The Lincoln Lawyer

Starred review from May 2, 2011
Attorney Mickey Haller, who's making his fourth appearance in Connelly's April novel, The Fifth Witness, got his start in this 2005 legal thriller, the audio version of which is being reprised to tie in with the Lionsgate film adaptation. Its return is welcome. The book about a defense attorney who uses a Lincoln town car for an office is richly plotted, humorous, suspenseful, and full of surprisingly human touches. It's also populated by a large cast of colorful characters that allow Adam Grupper the opportunity to strut his stuff, shifting effortlessly from gruff, hardcore bikers to Beverly Hills society matrons. But he really shines during the poignant scenes involving Haller and the client whose trial he lost and the highly charged confrontation scenes between him and the homicidal socialite playboy Louis Roulet whose trial he fears he may win. A Grand Central hardcover.

October 1, 2005
Mickey Haller defends low-life criminals who seem to offend habitually. With no actual office in which to hang his law degree, he works out of the backseat of his car. When a wealthy client lands in Mickey's lap, he thinks he has found a dream case. The evidence indicates a frame, and Mickey believes he might actually be defending his first truly innocent client. While he manipulates the system to his advantage, Mickey discovers that he is being maneuvered as well. Connelly, author of the best-selling Harry Bosch police procedurals (e.g., "The Closers"), proves he can handle even the legal thriller genre with this intricate and cynical look into the criminal justice system. For all popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 6/15/05; see the Q& A with Connelly on p. 66. -Ed.] -Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2005
Defending deadbeats is a way of life for Los Angeles attorney Michael "Mickey" Haller. Operating out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car (hence the moniker, "Lincoln Lawyer"), Haller takes on the case of Louis Ross Roulet, a rich, young Beverly Hills realtor accused of beating a prostitute. Roulet's guilt or innocence is of little concern to Haller, who sees him as nothing more than a "franchise," a client who can make him a lot of money over an extended period of time. But the deeper Haller digs, the more he suspects Roulet might have been framed. Links to a past case, which landed a client on Death Row, prompt the jaded lawyer to reassess his professional M.O. This is the first legal thriller for Connelly, author of the best-selling series featuring Los Angeles police detective Harry Bosch and winner of every major prize in crime fiction. It has all the right stuff: a sinuous plot, crisp dialogue, and a roster of reprehensible characters (including a marijuana- and crystal meth-dealing biker and an internet con artist who steals credit card numbers through a tsunami relief fund). As the trial progresses, Mickey ponders the words of his late lawyer father, who knew the most frightening client of all was an innocent man. "If . . . he goes to prison, it'll scar you for life."(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)