The Dark Hours

On New Year's Eve 2020, Renée Ballard is on the Hollywood night shift during the celebratory gunfire at midnight. Former gang member Javier Raffa drops dead at a street party, and Ballard concludes the bullet didn't fall from the sky. The shell casing links the killing to an old Harry Bosch case, and the retired Bosch agrees to help. Meanwhile, Ballard hunts a pair of serial rapists, the Midnight Men, who strike on holiday nights. She's working in a demoralized department after a year of protests and the Capitol riot. Ballard and Bosch close both cases, and the book ends with a surprise that opens a new path for her.

1. ChangeBallard leaves the night shift

   In the book, Ballard is still on the overnight shift on New Year's Eve 2020. On the show, she already runs the cold-case unit with volunteers.

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2. ChangeNo Midnight Men

   The pair of rapists Ballard hunts in the book isn't the show's central case, which follows a serial killer tied to a councilman's family.

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3. ChangeInspired, not adapted

   The show doesn't adapt one specific book: it borrows from The Late Show, this book and Desert Star.

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