A psychopath is abducting women and leaving their blood behind, but no bodies. Orange County sheriff's deputy Merci Rayborn is on the case. But Merci has filed a sexual harassment suit against her partner, and the sheriff wants someone to partner with her who can keep an "eye" on her. Therefore, he recruits Tim Hess to come in from retirement. Tim can't say no because he is being treated for cancer and desperately needs the medical benefits the work will provide.Tim and Merci take off in search of "The Purse Snatcher." He's been coined "The Purse Snatcher" because he leaves the women's purses at the same location he leaves their vehicles and blood. Tim and Merci are like Yin and Yang in this book. Tim is older, he's retired and headed toward 70. Merci is in her 30s, almost at the start of her career. Tim has insight from his years as a law enforcement officer. Merci has gumption and a strong will. She's determined. But she can also jump the gun without thinking first. Tim is constantly trying to get her to look at things as others would...feel what they would...think as they would.I was very impressed with the way Parker handled Merci's character. She is the stereotypical female determined to make it to the top. Most people who work with her are put off by her, and she doesn't make any friends when she files the harassment suit against her ex-partner. But through Hess we see beyond the mask that Merci wears. She's definitely been hardened by circumstances, but she's also a very capable person who is trying to do her job to the best of her ability. She isn't concerned with being popular, but she isn't purposely trying to alienate herself either. In addition, Merci is capable of love and compassion. Most people just don't try to know her enough to see that part of her. She's a very complex character, and she doesn't fit into any neat category.Tim is a character with many regrets. Whether he's doing so purposefully or not, he's helping Merci see the mistakes he's made so she doesn't have to experience the same regret later in her life. What doesn't seem to be so clear to Tim is that everyone has experiences they ultimately regret. They may be able to avoid some situations, but there will ultimately be regrets. And Merci ends up with regrets as well.Parker's talent with the suspenseful plot is incredible. He misleads you in many ways before uncovering the answers. But even when the answers are uncovered, he may throw another twist in. Until the actual "the end", you never know what's going to happen. While I had some inkling of what the outcome would be...Parker doesn't include plot elements that aren't going to tie into the conclusion...he still managed to surprise me and catch me off guard in the end.I listened to this book on audio and it took me awhile to finish it. The reader, Kevin Patrick, I have to say was less than stellar. The jarring way he read dialogue made many of the characters sound not-so-intelligent. It also seemed to slow the plot down. That element was a bit of a disappointment to me, but the book itself was outstanding and well worth the read.
To quote the 20th century wise man, Yogi Berra, “It was like déjà vu all over again.” Yes, anyone who follows my reviews will immediately recognize that I did it again. I read a later book in a series before I read the initial book. So, there were many things in The Blue Hour which were going to happen that I already knew from Black Water. I knew at least one person who had died (and for whom the protagonist felt significant guilty) and, at least, one personal secret about Merci Rayborn that might have otherwise been a surprise. Yet, I didn’t know the serial murderer in this case. Worse (or better, from my reader’s view), I fell for one of the most obvious “red herrings” in the history of mystery. In The Blue Hour, T. Jefferson Parker deftly mixes archetypes: the young, ambitious female protagonist with the old, experienced detective dying of cancer, the poverty of residences in Lake Elsinore with the opulence of Orange County, California, and the recognition of inner beauty, dignity, and value in individuals contrasted with the obsession with appearance shown by both the perpetrator and certain protestors. The book weaves delightfully between appearances and reality. At more than one point, I was fooled by appearances—at times, even emotionally misled. The abductions in The Blue Hour have gruesome, macabre resolutions. There are chemical clues and patterns to the physical evidence that point to a particular profession. The procedural trail followed on this insight is interesting, but leads to more than one surprise. When all of the clues are tied together, The Blue Hour is an incredibly satisfying story that rings true to what one would expect to happen in such circumstances. I did check with a professional in the field that was implicated and this source, a graduate of the institution described in the book, stated that the description of the institution was dead on and that the names of certain chemical manufacturers were correct. However, the professional indicated that said chemicals might not be used specifically to accomplish what the novelist had them doing with the chemicals. It was improbable from the professional’s experience, but not impossible. Speaking of descriptions, the descriptions of Southern California are marvelous. I spent much of my life there and I drove on the twisty, dangerous Ortega Highway where some of the early victims were found and I quickly recognized Lake Elsinore from Parker’s rather negative description (though, only parts of it are quite as dismal as he makes it sound). As noted earlier, the professional school was perfectly described, as well. For me, however, the intriguing part of this novel was simply the emotions involved in the mistrust and development of trust between the detective partners, the interior feelings of certain characters which one could not be sure were villains or victims, and the protagonist’s feelings about being discriminated against and feeling guilty about certain events.
What do You think about The Blue Hour (1999)?
Fabulous. This - The Blue Hour - is yet another reason I rank T Jefferson Parker at the top. Why is he at the top?I love the way he portrays His characters; their depth, and the empathy and even compassion Parker elicits from me as I see into, as in this book, the souls of the two homicide cops as they piece together an impossible puzzle.And I admire and am hooked by the sheer brilliance of his plotting. And then, I appreciate what I always consider the extra effort he takes to get my heart beating , my palms sweating, and my own adrenalin rushing as the book careens towards the finish.Tthere are quite a few more of Parker's books for me to read, thankfully.
—Tim Warner
The Blue Hour is a terrific book-- a quality police procedural with a stunning and gruesome villain-- all wrapped up into a nice tidy bundle for the reader's enjoyment.The bad guy-- dubbed the purse snatcher-- is a truly appalling villain-- one whose gruesome acts nearly rival those of Thomas Harris' "Hannibal" He is smart, he is violent, he is clever-- and he is INTERESTING!The female heroine is not so exciting.. as a homicide detective, she works hard at being harsh and pushy, with a goal to become the sheriff of the Orange County sheriff's department. She is brash, doesn't much care for following the rules, and at times, is something of Dirty Harry in a bra.The male hero who is pushed into working with her is an older man, semi-retired, and enduring cancer treatment even as he is asked to come back as a consultant and assist the female detective. Along the way, he begins to teach her some of the values and attitudes that will be necessary if she really is going to be efficient. The two grow closer together and learn to respect one another.And when they finally put the clues together--- WOW!!!So why only four stars?1) Without offering a spoiler, I will say the last chapter, an epilogue of sorts, was completely corny, unnecessary, and changed the tone of the rest of the book. Instead of offering closure, the author was trying to pull me into buying the next book in this series (which was conveniently previewed in the back of my copy."2) I wanted to see more conflict between the two heroes.. they began to settle in and accept one another far too quickly so that the author could focus on the crime solving aspects.3) I find it difficult to believe that anyone could work a major crime while enduring chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer. The author just forced me to stretch my imagination one step too far for that. Having ministered (as a pastor) to those enduring the same, I know that this is a telling task, and cannot possibly see how a person enduring such treatment could possible manage to get medical clearance to work with the police.With those three minor problems addresses this one is worth the time and effort.
—David
The Edgar-winning thriller writer Parker delivers another of the fast-paced police procedurals for which he has received so many accolades. In Orange County, California, semi-retired cop Tim Hess teams works with a young detective to track a psychopathic serial killer. Although Hess is much older than his energetic partner, Rayborn, the two make a charming duo. The Blue Hour is an outstanding thriller with first-rate character development, ingenious plot twists, and an original but completely credible story line.
—Otto Penzler
