Yes, this book does fly! For a 500-pager it goes
quickly.
While I have long been an ardent fan of Connelly's Harry
Bosch series, I have also felt that his non-series books have
left a lot to be desired (with the exception of The Poet). So
when I sat down with The Lincoln Lawyer, my expectations were
not high; a legal thriller, to boot! Imagine my surprise when
I discovered this to be one of Connelly's best-written
books.
From paragraph one the author slides details in with wit and
grace: Mickey Haller likes to keep the window in his office
open, yet by page 3 we realize that he is in a car. Hence the
office is his car, a unique situation to be sure, but
Connelly lets this curious information out quite subtly
instead of making a big production about it. The first sign
that this is a winner.
On page 5 Haller thinks about Jesus Menendez, a pivotal
character who we only actually meet around page 200. But he
is mentioned a few times, to set the stage, again nothing
dramatic, very subtle. It is the first indication that this
novel will be become a search for doing the right thing, to
set things straight; Haller spends a significant amount of
time justifying his actions as a defence attorney, that
someone has to do the job and that he does it as well as
anyone and feels no guilt about it.
This is an extremely well-structured novel, with many twists.
Until page 200 it is a straight legal thriller, with Haller
building a case to save his client, Louis Roulet. Then he
discovers something that leads him to believe that Roulet is
guilty, and we are finally introduced to Menendez. So the
novel shifts, and becomes about Haller somehow trying to
implicate his own client, and free a former client, all
without endangering his status as a lawyer.
Along the way we have met other important characters like
Raul Levin, an investigator/friend of Haller's. Another small
yet cool detail has Levin bringing some uneaten steaks home
to his dog, a dog whose barking on a phone message later
helps pinpoint a time of death. Small things like this just
show how well-structured this book is. Haller's relationship
with his first ex-wife is key, as she slips some essential
evidence out during a weak moment. Maggie is a prosecuting
attorney, and the oppositional nature of their jobs is fodder
for some reflections on Haller's part, again justifying his
role in trying hard to get obviously guilty people as light a
sentence as possible. Also Haller's relationship with his
daughter, all off-stage, is a driving force for his wanting
to do the right thing. Which of course is what transforms
Haller after discovering Menendez's innocence.
So the book goes from a straight legal thriller to a quest
for vindication to a revenge story, with many twists. With
many more twists! Heck, 20 pages from the end we still have
not received an explanation for how Roulet committed a key
murder, and therein lies a final, bitter twist that I, for
one, did not see coming at all. Great writing. highly
engaging and engrossing, one of those "could not put it down,
read it in one sitting" type books. A rare bird.
With The Lincoln Lawyer Michael Connelly proved to me that he
can write. Period. Not just Harry Bosch. I am consequently a
bigger fan than ever, and that's saying a lot since I've been
around since The Black Ice (got a signed arc on my shelf) and
I consider the one-two combo of The Conrete Blonde and The
Last Coyote to be modern classics in the crime fiction genre.
Imagine how thrilled I am that in Connelly's next novel Bosch
and Haller meet! Connelly remains one of my few must have
hardcover purchases, except now that includes his non-Bosch
books.
Thanks, Michael, for so many hours of great
entertainment.
Keith Logan
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