The Brass Verdict

Starred review from August 18, 2008
Bestseller Connelly delivers one of his most intricate plots to date in his 20th book, a beautifully executed crime thriller. When L.A. lawyer Mickey Haller, last seen in The Lincoln Lawyer
(2005), inherits the practice and caseload of a fellow defense attorney, Jerry Vincent, who's been murdered, the high-profile double-homicide case against famed Hollywood producer Walter Elliot, accused of shooting his wife and her alleged lover, takes top priority. As Haller scrambles to build a defense, he butts heads with LAPD Det. Harry Bosch, the stalwart hero of Connelly's long-running series (The Black Echo
, etc.), who's working Vincent's murder. When Haller realizes that the Elliot affair is bigger than simply a jealous husband killing his cheating wife, he and Bosch grudgingly agree to work together to solve what could be the biggest case in both their careers. Bosch might have met his match in the wily Haller, and readers will delight in their sparring. 10-city author tour.

November 24, 2008
Arguably this country's best crime yarn spinner, Connelly has not only concocted an extremely clever plot for the second novel featuring Lincoln lawyer Mickey Haller, he has included his longtime series hero Harry Bosch as a supporting player in the who- and whydunit. The one less-than-perfect ingredient on this audio version is its reader, who, unlike former Connelly interpreters Len Carriou or Dick Hill, is not quite able to match the author's noir mood naturally. Peter Giles, an actor who has appeared in enough TV detective episodes to know better, starts off trying much too hard to sound hard-boiled. Haller is a lawyer, not Mike Hammer. But as the tricky tale plays out, with Haller and Bosch on the hunt for a homicidal jury manipulator, Giles tones down the toughness and settles in on a smartly paced and considerably more satisfying delivery. A Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 18).

Michael Connelly's twentieth novel as narrated by newcomer Peter Giles is a humdinger. The plot brings together the morose detective Harry Bosch and his stepbrother, Mickey Haller, the cynical criminal defense attorney first seen in THE LINCOLN LAWYER. Haller inherits a high-profile murder case from a colleague who was also murdered. When Bosch investigates, the two brothers immediately clash. Giles is proficient at marking the differences between these two opposites. He portrays Bosch as a dark, deep-thinking person while his characterization of Haller is glib. Giles's hoarse, whispery voice crackles when he's Bosch and is authoritative as Haller. Despite their differences, the story resolves in a way that makes listeners eager for the next installment, especially if it's performed by Peter Giles. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine