Like Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles form a single book in the Hebrew bible.
The books were written sometime after the exiles returned to Israel from Babylon. There is a tradition that the author was Ezra, though we cannot be certain about this as the book does not state who the author was.
It was written around the middle of the fifth century BC. The Israelites had returned and there was much rebuilding to be done, both of the temple and the city itself. The author of Chronicles was concerned that Israel would learn from the mistakes of the past.
Chronicles covers much of the same ground as 1 and 2 Kings, but from a slightly different perspective. Material is taken from Samuel and Kings, and other books of the Old Testament, including Judges, Ruth, Psalms and some of the prophets. In addition there is reference to non-Biblical sources such as the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, or Judah and Israel.
One concern was the lack of a king, as Israel now existed under Persian influence. Part of the purpose of Chronicles is to show that the Law, the Prophets and the Temple were far more important, especially obedience to these.
David and Solomon's lives are dealt with from a very idealistic point of view, with no reference to the "bad" episodes in their lives, eg David's adultery and murder. In doing this the writer of Chronicles is painting a picture of what the Messiah would be like. He is looking forward. So he is not writing a book to assess the overall value of David or Solomon as a king, but rather to see what they show us about the coming Messiah.
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