You know when you pick up a Michael Connelly book you’re in great story-telling hands. This novel, featuring the Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, is no exception.
This time, Haller has been accused of murder and all the evidence is against his protestations of innocence. Determined to represent himself, Haller is not without colleagues and friends – past and present – who believe he’s not guilty and insist on helping him, no matter what it takes.
From the confines of his jail-cell, Mickey decides a not-gully verdict isn’t enough; he wants complete exoneration-to be declared, publicly in court, and found innocent. But the law is strict in this regard and, as his day in court draws near, Mickey finds that his enemies – past and present – are against him. Try as he and his team might, the odds are stacked against him.
Yet again, this is a superb rendering of not just characters old, beloved and new, but the intricacies of the law and the criminal justice system in the USA (and California in particular) as well as the schism and tensions that exist between prosecutors and defenders, criminals and those who claim their innocence. Taut, tense and beautifully paced. A great read.