The Blue Hour

Merci Rayborn #1

by T. Jefferson Parker

At once horrifying, tense and lyrical, The Blue Hour is a beautifully written novel that probes the darkest recesses of the human psyche. He takes the women from shopping malls. They are beautiful, sophisticated, but he treats them like animals, and when he's done he leaves only his grisly signature to taunt the Orange County police - a purse full of entrails. Where are the bodies? How can these women disappear so completely? Whatever the Purse Snatcher has done to them, it surely cannot be worse than the imaginings of a shock-hardened police force...but they don't know the sick mind they're dealing with. Detective Hess has given his life to the police, but now lung cancer is looking to claim him. Merci Rayborn is at the beginning of her career and she's determined to get to the top, whatever it takes. Assigned to the case by a boss with a hidden agenda, Hess and Merci at first agree on just one thing: they want to catch the Purse Snatcher and see him fry. But as another woman disappears, and then another, they become united through their obsession with a case that will change both their lives forever.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

Paperback

First published December 31, 1999

About the author

T. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of 26 crime novels, including Edgar Award-winners SILENT JOE and CALIFORNIA GIRL. Parker's next work is coming-of-age thriller, A THOUSAND STEPS, set for January of 2022. He lives with his family in a small town in north San Diego County, and enjoys fishing, hiking and beachcombing.

Reviews

[Mike French · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in Merci Rayborn series. Very enjoyable and entertaining read. If you are not familiar with T.Jefferson Parker,do yourself a favor and start reading one of the best crime writers in the USA!

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've said many times before, taking advantage of a no-cost download by an unknown-to-me author is always a bit of a crapshoot; yes, it's hard to beat free, but if it turns out to be a clinker, it's a waste of my precious time. On the other hand, when it's a keeper, there's joy in Mudville (make that Mineral Ridge).

This isn't the first of Parker's many books; he's a rather prolific author who has won the Edgar Award for Best Novel more than once. Nor is it the first featuring Orange County, California, detective Merci Rayborn. The awards - and high ratings from other readers - were encouraging, but the latter gave me pause. Since I've never read any of the others, would this one be enjoyable on its own?

Simply put, yes. In fact, it's one of the best "finds" I've made when it comes to downloaded freebies (as I write this, it's going for only $2.99; but even at the list price of $7.99, it's a great deal). Whether I'd read any others was a non-issue; and the plot hooked me totally within the first chapter. Here, semi-retired homicide officer Tim Hess is paired with the exceptionally career-focused Rayborn to catch a serial killer who's been kidnapping young women and doing almost unspeakable things to their bodies. But not only does Hess have to get along with the stubborn, ambitious and not particularly likable partner, he must deal with a serious issue of his own - lung cancer that's already taken much of one lung and forced him to undergo painful chemotherapy.

Their interaction plays almost as big a role here as the crimes and the chase, making for a story that kept me interested all the way through. I will say I had a few issues with the ending itself (which I can't explain without ruining the book for others), but it does set the scene for a bit of a different direction on future books in the series. All told, it was a very enjoyable experience - and now I have an addition to my must-read author list.

[Lukasz Pruski · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He lay still and remembered fishing with his uncles, his dad making pancakes on Sunday mornings, the creases on the back of his mother's blouse as she walked, Barbara's expression as she came down the aisle in the church where they were married, his first dog, what the world looked like from the tail gunner's position of a B-29 thirty thousand feet above Korea."

A serial killer is stalking women in Orange County. The women disappear; only their purses are found as well as blood-drenched spots on the ground near Ortega Highway. The county sheriff-coroner asks the retired Newport Beach detective, Tim Hess, to help with the investigation. Tim, who is in treatment for cancer, will be paired with Merci Rayborn, a detective on the Newport Beach police force, an "aggressive, bright, and a little arrogant" woman, highly unpopular with most deputies as she has sued one of them for sexual harassment.

The Blue Hour (1999), T. Jefferson Parker's seventh novel, also happens to be the seventh book of his that I am reviewing here on Goodreads. To me, Mr. Parker is the quintessential Southern California author of the late 20th century, in the same way as Ross Macdonald had been about a third of the century earlier. I very highly rate their prose and believe that their novels provide more than just entertainment - they convey deeper truths about the human species. I find The Blue Hour one of Mr. Parker's best novels. As usual, I do not care much about the whodunit aspect of the plot; I am mainly interested in realism of characters' psychology and realistic depictions of human interactions and their motives.

I found so many aspects of the novel memorable! First of all, Merci Rayborn is to me quite a believable character; I feel she is an actual human being rather than just a template built of words constructed to embody the author's design. Tim's portrayal is perhaps a tiny bit less plausible but still, considering the low standards of the mystery/thriller genre, where characters serve only the purpose of advancing the plot, he also comes across believable. Mr. Parker was 46 when the novel was published yet I think he very well captured a much older person's thinking. The Merci-Tim relationship thread must have been very difficult to write, particularly the later portions of it, yet Mr. Parker pulled it all off, without resorting to cheap histrionic.

It is clear that the author did his homework researching such "exotic" topics as chemical castration by the Depo Provera treatment and the technology of embalming human bodies. The topics are covered matter-of-factly rather than with the purpose of titillating the reader.

I absolutely love the sudden appearance of Francisco (no spoilers from me!), which adds a sweetly whimsical touch. I remember my strong reaction of disbelief when I first read the Francisco passage, but massive appreciation soon followed. I love it when an author surprises me! The thread featuring the Romanian émigré is captivating, but it seems to me that for legal reasons the media would not be able to follow the situation from up close and in real time so in my view the thread loses plausibility.

To sum up: we are getting a solid portrayal of Merci, plausible dynamic of Merci-Tim relationship, unforgettable Francisco with his harquebus (yes!), castration, embalming technology, highly accomplished prose, and more. The book even works as a mystery/thriller, so my rating is quite high

Four stars.

[Una Tiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sleepy investigation that takes the long route to solution. The plot had twists and the writing was clean. There is a faint memory of hearing the story before. There were several exceptional views on the relationships between men and women. Overall, the book left me feeling empty.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Black Water: A Merci Rayborn Novel and really enjoying it, I thought I’d catch up on previous Merci Rayborn novels to get a bit of background information about her character. “The Blue Hour” introduces Merci Rayborn as the tough young cop partnered with the older, wiser and also terminally ill homicide detective Tim Hess, as the two try to catch a serial killer loose in Orange County.

Disappointingly, this story did not work for me in many ways. There is always a fine balance in getting into the mind of a depraved serial killer just enough to let the reader understand the story, but not to the point of feeling utterly sickened and disgusted. For me, this story fell into the latter category – “too much information”. I felt like having a shower after finishing the story, just to wash off the lingering feeling of nausea from getting drawn into the depraved mind of a man who embalms his young beautiful victims, then positions them in his flat as if they were his live companions. I’m not normally so squeamish and love a good story, but this scene especially went a bit over the top for me. Perhaps it was due to choosing the audio book version and listening to it in the close confines of my car, which made it all a bit too intense.

The relationship between Tim and Merci also did not quite gel. With Merci being portrayed as tough and rather cold and unfeeling, I had trouble picturing her in love with a man twice her age – and her partner to boot, when this would go against all the rules and jeopardise her career ambitions she feels so strongly about.

With its dark undertones, graphic scenes and rather depressing characters, the book is not for the faint hearted. Despite its fast pace and well-researched information about the forensic side of the investigation, I was glad to get to the end of it. And have a shower …..

[David Freas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first T. Jefferson Parker book and, having read glowing reviews of his work, expected great things. I was disappointed.

The writing was good and he told the story well, but I never really got into the book. A great book draws me into the main characters, makes me feel as if I am a part of them. Parker didn’t deliver that connection for me. I felt as if I was standing alongside them I never felt as if I was actually in their heads thinking their thoughts and feeling their feelings, more like I was getting both through the filter of someone else’s interpretation. Also, in a great book, I can hear each character’s voice in their dialog. Here, I felt as if I was hearing a dispassionate reader recite them.

I also guessed the killer early, which took some of the tension out of the rest of the book for me. The ending was a surprise in some ways, a refreshing change from the usual ending to books of this type. But that alone was not enough to make me think it was anything other than just okay.

Bottom line is I doubt I will read another of his books.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I thought I had read this one before, I actually don't think I did. This was a little slow at first but picked up and you didn't want to stop reading. Merci is a very hard woman to understand and not many did understand her.

I thought I knew who the killer was and then I couldn't see it. But I did keep coming back to it, trying to understand how it could be.

I plan to read the next in the series, because I want to see what happens to Merci. Hopefully she will find someone that understands her and can accept her for who she is.

I am giving this 5 out of 5 stars.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are considering this as your first encounter with T. Jefferson Parker, please consider beginning with one of his other (and I think, better) novels. Though not a bad book, The Blue Hour just doesn't live up to the author's full potential.

Merci Rayborn, an Orange County Sheriff's Detective, is a tough character to like. She's ambitious, overly judgmental, and constantly looking for a fight where none is needed. Thank goodness for Tim Hess, a wise old detective in the same department, fighting cancer and essentially retired, but paired with Merci just for this one last case. Call it a favor to the boss. Call it serendipity. But it basically saves the story and helps the reader deal with Merci.

It's an old saw-- the senior cop who has seen more of everything-- life, crime, hurt, love, etc. sharing wisdom with and helping to round off the sharp corners from the younger cop whose aspirations have yet to be dampened too much by the grind of the system. Sure, Parker has placed a twist on this trope, but one can still see it for what it is. Nevertheless, it's done in Parker's style, which will keep you turning pages as he builds tension. You'll probably figure things out before the reveal, but it won't matter much. It's still fun see how things unfold here.

If I've a major criticism, it's with the ending-- the last little bit that just didn't feel right. Too melodramatic, perhaps. Or too much effort reaching for some profound symbolism. So, just three stars for this one. If you're already a fan and haven't read it, be sure to include it somewhere along the way. But, as I commented at the outset, if you're new to the author, there are much better representations of his talent with which to begin.

[Tim Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

By mistake I read this book out of order in the Merci Rayborn series. It isn't absolutely necessary to read them in order, but it does help because the later books refer to things that happened in the earlier ones. So, if you haven't read any of them yet, read them in this order: The Blue Hour first, Red Light second, and Black Water last.

Parker has a way of describing things that really grabs me. His descriptions ring true and seem to bring out things that I knew in a way but hadn't really noticed before. Do you know what I mean?

Here's how he describes the house Merci Rayborn lives in: "Home was a rambling house that used to belong to the owner of the large orange grove that surrounded it. But most of the grove was dozed years ago for housing tracts, all but a couple of acres around the house... It was old and the faucets groaned and the fuses blew in heat waves and the garage was full of black widows. It sat back at the end of a long dirt drive that filled with potholes in winter and bred dust in summer."

I particularly like this description because it sounds so much like the house where I grew up in Tustin, California. I don't know how old it was, but when I was helping Dad repair a window sash, we discovered square nails. At night I could hear rats scurrying around in the walls and walnuts from a large black walnut tree occasionally falling with a thud on the roof over my bed room. We stored bottled fruit and jam in an old underground cellar out in the back yard. It was always cool in there, but a bit scary for a kid to enter its darkness alone. We were surrounded by orange trees and the large back yard had English walnut trees from which Dad hung what we called rocket swings. I would trap rats in the garage and hunt jack rabbits in the orange grove with my .22 and pigeons and doves with my BB gun. It was a kid's paradise. The location was the southeast corner of Tustin Avenue and McFadden Street. Back in those days they were two-lane roads with a stop sign on McFadden to allow traffic on Tustin Avenue to speed by. Now that part of Tustin Avenue is the Costa Mesa Freeway and McFadden goes over it on a bridge. Our old house and the orange grove have been replaced by what look like low-rent apartment complexes. Paradise lost.

Well, enough reminiscing. Suffice it to say, the book is great. Get it. Read it. The Kindle edition is (as of 2:26 p.m., Nov 13, 2013) only $2.99 and if you are an Amazon Prime member you can borrow it free. Such a deal.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

T. Jefferson Parker has been writing for some time, both a number of very loosely connected one-off novels, as well as two series. "The Blue Hour" is the initial novel featuring recurring character Merci Rayborn, a hard-charging, highly ambitious young L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy with the self-proclaimed goal of being head of homicide by 40 and Sheriff before sixty.

Unfortunately for Merci, the combination of her overtly Type A personality and the sexual harrassment lawsuit she has filed against her former partner - a well-respected senior cop - has divided the department into those who support her and those who think she has crossed a line. So, to keep an eye on things when it becomes apparent that a serial killer is preying on young women in the area, Merci's boss doesn't take her off the case, but calls in semi-retired deputy Tim Hess, a 67-year-old vet who needs disability and health insurance as he undergoes treatment for lung cancer.

What follows is not astoundingly original in plot or structure, but it is very well executed and the characters worth your time. The author gets inside the heads of both Merci and Tim - as well as a potential suspect and the killer - and creates a cast with significant depth. His descriptive writing is excellent, Tim Hess is a truly unusual protagonist, and Merci - who could so easily be a cliche - comes across as three dimensional.

"The Blue Hour" does not rise to the upper reaches of crime fiction, but neither is the gap therefrom enormous; it is a thinking person's page-turner. "The Blue Hour" is my first T. Jefferson Parker book, but it will definitely not be my last - I want to see what happens to these characters.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE BLUE HOUR – G+
T. Jefferson Parker – 1st of Merci Rayborn
Tim Hess, a semi-retired veteran cop fighting cancer, is brought back to partner with Merci Rayborn, a tough cop in her 20s who plans to be sheriff-coroner at fifty. They are out to capture a ruthless killer of beautiful young women.

The characters are very well developed, as is the relationship between the two cops. The case is suspenseful and the procedure well done. While Merci doesn’t start out being very likable, I’ll admit I’m looking forward to reading the next in this series.

[Paula]

No star rating because I confess I am abandoning this basically fine book. Parker's a writer to admire. But The Blue Hour is too grim for me right now, or too grim for the pace at which I've been reading it. Hess is sad. Merci is obnoxious and ultimately pathetic. The villains are sick, sick, sick. I hope it all works out for them. Let me know if you see the book through.

[Steve Tripp · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the good side .. some insightful information about police techniques for investigating crime .. but unfortunately offset by a rather unbelievable plot whereby a 30 year old female cop falls for her partner, a 70 year old veteran with lung cancer. Borderline dumb if you ask me. The plot was OK .. the chase was suspenseful, but overall, pretty much a failing grade.

[Aaron Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this novel. Only thing that kind of irritated me, was the simple fact that I felt like the author rushed the ending. He built up he built up to such a great climax, for the climax the only last for eight pages! I will read more books, and I really like that it is based in orange county so I know all of the cities and all of the streets! That is way cool.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Pisces51 · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BLUE HOUR (MERCI RAYBURN NOVELS BOOK 1) By T. Jefferson Parker
My Review Five Stars*****

In the wee hours of this morning I reluctantly finished reading the first installment of Parker's trilogy of crime fiction featuring Merci Rayburn. I say "reluctantly" because I was enjoying this novel so much I just hated for it to end.

I purchased this book in November 2018, thus it had been an unread selection on my Kindle for nearly a year. WHERE SERPENTS LIE (1998) had been my first introduction to the works of T. Jefferson Parker. It was listed in "SERIAL KILLER NOVELS: TEN OF THE BEST" on Crime Fiction Lover.com. I found the book to be incredibly dark and disturbing, relentlessly riveting, and right up my alley. I hit the "Buy" button on THE BLUE HOUR with no hesitation, noting that it was originally published in 1999, the year following WHERE SERPENTS LIE.

It was nearing Christmas last year when I noted a more recent selection by T. Jefferson Parker on my PRIME Rental options. It was a series kickoff for his PI Roland Ford character. I saw the endorsement by Lisa Gardner on the cover ("Mesmerizing and haunting"). Number one, I used to love the writing of Lisa Gardner. Number two, her sentiments pretty much summed up how I felt about WHERE SERPENTS LIE. Number three, I made the leap and got my hands on THE ROOM OF WHITE FIRE all eager to experience the thrill of Parker's prose once again. I started the novel only to be saddened when I found that it was a hit piece and more far left propaganda than novel.

The background of my exposure to this remarkably talented writer seemed to me to have a place in this book review. Now you know why that THE BLUE HOUR sat lonely and shunned on my virtual bookshelf for such a long time. I am not really sure why I read that first page... (I told myself later that it was because WHERE SERPENTS LIE (1998) and THE BLUE HOUR (1999) were both written in the late '90s and thus might be free of the author's politics).

THE BLUE HOUR is literally a novel that I am unlikely to ever forget irrespective of the passage of time. Having been an avid reader all my life I truly am not sure why that another book "popped into my head" after I read the last page. In the early '80s I bought a stack of used paperbacks with the covers ripped off. A novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Sanders was among these second-hand paperbacks, and it was titled THE FIRST DEADLY SIN (1973). Sanders was what readers refer to now as a "new-to-me author". This novel has been dubbed "The most incredibly popular suspense thriller ever written ... the unforgettable story of ruthless killer with a special hatred for women, and the dedicated cop who vows to track him down ..." Bear in mind that this book was written before the term "serial killer" was ever coined by Robert Ressler and long before Clarice Starling ever aspired to be accepted into the FBI's behavioral science unit dedicated to the profiling and catching of serial murderers. THE FIRST DEADLY SIN even contained erroneous assumptions accepted as fact about what were termed "stranger killings" in the '60s and into the '70s. That said, THE FIRST DEADLY SIN was still the most outstanding "police procedural novel" that I had ever read at that time. You have to bear in mind that the solitary dogged detective who was methodically and meticulously tracking the (serial killer) in the 1973 classic was handicapped by mind-numbing hours of manually sifting through mountains of paperwork (not to mention an absence of manpower). Computer technology was after all in its infancy and forensic science as we know it today bore little resemblance to what it had become by the dawn of the millennium. In contrast, THE BLUE HOUR (1999) features two dedicated detectives who are just as compellingly deliberate, prodding, and methodical in their examination and follow up of every single shred of evidence that was available to them. I daresay that it too would stand up against any currently penned police procedural written after its publication 20 years ago.

BUT---it was not just the fact THE BLUE HOUR was another example of what is a "timeless" police procedural that transcends the police practices and limitations of its place in crime fiction history. NO---it was Parker's creation of a fictional serial killer, sexual sadist who was so authentic, so convincingly real, that when I got into my car at night, dropped down into the driver's seat I actually felt a chill go down by spine. I could all too easily imagine that I was smelling a sweetish fragrance and feeling a breath against my face. The serial murderer in Sanders' 1973 novel THE FIRST DEADLY SIN also painted a believable flesh and blood sociopathic serial killer who stalked the streets. The novel "pulled no punches" in that it was sexually explicit, explored categories of sexual deviancy that evened managed to combine generally considered taboo topics. His writing style is perhaps unparalleled today in that his prose is so memorable that he was able to paint such vivid scenes because of his command and love of the English language that I could visualize the narrative as clearly as seeing it on a TV screen. Daniel Blank, the serial murderer, had a feel of authenticity as absolute as Hannibal Lector from the mind of Thomas Harris. The ending of the book was dark and haunting.

This was the second point that the two novels, the first written nearly half a century ago, and the second two decades ago had in common. Both Sanders and Parker wrote convincingly about the reality of police procedurals, and both authors created flesh and blood serial killers whose twisted psyches were fleshed out and believable. I would go out on a limb (but feel safe) in saying that Parker is as skilled in the genre of police procedurals as the highly and widely acclaimed Michael Connelly. Prior to reading THE BLUE HOUR I must admit that when I heard the term "gritty police procedural" I thought of no other author in the same orbit as Connelly (I'm a huge fan of his). Similarly, Thomas Harris is generally considered to be the only true master of creating fictional serial killers who are authentic and genuinely make readers feel the chill. I will say right now that the only author I can think of to compare with Parker's expertise as an author in crafting a genuinely original and frighteningly serial killer IS Thomas Harris.

I want to add one more dimension to my shameless praise and love for THE BLUE HOUR. It isn't JUST an unbelievably outstanding serial killer thriller AND a downright gritty, down to the wire police procedural that excels in every way...it is ALSO an incredibly powerful drama and character study of two diametrically different detectives, a brash young beautiful female detective and a 67-year-old veteran cop who has pretty much seen it all and done it all, handed a death warrant after a routine physical exam discloses lung cancer. It is an in-depth character study of both protagonists, and an unlikely love story between a polar opposite duo, one who is still beginning, and the other is in the process of ending. I would be remiss if I did not also mention that THE FIRST DEADLY SIN (1973) by Sanders was ALSO much more than serial killer thriller and police procedural. It was the underlying and riveting tale of the seduction of pride that transformed one man into a merciless murderer and his counterpart into a chilling predator with a badge but without conscience.

Finally, after nearly half a century THE FIRST DEADLY SIN (1973) is still a classic and transcends its era. Its beautiful prose style is truly incredible and makes an indelible impression. It's already been two decades since THE BLUE HOUR (1999) was published, but with the passage of another three decades, editorials will document that it, too, easily transcends its era and remains a crime fiction classic. Needless to say, I immediately purchased the other two novels in the Merci Rayburn trilogy (RED LIGHT and BLACK WATER, 2000 and 2002 respectively).

I bought my first Kindle Paperwhite back in 2014 and the first thing I did was to buy all of the books that I remembered reading in my past that left an indelible impression on me. I bought and re-read THE FIRST DEADLY SIN (1973). THE BLUE HOUR (1999) has been added to that virtual bookshelf in my memory that is dedicated to the short list of unforgettable novels that I will undoubtedly not only read again, but use as bars of excellence by which I measure all other novels I read in the same genres.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The killer is a monster, the crimes are sickening, and some unexpected twists. Another fine work from Parker.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Laini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book off my shelf not expecting to enjoy it much. Thought that it would be the usual serial killer crime thriller which I find myself reading lately and feeling very disheartened by the time I reach the end.

Tim Hess is a retired police officer recently diagnosed with lung cancer. He is brought back to the force as a consultant to try to solve the case of a serial killer known as “The Purse Snatcher”. The killer has kidnapped several young women from shopping mall car parks, and the only remains are their entrails left in their purses in the woods.

He is partnered with Merci Rayburn, a young and ambitious cop who has recently filed a sexual harrassment suit against her previous partner. Merci is known on the force for being tough, and has made known her ambitions for promotion.

When another girl goes missing after the investigation begins, Tim and Merci must kick it up a gear and try to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Another un-put-downable book, the writing was excellent, really drew me into the story, and the questioning and parallel stories of the sex offenders was very creepy. It brought a realism to the investigation and an insight into the minds of these men which was very disturbing.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of the genre. After reading a Patricia Cornwall serial killery book lately and being very disappointed with it, this has reassured me that there is still good crime fiction out there to be found.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might give this 3.5 stars, it is my first book by Parker and I picked it up free for my Kindle. All in all it is not a bad story, the serial killer aspect of the story is pretty good, however character development is seriously lacking in my opinion. Quite a few characters that are not needed at all in this book, this is time that could have been better spent on the main characters.

I really liked Tim Hess, he is a great old guy, a good cop, but I think his character is just a bit to tragic. Merci may turn out to be a good character since this is the first in a series of books about her. She needs some more development though, and she needs to not be such a bitch. She is just not someone you can relate to easily, you spend most of the book hating her almost as much as she seems to hate herself, I just don't know how that works with a main character that is just so unlikable.

Parker has his own writing style, there are a few things that caught my attention that irritated me, but not enough to say I wouldn't read any more of his books. Will I read the next Rayborn novel, possibly, but not right away. It is not one of those that grabs you and pulls you in to where you have to read the next book in the series right now.

So, all in all it was an okay read, I enjoyed the story, even if it did seem a little over complicated.

[Marleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Blue Hour is the first in Jefferson Parker’s series featuring Merci Rayborn, and I must admit that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did any of his other books. The tone and content was quite grim and dark. Don’t ask me why but I found the whole reading experience a tad depressing. Usually, Parker gives his criminals a human face. Here, there was none of that. I was appalled by thoughts of the Romanian Colesceau. Also, it was a more classic story of an investigation by two detectives into a serial (psycho) killer case.
It’s true that Merci Rayborn and Tim Hess aren't your classic duo of detectives. The were well fleshed-out and flawed characters: Tim’s a retired cop - an extremely very sensible and intelligent man. He's asked to be a consultant in this high profile case. Tim is dying of cancer, and honestly that part of him affected me. His disease and how he experienced this was very touching. I liked Tim.
On the other hand, Merci Rayborn, she comes across as highly unsympathetic; she’s bossy and ambitious, and hard. I liked how Tim, at his wise age of 67, could see right through her. As usual with Parker, there’s a lot of self-reflection and auto-criticism, but this time I wasn’t really captivated by it. The ending surprised me – it was poetic, and truly sad.

[Jordan McPeek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Retired detective with cancer is lured back by medical benefits to help out a headstrong female detective on a serial killer case. I'm tired of serial killers but my public library doesn't have too many free audiobooks that interest me. I've heard good things about Parker and figured I'd give him a try. Interesting enough at first, then it started lagging for me, certainly by the halfway point. By the three quarter point I was wishing it was over. The last hour picked up but not enough to save it. I just didn't really care about the characters, and there was far too much of their thoughts instead of their deeds. The bad guy was certainly creepy, but creepy doesn't make him interesting or make me care about him. Maybe I should've looked for the abridged version. The reader took some getting used to because I think this was the first female performer I've come across. She did a decent job on the voices and accents.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I enjoy these kind of sordid, in the creepy mind of a serial killer, kind of books. Homicide detective Tim Hess is getting ready to return to work after surgery for lung cancer - mind you, he still has to go through chemo and radiation therapy. His boss pairs him with a younger detective, Merci Rayborn, as both a help to Merci and as someone to "keep an eye" on her - because Merci has recently filed charges against her ex-partner for sexual harassment. Hess and Merci are up against a creepy serial killer who is kidnapping women in mall parking lots, draining their blood out of them, and leaving their purse so that people will realize the woman is gone. Interesting police work, creepy killer The last chapter was an "eh" for me. Not sure if the author was trying to humanize the assertive Merci or what.

[S.W. Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on a long transatlantic flight and it really held my attention. I've read and enjoyed Parker before, but had never read any in the Merci Rayborn series. So when this was offered free on Kindle a while back, I snapped it up. I got worried when I started reading and realized it's about a serial killer who does grotesque things to his female victims, which is normally a topic I avoid. Although the "ick" factor is high here, Parker does an excellent job with the character development. The pathetic Moros, a paroled sex offender who has agreed to be chemically castrated to shorten his sentence is particularly well-drawn, and his situation calls attention to the unintended consequences of sex offender registry. I really liked Tim Hess, the cancer-fighting old cop who manages to teach the brash Merci a thing or two about life. I'll definitely read another in this series.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Merci Raybourn series; I read the second one a couple of months ago. It was really well written, but I enjoyed this one even more. There is a very sick, sick killer of women in this book, and the way Parker wrote the book, it kept me guessing was it this guy or that guy, etc.? Merci's partner, Tim Hess, is a 67 year old veteran of the force and is suffering from lung cancer and undergoing chemotherapy and radiation after part of one lung was removed, but regardless of treatment that would no doubt render me totally exhausted, bedridden and depressed, he holds his own. I liked the combination of these two as partners very well. They fit together like two puzzle pieces. This was a very interesting, yet creepy story and certainly kept me guessing until almost the end of the book

[Otto Penzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Deb Mj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It's the first in a series featuring Detective Merci Rayborn. Merci is a bit difficult to like, which probably affected my rating a bit. The villain in this ranks high up there on the creepiness factor. This is disturbing material, and the characters are spare, yet there is a beauty and lushness in Parker's writing that was intoxicating to me.

This is the second Parker offering I have read; the first was Silent Joe, a stand-alone offering. I am really impressed with his writing and look forward to reading many more of his books.

[Sean O · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the novel, but the least interesting character is the protagonist. Misty is a late 90s female cop stereotype. And not a very good cop.

Tim Hess is a much better protagonist, but since in the first couple chapters he's getting chemo and radiation for lung cancer, don't expect him to be around for long.

The bad guys are all well written too.

So basically this book is about a shallow annoying cop and all the much more interesting people around her.

Good story though. If Misty was a more interesting character, it would be 4 stars plus.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good and Bad

As I said no cancer patient could have physically done what Tim Hess did. The story was more about him then Merci, until the very end. Pretty much unsatisfying in terms of plot and character development. Improbable that the killer was who he turned out to be. Won't be reading more.