My friend Rob is getting his PhD in history at UVA - but when he's taking a break from his dissertation, he is a good source of information about the current presidential campaign, blockbuster movies, and books about lawyers. He recommended this one to me - the story of Mickey Haller, a jaded criminal defense attorney who takes on the case of a wealthy real estate agent accused of a brutal assault and attempted murder. The prosecution's case is almost too much of a slam dunk and Haller suspects a set-up. While investigating the case, he finds strange parallels to a former client, currently locked-up for life in San Quentin. With a little help from his DA ex-wife and a little shifty lawyering, Haller sets out to discover the truth about his not-so-innocent client. Just like with Law & Order, there were definitely a lot of, "that would never happen in real life" moments in this book - but that being said, I never miss an episode of Law & Order (or SVU or Criminal Intent). The mystery in this one also wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, but there were some great courtroom cross-examinations, and excellent twists. I would have liked to learn a little bit more about the background and motivations of Haller's real estate client, but those issues aside - as far as pychological legal thrillers go, this one was top-notch.Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Lincoln Lawyer - Michael Connelly
My friend Rob is getting his PhD in history at UVA - but when he's taking a break from his dissertation, he is a good source of information about the current presidential campaign, blockbuster movies, and books about lawyers. He recommended this one to me - the story of Mickey Haller, a jaded criminal defense attorney who takes on the case of a wealthy real estate agent accused of a brutal assault and attempted murder. The prosecution's case is almost too much of a slam dunk and Haller suspects a set-up. While investigating the case, he finds strange parallels to a former client, currently locked-up for life in San Quentin. With a little help from his DA ex-wife and a little shifty lawyering, Haller sets out to discover the truth about his not-so-innocent client. Just like with Law & Order, there were definitely a lot of, "that would never happen in real life" moments in this book - but that being said, I never miss an episode of Law & Order (or SVU or Criminal Intent). The mystery in this one also wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, but there were some great courtroom cross-examinations, and excellent twists. I would have liked to learn a little bit more about the background and motivations of Haller's real estate client, but those issues aside - as far as pychological legal thrillers go, this one was top-notch.
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I particularly appreciated this book for the gritty details about the day-to-day, unglamorous work that Haller had to do (the segments on the biker and the internet grifter worked well to that end). Connelly has worked as a crime reporter in LA, which helps him quite a bit with the nitty-gritty stuff. The Haller character is a gem - I wound up liking him a lot more than I thought I would.
Glad you liked it!
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