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THE LINCOLN LAWYER is one of the most gripping books I've read in a while. The only thing that stopped me devouring it in one sitting was the most inconvenient lateness of the hour and the fact I had to go to work the next day! Mickey Haller is, as the title suggests, a lawyer. He specialises in criminal defence and yes, he does a lot of his work out of the back seat of a Lincoln car. Most of his clients are lowlife, which means everyone seems to hate Mickey, be they cops, prosecutors or other clients. Then, out of the blue, a client with money materialises. Louis Roulet is in real estate and comes from Beverly Hills. He's also deep in trouble as the case against him for assaulting a woman seems a dead cert. Louis insists vehemently he didn't do it, though, and once Mickey starts to investigate he reckons he might well be in an unusual situation -- defending an innocent man. And that's important to Mickey -- he's become so inured to guilty clients that he's worried he won't spot innocence when it shows up in front of him. What he doesn't bank on, though, is coming face-to-face with pure evil. Connelly's writing is rooted firmly in Los Angeles. From the back seat of the car Mickey sees the inner city riven by gangland strife and then the wealthy areas where the other half live far beyond the poor's dreams. Meanwhile Mickey, mortgaged up to the hilt and paying out child support, prizes his dream house in Hollywood which he can barely afford. It's not just a matter of painting an urban landscape, though. Mickey listens to the rap music his clients live and breathe, and this becomes a motif throughout the book. Mickey is a wonderful creation, with two broken marriages behind him -- although the two ex-wives still around and being nice to him doesn't ring quite true -- and a desperate urge to find the truth even while his faith in the legal system is crumbling. Michael Connelly is absolute class. Read and enjoy THE LINCOLN LAWYER, and keep all appendages crossed that this is the start of a series to rival the outstanding Harry Bosch books.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, September 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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