It could have lost about 100 pages, easily. I do plan on reading his next book, Red Light, to see if all his books are written the same.

I found the story to be good but very confusing at the same time.

KK

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary!
Review: This is the first time I've had the pleasure of reading one of Parker's books. I was impressed. This was not only a riveting and complex murder mystery, but the choice of two very opposite lead characters was a masterful stroke. Tim Hess, a 67 yr. old semi-retired detective is in the twilight of his life. He's recovered from surgery for lung cancer and is undergoing a very draining course of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Merci Rayborn is in her 30's, a brash,ambitious offficer who is having some problems in the Department after filing a long overdue sexual harassment charge against a fellow cop. Tim's boss asks him to work with Merci on a missing persons case where the only clues found are the victims' purses, blood soaked ground, and parts of human intestines--but no bodies. Merci lays down the ground rules. It's her case and she's in charge. As the two gradually mesh together, Tim tries to help Merci by giving her the benefits of his years of experience. At first, all she sees is a dying older cop she's been partnered with, but her growth begins as she comes to know and admire him for his vast knowledge and dedication to the job and his courage in dealing with his illness. Merci soon finds herself enjoying Tim's company, sharing meals and offtime with him, and looking at him with new respect and genuine affection. Their relationship is one of the aspects that sets this story apart from other serial murder mysteries. THE BLUE HOUR should go to the top of your reading list if you enjoy an unusual and innovative thriller, with an ending that leaves you with a lump in your throat and an appreciation of a well written keeper to add to your collection of outstanding books.

Rating:
Summary: T. Jefferson Parker is THE MAN!
Review: This was the first book I've read by Mr. Parker and well, all I can say is that I am going to read every book he's written now. The Blue Hour had a great storyline and great characters. I love Merci Rayborn. It was too bad about Tim Hess though. I am looking forward to reading the rest of his novels.

Rating:
Summary: exhilarating novel
Review: This was the first novel in which Mr.Parker introduces us to Merci Rayborn and after reading this one I'm currently up to the third in this series! Anyway,I digress...This book has a very taut storyline,very interesting characters that I thought were very likeable and one roller-coaster of an ending!!The last 20 or so pages I couldn't turn fast enough! If you love Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Robert Crais,etc. you need to read this book!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Tim Hess is assigned a difficult partner-- a young detective named Merci Rayborn who struggles under both her father's legacy and her own prickliness. Merci lost her last partner when she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him and wastes no time in putting Hess in his place. Together they need to find a nasty serial killer that the news is calling "The Purse Snatcher" for his habit of leaving the purses behind.

There's nothing terribly new in _The Blue Hour_ but it's both well-written and entertaining. Merci Rayborn seems like a wonderful character with whom to go forward into a series.