The Lincoln Lawyer : A Novel
by Michael Connelly
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Book Reviews of The Lincoln Lawyer : A Novel
Book Review: Now THIS is a plot!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first Michael Connelly book and it certainly won't be my last. I get easily frustrated with legal thrillers. But this book is, to me, near-perfect. In addition to capturing many realistic and horrifying aspects of the criminal justice system, it also has maybe one of the best, most intricate, and most clever "legal thriller" plots I have ever read. Holy cow, this man can plot. The twists and turns are amazing, and none of them were in the least bit predictable, yet all of them held up, and were more fantastic than any of the guesses you might have been making about where the book would go as you were reading. I don't know about you but that's my favorite kind of mystery.
In this book, there are a few technical problems. For example: it's hard to buy that a great defense attorney would ever turn over a fantastic piece of exculpatory video evidence to the prosecutor the way Mickey does early on in this book. Any defense attorney half as good as Mickey would know that a prosecutor like the one he is going up against (who we are told time and time again is extremely ruthless) would not recieve a piece of evidence like that and say, "Oh, wow, you're right. This tape shows your man is innocent! I'm dismissing this case immediately and please accept my personal apologies." No, that prosecutor would use the tape to his own advantage at trial, so turning it over that far in advance would be a terrible idea. I think a good lawyer (as well as most readers!) would know this. There are a few other things like that in the book were a little unrealistic for a smart defense lawyer to do. However, a reader can forgive them, because most of them are just a necessity to a great plot and the way it needs to go.
Despite a few of these plot "cheats" Connelly has clearly done his research and he captures this lawyer brilliantly. Overall, this is one of the most accurate (if dramatic) portrayals of certain aspects of the criminal justice system that I've seen in awhile.
One thing I wanted to add - in response to readers who said that they didn't like the protagonist here as much as other characters they've read - my answer is, I don't think you are supposed to completely like this main character in that way. Mickey is clearly, in many ways, an ethically challenged, flawed guy. He tells you so himself. But I think the genius of Connelly's work here is that he makes you like and respect and root for Mickey in spite of (or maybe because of!) those flaws. Anyone can make a John Grishamesque, ethically heroic lawyer likeable - but I think a guy who can make you like someone like Mickey the way Connelly does has got to be a darn fine writer. (and, for me, the reading experience had more depth and the character was more interesting to explore because of it.)
So - genius plotting, great characterizations and psychological portraits, and truly a thrill to read. This is the best legal thriller I've read all year and might rank in my top five ever. Highly recommended.
Book Review: A great book, a great character! One of Connelly's best
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Connelly has a way of making the beginning of his novels mundane, and somewhat boring on the action front, yet still very interesting. Then the mundane plot begins to pick up, the irrelevant becomes relevant, and by then, you are totally hooked. THE LINCOLN LAWYER was released in 2005 and features a new character, Mickey Haller. This is great book. Haller is a great character, full of contradictions. He is a good, decent man who represents some of the worst criminals in society. He has two ex-wives but they both still like him and one even works for him. And is biggest fear is not being able to recognize innocence in a client.
Mickey rides around in the back of a Lincoln Town Car, juggling clients, always trying to find ones that will meet the most important criterea. They have money to pay him. Mickey thinks he has found the dream client in Louis Roulet. Louis is a 30 year old real estate agent that comes from a family of money. He's been accused of beating a woman. Roulet claims the woman was beaten before he arrived at her house in an attempt to set him up for a big civil settlement. Haller takes the case and the first order of business is to get paid. Once this happens, Haller dives into the details, and the story takes off.
The characters in the novel, and the dilemmas they face, are what make THE LINCOLN LAWYER a great novel. Mickey Haller is a great character, one who is tormented by the possibility of having an innocent client go to jail. When he discovers that Louis Roulet might not be the person he says he is, Haller must fight to save his career, his family and his life. Connelly also creates many solid supporting characters including Fernando Venenzuala, the bail bondsman, Maggie "McFierce", the assistant DA and Haller's ex-wife, and Raul Levin, Haller's private investigator.
The plot of the novel is what had me up at night unable to put the book down. The plot is also the ultimate weekness in the book. About halfway through the novel, Connelly reveals the big "twist" that the plot is built upon. The rest of the novel, while compelling and full of twists and turns, is ultimately just about how the big plot twist plays out.
This novel reminded me about how much I enjoy Michael Connelly and that I need to make it a priority to read every novel he has written. If you are a fan, or looking for a great writer, then check out this book. And hurry, because Haller returns in the fall in a sequel that also features Harry Bosch.
Book Review: Barn-burning legal thriller...
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Connelly branches off from his usual PI/cop mysteries to provide a barn-burning legal thriller in The Lincoln Lawyer. This book rivals anything written by those lawyer-turned-authors, Grisham and Baldacci. In fact, The Lincoln Lawyer is so convincing that it's hard to believe it wasn't written by a lawyer.
Mickey Haller is a criminal defense attorney working in LA. His clientele is made up of drug dealers, users, prostitutes, internet swindlers, and a host of other low-life individuals. Haller doesn't care if they're guilty of not. His goal is to get his clients off on technicalities. The bottom line for Haller is money, and he is always in search of "a franchise client--they are the rarest and most highly sought beast in the jungle."
Haller believes that "there is no client scarier than an innocent man" and he's afraid he won't recognize innocence when he sees it. But what he fails to recognize is evil when he takes on a client accused of attempted rape and murder. This shortcoming threatens his family, his practice and his freedom. Unfortunately, this client is rich and Haller is blinded by green. How Haller matches wits with a brilliant criminal mind will have you finishing this book in record time.
Connelly's descriptions and observations of Los Angeles and the legal system are very shrewd. "Los Angeles County is a wrinkled blanket that covers four thousand square miles from the desert to the Pacific. There are more than ten million people fighting for space on the blanket and a considerable number of them engage in criminal activity as a lifestyle choice . . . every year you could fill the Rose Bowl twice over with potential clients. The thing to remember is that you don't want clients from the cheap seats. You want the ones sitting on the fifty-yard line. The ones with money in their pockets." Or "The law is a large, rusting machine that sucked up people, lives and money. I was just the mechanic. I had become expert at going into the machine and fixing things and extracting what I needed from it in return. The law was not about truth."
Connelly is one of the top mystery writers today, and I have a feeling that we will see Mickey Haller in future books. He was mentioned by name in Blood Work, although never made an appearance. Hopefully for Connelly's readers, we will see him again.
Book Review: Ya Gotta Love That Haller, Even If He's an Attorney!
Summary: 5 Stars
Or should I have said even if he's a scum sucking bottom dweller? Haller's joke, not mine. Even though Haller works on the fringes of legality, you'll find yourself rooting for him throughout his foibles, schemes, deals, and losses.
Like he says "there is no client as scary as an innocent man." You'd better believe it. The thing is with Connelly's novel, he's right on the money. This isn't about the virtue of our legal system, because that was broken years ago. This book is the real deal--it strikes right to the core of where we are "hanging" in the balance and the scales of justice are tipped in the wrong direction. Anyone who's ever been wrongfully accused of anything, even speeding, will empathize with the world Connelly has painted in his best novel yet--the Lincoln Lawyer.
The law isn't about truth, and it's only for those who can afford it, and Connelly demonstrates this to perfection in a suspense thriller that will have you by the throat until the last page. Prosecutors aren't out to save the innocent man or put away the bad guy, they're simply playing the numbers game--collecting wins and doing so by whatever means it takes. And Haller shows us there really isn't much difference in the guy, like him, who provides counsel for the reprehensible criminal, and the guy, like the DA, who bends all the rules he's sworn to uphold, doesn't play nice or fair, but only plays to win so that he/she can rise in the system.
If I sound jaded, I am. But that doesn't take away from the great characters, taut plot, and tightly scripted narrative of this great book. This is unpredictable which makes it so worth the read. There's no way to know the courtroom outcome or the final outcome and that's why I believe Connelly makes a great story teller. And, Connelly is working his way up the food chain to become a great mystery writer with enough wit and reality to keep you wanting more.
Keep em coming Connelly. You've found your calling.
Book Review: Excellent Character Development, Plot Rendering
Summary: 5 Stars
Top Notch Courtroom Skills
Off the top of your head, what's the most despicable profession you can think of in this day and age? Lawyer, right? But, not just any lawyer--a criminal defense lawyer. Especially one like Mickey Haller. Mickey's liberal lawyering ethics--ethics being loosely applied to our protagonist--slap you in the face from the get-go. And he's more than proud of it, having come from a family of lawyers, his deceased legendary daddy having defended the worst of the worse in gangster Mickey Cohen.
Mickey Haller defends the creepiest dregs of society--drug dealers, women beaters, motorcycle-gang thugs, murderers. All guilty of the crimes they've been accused. But hey--Mickey's there to defend their constitutional rights--provide them with the best their money can afford. His job is to find any glitch in their arrest, neutralize the evidence, twist the actions of the district attorney's office state-subscribed role as prosecutorial litigator so that the jury sees horns on the victim, the criminal perpetrator winged.
But Mickey's daddy wrote in one of his famous books--as a criminal lawyer, the one person you don't want to defend is the one who is innocent of the crime he's accused. Along comes Louis Roulet, the first "franchise" client Haller's ever had. That's a client who's able and willing to pay the "A" list fees, up front. And Haller quickly discovers, not only up front, but personal. Very personal. Is it possible a lawyer, mired deeply in bending the legal system to benefit the bad guys, can redeem himself?
Michael Connelly, keeping with his dark-charactered protagonists, has penned a Harry Bosch antithesis. Bosch a stickler for the law; Haller a sticky lawyer. One thing the two have in common--trouble with the women they love. I for one hope Mr. Connelly keeps going with this character and has him climbing up the ethics ladder to a higher plateau.