The Lincoln Lawyer

written by Michael Connelly

I borrowed this novel from my friend and co-worker Diane (I say co-worker because she doesn't like being called my boss, even though that's what she is!). Once she heard that I had read Consent to Kill, she left this book on my desk because it has similar themes of tension, action, and suspense. I started it around Christmas time but things got too busy with holiday stuff, and I had too many other parenting books and work-related reading material going, so I didn't really get too far into it till last week. After about fifty pages, I couldn't put it down and plowed through the rest in a matter of days!

The jacket of the book says that this is Michael Connelly's first legal thriller. That's hard to believe, considering the confidence with which he writes about courtroom goings-on and the criminal justice system. From the background information I've read about his writing and this book in particular, it appears he's quite a master of research, and I think he must've done a sugarload of it for this book. Not that I'd have any idea if his writing has any resemblance to real-life legal proceedings, but I like his easy style and he comes across at least as in-the-know as Grisham. (Whether that's saying something or not, I don't know!)

The story is told from the voice of Mickey Haller, a "bottom-feeding trial lawyer" whose livelihood involves getting criminals off the hook, whether they're truly innocent or not. In Haller's words, "The law was not about truth. It was about negotiation, amelioration, manipulation...my job was to peel away the paint and find the cracks...to make them so big that either the house fell down or, failing that, my client slipped through."

The book focuses on a "franchise case" in which Haller represents a wealthy young real-estate broker (Louis Ross Roulet) who's willing to pay big money for Haller to defend him. Roulet's being nailed for the assault and attempted murder of a prostitute, and all evidence points to no one but him. As the case unfolds, it becomes pretty obvious that Roulet is, as they say, guilty as sin — and the case at hand isn't his only offense. As Haller learns of the depth of Roulet's history, Haller himself gets pulled into a tangled web through a set-up in which Roulet makes it appear that Haller actually committed a heinous crime. The remainder of the book portrays how Haller manages to defend a client who now has the potential to ruin Haller's life and career.

Really cool elements:

• Okay, by now you know I'm a sucker for a book that's not afraid to do a little moralizing. Though Haller's certainly no saint, I like how Connelly weaves in themes of true justice, and in the process (especially in the ending of the book), reveals that even a bottom-feeding trial lawyer has a conscience.
• Though some of the stuff that happens is a little predictable, there are a few twists toward the end that will surprise you. Or at least they surprised me. I love that.
• The last 150 pages (the book has about 400 pages total) describe the courtoom proceedings for the Roulet case. If you had told me that before I picked up this book, I would've never opened it up. I'd have assumed that even 20 pages —much less 150! — focusing on courtroom stuff would've bored me silly. But Connelly keeps it all very fast-moving and engaging, and I had no trouble staying interested. (This, I'm sure, is where his story-telling differs wildly from real-life litigation!)

Not-so-cool elements:

• Not much to crow about. Some gratuitous swear words and stuff like that, but nothing you wouldn't expect out of a legal thriller.