Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Michael Connelly, Allen & Unwin, $32.99.
Gripping from the opening page, the antics of The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, will enthrall you in The Law of Innocence.
Connelly, the best-selling author of 35 novels and one work of non-fiction, is one crime novelist whose words are hardly ever wasted. He is prolific in his crime fiction written endeavours – and this one is no exception.
In the latest, defence attorney Haller has to beat the toughest murder wrap he’s ever faced. What’s more, he is the one who is going to be on trial. Getting a ‘not guilty’ verdict is not going to be so easy.
On his way home, he is pulled over by police, who find the body of a client in the trunk of his Lincoln. Haller is charged with murder and can’t make the exorbitant $5 million bail slapped on him by a vindictive judge.
Mickey knows he’s been framed, decides to represent himself and exercises his right to a speedy trial. The news, however, gets worse when it’s revealed that the dead body is a former client who owed him money. He must strategise and build his defence, all the while looking over his shoulder – as an officer of the court he is an instant target.
Stuck in the Twin Towers Correctional Center in downtown Los Angeles, Mickey enlists the help of his own defence team to help him gather evidence on the outside and form a trial strategy. With the help of his trusted team, including LAPD detective Harry Bosch, he has to figure out who has plotted to destroy his life and why. Bosch’s involvement proves crucial after the veteran investigator gives a promising lead involving the mob and the FBI.
Then Haller has to go before a judge and jury and prove his innocence.
It’s incredible to see how well Connelly seems to grasp the ins-and-outs of the legal system. He has “… always displayed great ability to write courtroom scenes, combining thrust-and-parry exchanges between defense and prosecution with a look at the personal motives driving all the players (including the judge). He does all that here, too…”
