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Twenty-four years ago, a young girl was viciously murdered. Before her family fully realized she had been abducted, the killer had crushed her neck and thrown her into a dumpster. Jason Jessup, the man accused and convicted of this crime, has been using his time in prison to interest people in re-opening his case. A high-profile group called the Genetic Justice Project has analyzed DNA evidence from the crime scene and announced that semen on the girl's dress was from an unknown person. What Jessup now wants is a reversal of the original conviction. THE REVERSAL, Michael Connelly's latest book, will delight fans of recurring characters Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller, as well as FBI profiler Rachel Walling. Connelly manages to construct a detective drama for all of them. Haller, the clever criminal defense attorney introduced in THE LINCOLN LAWYER, is asked by the DA to come over to the other side and be chief prosecutor on this sensitive case. Haller agrees to this reversal, but only if his ex-wife, talented but undervalued prosecutor Maggie McPherson (AKA Maggie McFierce), can be his second. To complete the team, Haller asks Harry Bosch, his half-brother, to be chief investigator. Haller must contend with a celebrity defense attorney who is using every trick in the book to win over the media and influence the jury. He must also conceal from the jury that Jessup had already been convicted of the crime. Connelly's courtroom scenes are riveting and the dialogues between lawyer and witnesses are filled with tension. Further suspense is created when it appears that Jessup, free on bail, may be targeting members of the prosecution team and their families. This is Mickey Haller's book, as he narrates every other chapter, giving us insights into his methods and concerns. But the chapters which follow Bosch's investigative journeys are gripping as well. It may be important to state here that this book, like Connelly's others, can stand alone. Although he does not spend much time with exposition about the characters' backgrounds, he gives just enough. The reader might be curious to find out what happened to them in previous books, and begin a new reading list, but knowing or not knowing that information has no impact on being able to appreciate THE REVERSAL. The title of this book has more reverberations than this review mentions. Well-constructed thrillers do not allow us to easily guess what will happen. A reversal of expectations is always a possibility, and Connelly knows how to create the unexpected. THE REVERSAL may be considered one of Michael Connelly's best. Anne Corey is a writer, poet, teacher and botanical artist in New York's Hudson Valley.
Reviewed by Anne Corey, October 2010
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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