I pretty much agree on a lot of both of your points, though myself I'd probably rate Last Light as my top Halo fiction piece this year, followed closely by Hunt the Truth and Shadow of Intent.

I personally didn't find Last Light the least bit boring, though the whole murder mystery part of the plot was rendered a bit pointless when we knew who the killer was from the second chapter. Overall I enjoyed the tighter, more grounded focus of the story and if Nylund or Staten aren't available I wouldn't mind Troy Denning becoming a recurring Halo novelist.

Totally agreed on Hunters in the Dark. Of the novels it probably had the most buzz because of the whole setup with the Ark and all, only to end up the disappointment of the year (if we don't count the Halo 5 story anyways). New Blood was mostly just bleh. Lukewarm, inoffensive (for the most part) and forgettable. Last Light and Shadow of Intent are the only novels I've felt like revisiting anytime soon.