Everything you need to understand or teach The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly.
Michael Connelly's novel The Dark Hours is part of a series focusing on LAPD Detective Renee Ballard who is currently assigned to the night shift, known as the dark hours. In this novel, Ballard is working on a murder made to look like an accident and the ongoing investigation into a series of rapes. Her work is hampered by anti-police sentiments, budget cuts, and apathetic coworkers who do only what is absolutely required. She is helped by former detective Harry Bosch who always has Ballard's back. The novel's main themes are the plight of police in modern times, poverty, and conformity. Daily life during a pandemic and the process of a police investigation serve as motifs.