Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Lincoln Lawyer (Mickey Haller #1)

by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 64,332 ratings · 3,055 reviews

Best-selling author Michael Connelly, whose character-driven literary mysteries have earned him a wide following, breaks from the gate in the over-crowded field of legal thrillers and leaves every other contender from Grisham to Turow in the dust with this tightly plotted, brilliantly paced, impossible-to-put-down novel.

Criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller's father was...more Best-selling author Michael Connelly, whose character-driven literary mysteries have earned him a wide following, breaks from the gate in the over-crowded field of legal thrillers and leaves every other contender from Grisham to Turow in the dust with this tightly plotted, brilliantly paced, impossible-to-put-down novel.

Criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller's father was a legendary lawyer whose clients included gangster Mickey Cohen (in a nice twist, Cohen's gun, given to Dad then bequeathed to his son, plays a key role in the plot). But Dad also passed on an important piece of advice that's especially relevant when Mickey takes the case of a wealthy Los Angeles realtor accused of attempted murder: "The scariest client a lawyer will ever have is an innocent client. Because if you [screw] up and he goes to prison, it'll scar you for life."

Louis Roulet, Mickey's "franchise client" (so-called becaue he's able and willing to pay whatever his defense costs) seems to be the one his father warned him against, as well as being a few rungs higher on the socio-economic ladder than the drug dealers, homeboys, and motorcycle thugs who comprise Mickey's regular case load. But as the holes in Roulet's story tear Mickey's theory of the case to shreds, his thoughts turn more to Jesus Menendez, a former client convicted of a similar crime who's now languishing in San Quentin. Connelly tellingly delineates the code of legal ethics Mickey lives by: "It didn't matter...whether the defendant 'did it' or not. What mattered was the evidence against him--the proof--and if and how it could be neutralized. My job was to bury the proof, to color the proof a shade of gray. Gray was the color of reasonable doubt." But by the time his client goes to trial, Mickey's feeling a few very reasonable doubts of his own.

While Mickey's courtroom pyrotechnics dazzle, his behind-the-scenes machinations and manipulations are even more incendiary in this taut, gripping novel, which showcases all of Connelly's literary gifts. There's not an excess sentence or padded paragraph in it--what there is, happily, is a character who, like Harry Bosch, deserves a franchise series of his own. --Jane Adams(less)

Paperback, 508 pages

Published July 1st 2006 by Grand Central Publishing (first published 2005)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 18, 2011 Barbara Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I won The Lincoln Lawyer from Kathy at www.bermudaonion.com along with a movie poster since the movie just arrived in theaters starring Matthew McConaughey. This casting seems right on to me, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to see the movie.

All in all, I liked this book. My problem with it was that I just couldn't stand the major character who I hesitate to call a hero. Mickey Haller is a defense attorney who owns four Lincoln Town Cars which he bought at once when he had a big-paying c...more I won The Lincoln Lawyer from Kathy at www.bermudaonion.com along with a movie poster since the movie just arrived in theaters starring Matthew McConaughey. This casting seems right on to me, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to see the movie.

All in all, I liked this book. My problem with it was that I just couldn't stand the major character who I hesitate to call a hero. Mickey Haller is a defense attorney who owns four Lincoln Town Cars which he bought at once when he had a big-paying client. He uses one as an office, driven by a former client he helped big time, and when that Lincoln gets too much mileage on it, he sells it and uses the next one. At this point he has two left in the garage he has been loaned by the father of another client he helped. Meanwhile, his second ex-wife lives in a condo which she uses to be his office staff, answering the phone, sending correspondence, tracking down paperwork he needs, and sometimes showing up in court. They are friends, just can't stand to be married to each other. For one thing, he still loves his first ex-wife, the mother of his only child. That ex-wife is a prosecutor. If you think that causes a problem, you're right.

Haller's clients are invariably guilty and success for him is a deal that cuts down the prison time for them or even gets them off on probation, depending upon the crime of course. His greatest fear is that he'll get a client who is actually innocent and he won't realize it. Well, guess what - he thinks he has one finally and the guy is rich enough to pay staggering fees, but in truth . . . well, you'll have to read the book or see the movie to find out. Meanwhile, a former client sitting in prison really is innocent and Haller thought he had done him a big favor by getting him prison instead of execution. Oops! The plot is a good one.

Michael Connelly has created a believable, if unlikeable, character here. He does show that Haller normally does things legally and that he does have a heart, but the concentration is on how he can skirt the law to get the best deal for his clients. He comes off as an ambulance chaser to me. That's why I doubt if I'll see the movie even though I think McConaughey is probably well cast in the role. (less)

like 4 likes · see review

Aug 04, 2009 jo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller

this is my michael connelly tally so far: i have read two harry bosch and two mickey haller. i barely remember the harry bosch. the mickey haller dug a hole in my mind. this is not how things should be. harry bosch is michael connelly's hero. harry and i, though, do not connect; mickey and i are two peas in a pod. if he were real, i would very much like to be friends with mickey, though i doubt he'd want to be friends with me -- not because he wouldn't like me, but because he's the loner type an...more this is my michael connelly tally so far: i have read two harry bosch and two mickey haller. i barely remember the harry bosch. the mickey haller dug a hole in my mind. this is not how things should be. harry bosch is michael connelly's hero. harry and i, though, do not connect; mickey and i are two peas in a pod. if he were real, i would very much like to be friends with mickey, though i doubt he'd want to be friends with me -- not because he wouldn't like me, but because he's the loner type and doesn't seem to like to hang out, unless it's for work, and i would have nothing to offer him. unless i were a client, which i most definitely would not want to be (it would involve either being a criminal or being someone who's unjustly accused of being one).

the mickey haller legal thrillers read more like hardboiled noir than legal procedurals. even the courtroom scenes are hardboiled. hardboiled feature number one: even though he's exceedingly successful as a criminal defense lawyer, mickey is considered a sleazeball, even by himself. as he tells us repeatedly, the cops don't like him and he has incurred the wrath of judges and of the california bar more than once. we, however, see nothing of this. in the novels, mickey seems ethical to a fault. the air of bad boy lingers constantly around him and we all smell it, even if we don't know where it comes from.

hardboiled feature number two: he defends shady characters and his investigative work is a key part of the action, even though in both books he farms it out to proper investigators. mickey haller may be a lawyer, but for most of the book he plays private eye.

hardboiled feature number three: he's a terrible father and he apparently seriously pissed off his first wife and mother of his daughter, even though, just like in hardboiled feature number one, we have no idea what he could possibly have done to piss her off.

well, we do have some idea. because, hardboiled feature number four, mickey is entirely his own guy: he does what he thinks he should be doing regardless of hours and time and social obligations. like a true hardboiled sociopath, he's solely focused on his work. i suppose that would make him an asshole if you were married to him. he'd be the husband you never see, who stands you up, who comes home at 3 AM but cannot tell you where he was.

also: mickey likes to drink alone. he drinks in bars and only when life is so sucky that you really have to. he drinks a lot of coffee and has breakfasts in cafes and sandwiches in his car. and here's the clincher: mickey doesn't have an office. he spends his workdays in the back of a lincoln driven by one of his deadbeat clients who is paying off a debt by being mickey's driver, or having meetings with clients in prisons, restaurants, bars, and, rarely, homes. never his.

mickey is intensely about the money. his one and only reason to practice the law is to make money. unfortunately, he's remarkably unsuccessful at it because he's, you know, nice. and ethical. and his own man.

i find mickey haller one of the most simpatico characters i have encountered in mystery fiction. i never remember what simpatico means in english but in italian it means charming and fetching and cool. likeable. i like that mickey has all these theories about the law and the practice of the law and the conduct of the lawyer and, of course, life and people in general, but at the end of the day it's also a lot of facade and the guy is always treading the thin path between the "what is right" and the "what i would like to be the case." he's a big teddy bear who likes to talk big and make himself look cool, but he can take it on the chin when things go wrong and turn his failures into jokes (though he knows how to be pathetic, too, and feel sorry for himself). i like that he is so blustery and self-assured and cocky while knowing all along that he's also a big fat loser. i like that being a big fat loser and knowing it doesn't put the slightest dent in his cockiness and self-assuredness. that's the way it should be. (less)

like 21 likes · see review

Jan 21, 2008 Tony rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who wants to see how justice is preverted and served

Shelves: crime-fiction

"You're a sleazy defense lawyer with two ex-wifes and an eight-year-old daughter and we all love you."

That's not writing, it's a regurgitating a cliche, and this book is litter with them, like confetti at New Year's Eve. The trouble is that the over use of cliched speeches and actions obscure a page turner, a novel decked out with top flight characters and scenes place it on the top shelf of its genre. Overall, the book is worth reading, but you'll have to fight the cliche gag reflex at least a...more "You're a sleazy defense lawyer with two ex-wifes and an eight-year-old daughter and we all love you."

That's not writing, it's a regurgitating a cliche, and this book is litter with them, like confetti at New Year's Eve. The trouble is that the over use of cliched speeches and actions obscure a page turner, a novel decked out with top flight characters and scenes place it on the top shelf of its genre. Overall, the book is worth reading, but you'll have to fight the cliche gag reflex at least a few times.

Connelly pushes the novel along at a brisk pace, unfurling a solid mystery and introducing of to a goodly number of minor characters, who are well drawn and captivating. Even if the minor characters don't add to the plot, they fill in the details of what life must be like for a criminal defense lawyer who dreams of living the good life but finds himself stuck cutting deals for drug dealers. Those characters have a way of grounding the novel, setting it in seamy L.A., a subculture hopefully far away from most people's lives. In this, etchings from the justice scene in L.A., Connelly gets the details right, largely due to his ability to make the minor characters and their actions reflect the time and place, and more importantly give some depth to the main character. Well done there Connelly, well done.

Telling of Connelly's strength as a writer is his ability to make his leading character, criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller, seem likable even in the face of so many cops pointing out how Haller perverts the loopholes in the system to free clients, most of whom are guilty, guilty, guilty. Of course, Connelly does this by refusing to shine the good light on anyone who draws their salary from the state, the sole exception there being his ex-wife, a prosecutor who plays by the rules and pays for it by losing promotions to lesser qualified colleagues. There's a lesson there and you don't have to look hard to figure out what it is.

Connelly uses the framework of a court room procedural to background his story, a similar to the police procedural formula that's worked well for Ed McBain and his 87th Precinct series. Yes, the story does build up to a big a courtroom trial, and yes Virginia, there are couple nice twists at end that reward the reader for putting up with a phrase or two that's a stale as yesterday's meatloaf.

These more than enough here to mark me down as a Connelly fan, even if he falls into that "nobody understands how important defense lawyers are for the wheels of justice to turn evenly and fairly" claptrap. It's the only thing that drags the book down, but if crime is your genre, don't let this one get away. (less)

like 11 likes · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 50-book-2012, legal-thriller, thrillers

Ok, ok...I may have watched the movie before reading this book. It could be my old age or the fact that I've been working my butt off lately, but I may have watched the movie twice BEFORE even thinking about reading this book.

What can I say I like lawyer movies, and I like movies starring Matthew McConaughey, and I like movies starring Mr. McConaughey as a lawyer. I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took and wasn't sure they'd be as interesting in a book.

The thing is that while the book do...more Ok, ok...I may have watched the movie before reading this book. It could be my old age or the fact that I've been working my butt off lately, but I may have watched the movie twice BEFORE even thinking about reading this book.

What can I say I like lawyer movies, and I like movies starring Matthew McConaughey, and I like movies starring Mr. McConaughey as a lawyer. I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took and wasn't sure they'd be as interesting in a book.

The thing is that while the book doesn't move as fast as the movie...and, the movie doesn't move fast at all...there are so many pluses to reading this book.

#1 Characterization
I like how Connelly writes Mickey Haller just as much as I like how McConaughey plays him. This guy is a truly flawed character who has his ex working for him and a tiny list of true friends to contrast his large Christmas list. I like that the book goes into detail about how guilty Haller feels about his failed marriage, failed relationships, failed relationship with his daughter and his guilt about being a lawyer who gets his money from living in the gray.

#2 Setting
From the car to the court house Connelly sets the scene so well that I understand how a Lincoln can be an office, I felt the Los Angeles heat and I was there in the courtroom and in the jail cells.

#3 Believable Story
In the end of this book not everything is tied up and Haller must struggle with the fact that doing good weighs more on his conscious than pretending good.

I liked this book and am glad that I have found another serial novelist to sink my teeth into on those nights when I should be grading or writing lesson plans.

The Lincoln Lawyer was my first Michael Connelly book, I look forward to reading more.I suppose I should start with the first one.

I like when I read a book after watching the movie and the book, while it has a different feel than the movie, is just as enjoyable. This is definitely one of those books. I'll be reading more Connelly in the near future.(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Cathy DuPont rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: noir-favorites

WOW! What a great read that was. Great plot; clear and interesting characters; action, something happening every page; twists and turns; did I say great plot?

To me it was one of the best books I've read in a long time and a first for me reading Michael Connelly. I've seen his name and books but never been too interested in the hyped and hightly marketed authors which I thought defined Connelly. I was just plain wrong. Connelly writes like I like and enjoy. He writes like a professional, clear a...more

like 2 likes · see review

Sep 18, 2011 Lauryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

It’s somewhat appropriate that I’m writing about The Lincoln Lawyer while watching the season finale of Castle since Michael Connelly frequently appears at Castle’s mystery writer poker table. I found The Lincoln Lawyer to be less of a true mystery and more of a thriller as the audience and the narrator, Mickey Haller, are sure about who is behind various questionable and many certifiably illegal acts. The question of this novel isn’t “whodunnit?” but how is he going to finally get caught, espec...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 20, 2011 Sam Quixote rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got the idea to read this from Nicholson Baker's article against Amazon's Kindle device where he said he had to finish reading this on his Kindle (despite disliking doing so on such a shoddy device) because he had to know what happened in the end. I'm not predisposed toward legal/crime thrillers as I think they're a bit too melodramatic and sensationalist (I was thinking of John Grisham). However it's an unfair generalisation as I hadn't read any books from this genre. So I picked it up not ex...more

like 8 likes · see review

May 29, 2011 David L. Craddock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some months back, my wife and I were in the mood to catch a movie. We browsed movie trailers online and were both intrigued by The Lincoln Lawyer, an adaption of Michael Connelly's legal-drama novel of the same name. For whatever reason, we didn't end up seeing the movie that night; we either saw something else or decided to stay in and play video games. You know, something new for a change.

But the trailer, which depicted criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller getting caught in a web of murder...more Some months back, my wife and I were in the mood to catch a movie. We browsed movie trailers online and were both intrigued by The Lincoln Lawyer, an adaption of Michael Connelly's legal-drama novel of the same name. For whatever reason, we didn't end up seeing the movie that night; we either saw something else or decided to stay in and play video games. You know, something new for a change.

But the trailer, which depicted criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller getting caught in a web of murder and drama (as all proper movie trailers must depict), stuck with me. A mystery/drama hybrid with a legal theme appealed to me at the time; it fell outside of my normal reading purview which I'd been eager to expand. Fast forward to my birthday and receiving an e-gift card from my grandmother for Amazon: a few clicks later, the Kindle version of The Lincoln Lawyer was mine, and I commenced reading.

The Lincoln Lawyer being my first Michael Connelly novel, I was immediately struck and captivated by the author's sparseness in terms of character and environmental descriptions. Unless something particular about a person or place needed noting, Connelly didn't note them. Instead, he focused his description efforts on building a slow burning mystery thriller that escalated in tension with every revelation and incident.

On every page, Connelly keeps the reader firmly planted in protagonist Haller's mind. I tagged along as Haller interviewed his client, investigated the case, and formulated a defense strategy not only to win his case, but to keep him alive and out of prison (for reasons I won't spoil here). Watching Haller strategize and piece together facts was like sitting next to a master chess player who explained the motivations behind each move as he delicately maneuvered the board in preparation for a major coup. I never once felt bogged down in stuffy textbook details when Haller explained moves and legal jargon. Each explanation was succinct and served to enlighten me on why the character chose to do something and how he'd use it in his strategy to win cases and survive a looming threat. As the story progressed, I saw gears clicking into place ahead of time and anticipated learning whether or not my guess as to Haller's next move was correct.

The problem with receiving a backstage pass to a character's every thought and motivation is, instances when the character does a complete 180 leaves the reader with severe whiplash. The ending was one such occasion. Throughout the book, Haller promises himself that his personal and professional life will change after his big case, win or lose. In the end, Haller completely backpedaled.

Haller's change of heart could be forgiven if he offered some reason for it, but he doesn't. The book's ending, one of those epilogues where a lengthy span of time has passed between the penultimate chapter of the story and the conclusion, gave me only a cursory overview of how things played out after the climax, as such endings tend to do. Haller's decision to keep on keepin' on in the criminal defense game is stated perfunctorily; no reason, no motivation. It left me feeling forcibly shoved to the outside of the inner circle I'd been privy to up to that point.

The reason for his sudden change of heart lies, as far as I can tell, in Connelly appointing The Lincoln Lawyer as the first in the Haller series of books. You can't have a criminal defense attorney drop his profession and become a fry cook if you're going to write more books starring that character. (Although I'm sure defending some idiot who sued a restaurant for her coffee being too scalding for comfort would make a riveting tale.)

In The Lincoln Lawyer's defense (pun very much intended), its faults don't crop up until the last few pages of the book; everything up to that point made for a great adventure. By drawing me into the inner fold of the protagonist's dealings, and keeping my attention on the thunderstorm brewing on the plot's horizon rather than extraneous descriptive details, The Lincoln Lawyer wound up becoming a quickly devoured late-night page-turner.
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Oct 14, 2011 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

It's been a very long time since I last read Michael Connelly. Way back
when he was virtually unknown I had somehow heard about him and loved
his first Harry Bosch novel The Black Echo. In fact, I still have a print of Hopper's famous Nighthawks on my wall, which I was inspired to buy because of that novel.

I continued to follow Bosch through a few more novels, and they began to pale for me somewhere around The Concrete Blond.

Then came a new character with The Poet, which was fantastic. There were...more

like 5 likes · see review

Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

The Lincoln Lawyer, a legal thriller, departs both in character and genre from Connelly's crime-fiction series starring Harry Bosch. As it turns out, Bosch and Haller are half brothers__a convenient device to link the novel to Connelly's popular series. Critics agree that his new character__a man who finds holes in the system to aid guilty clients and is forced to question his own moral code__is just as compelling as Bosch. In fact, notes The Oregonian, the novel "seduces us into rooting for a g

...more

like 4 likes · see review

Dec 15, 2012 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, favorites

My first Michael Connelly book and I will testify that it certainly will not be my last! I absolutely LOVED this book! I was looking for a different read and this one did not disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat practically the entire time. It made me so nervous at points that I had goosebumps. Ironically enough, I was always routing for Mickey even though he's known as the sleazy criminal defense lawyer ;) I just knew he had something cooking up his sleeve. I loved the court room scenes - e...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 23, 2008 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of the best books that I have read in the past few years. From the very first page, the reader can identify with Mickey, the protagonist, and what he has to go through to maintain his ambulance-chasing law practice and make a living.

Connelly has a taught thriller where the tension and the stakes are constantly going up. Mickey is a clever lawyer but sometimes too clever. His Golden Goose client turns out to be more than he had in mind.

Connelly shows that he is the master of the thri...more

like 5 likes · see review

May 05, 2013 Tea Jovanović rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: editor-of-serbian-edition

Ova knjiga me je oduševila dok sam je čitala još u rukopisu... Bolja mi je od Hari Boš serijala... :) A i film nije loš :)

like 1 like · see review

Jun 22, 2012 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"This Book'd be a lot more fun if we read it with our shirts off" - Matthew McConaughey.

like 1 like · see review

May 11, 2012 Lisa Schaefer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All Michael Connelly books are great.

like 4 likes · see review

May 05, 2013 Andrea Larson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Saw the movie first, though I don't remember much of the storyline. I just recall it was a good movie with a nice view of Matthew McConaughey.

So when I started reading the book, I expected the story to come back to me, but it didn't. No worries. This was a great tale about a lawyer who works out of his Lincoln (hence the title), and makes a living defending those who most people wouldn't mess with - the gang members, prostitutes, drug dealers, etc.

When he is called into service by the son of a...more

like · see review

May 05, 2013 Mark Glover rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I went back on my word and decided to give Michael Connelly another go after not being overly impressed with the first of the Harry Bosch books. I have to say it was a pleasant surprise to find that the book was well written, well thought out and kept me involved despite jumping through numerous cliche hoops. The cliche ridden characters are seemingly something that Connelly deals in but unlike the Harry Bosch book I found that this kept you engaged and to the point that it wasn't a distracti...more

like · see review

Apr 20, 2013 Bill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Objection, Your Honor!

Connelly, M. (2005). The Lincoln Lawyer. New York: Warner Books.

Mickey Haller is a defense lawyer in Los Angeles who runs his office out of the back of a Lincoln Town Car. He has three others in storage because he gets a fleet rate when he buys that many at once, so after 50K miles he switches to the next one. Cool, but irrelevant to the case, Your Honor. His driver is an ex-drug dealer that he kept out of jail once. That's what he does, get bad guys off.

Haller has, like Pe...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2013 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Lincoln Lawyer is a legal thriller. One of the best that I've read. I picked up the following book, The Brass Verdict, and it's next on my list. So, it's pretty clear that I liked this one a lot.

Story:

Micky Haller is a jaded defense lawyer. He mostly works with drug dealers, petty criminals, and whoever can pay his fees. However, he does have a soft spot for some former clients, one being a prostitute he had defended before and continues to do so pro-bono.

Haller is not a perfect hero. He def...more

like · see review

Nov 27, 2012 Matthew Poletti rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Connelly is in top writing form with this Mickey Haller story. The main character practices law from his Lincoln Town Car, doing a steady business of foreclosures, usually with poor customers. However, he is called upon to represent a very wealthy man who has been accused of murdering a prostitute. The case could be the one Haller has been waiting on to set him up for life. If he wins, he can make some serious money and make a name for himself as a defense attorney. The intricate plot keeps the...more

like · see review

Nov 20, 2012 Kevin Y. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-2013

Kevin Lin 11/19/12
Advisory Ms. Hanna
Final Draft
The Lincoln Lawyer Hachette Book Group, 2005,404 pages, $13.99
Michael Connelly ISBN 0-316-73493-4
Living from paycheck to paycheck is definitely not the way most people would wish to live, but Mickey Haller does that and now he has to defend a psychotic suspect for a rape case who will harm his family if things don’t go his way. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly is an incredibly intense book that is a battle of wits between the protagonist Mick...more Kevin Lin 11/19/12
Advisory Ms. Hanna
Final Draft
The Lincoln Lawyer Hachette Book Group, 2005,404 pages, $13.99
Michael Connelly ISBN 0-316-73493-4
Living from paycheck to paycheck is definitely not the way most people would wish to live, but Mickey Haller does that and now he has to defend a psychotic suspect for a rape case who will harm his family if things don’t go his way. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly is an incredibly intense book that is a battle of wits between the protagonist Mickey Haller and the man he is defending, Louis Roulet. As a defense attorney, Mickey Haller tries to protect all his clients from the wrath of the law even if they really are criminals who have committed countless sins. Now, he can either defend this new rich client or his family and friends will be brutally slaughtered.
This book starts in modern day in California and goes all over California describing its scenic environment vividly. Mickey Haller the protagonist has never really cared about any of his cases after he realized the industry he works in is like selling your soul to the devil just for cash that he needs to survive. He has put a few innocent men in jail and has only slept well because of money, but with the light of a new case radiating in his life, he has to review an old case and speculate whether or not he transgressed the biggest law a lawyer has to follow. The law of not condemning innocence when it is present in a lawyer’s work. As mickey tries to find the truth of an old case, this new case proves to be quite the challenge as his long-time friend is brutally killed with a gun that Mickey himself owns. As the plot thickens, one cannot tell where the road of the story leads because of the myriad of twist weaved into the story. An important theme that is shown in this story is that even if you are engulfed in your work, seeking justice is essential when you know that injustice is being done. This is shown when Mickey tries to save a convicted rapist from a crime he didn’t commit after he condemns him to a life in prison and he goes to all lengths to put the garbage that landed his old client in the slammer in jail.
Novels like this that have strong themes in them and discuss a lot about what justice is and how important it is in such a depraved, incorrigible society. Although Mickey’s methods were definitely unorthodox, they saved a man’s life from festering in a jail cell even though he did spend a few years in jail. I cannot recommend this book to all ages, but if you desrie a good mystery book that is serious and mature in its nature, this is without a shadow of a doubt, a book to read. A novel like The Lincoln Lawyer really reiterates to this modern-day period that although justice may have an extremely high cost in all senses, it has to be delivered in order to defeat injustice.
Again, this book is recommended for a mature audience, but if you do not mind, by all means, envelop yourself in this book. This book also kind of reflects that maybe in the everyday chaos or monotony of life and work, we have to really stop and think about the morality of our actions. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” is what the late, but great Martin Luther King Jr. said and definitely embodies what is in this book.
(less)

like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Darlene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE LINCOLN LAWYER by Michael Connelly (audio book from local library) is another Connelly specialty, full of surprises, twists, characters of every kind. First, this is a legal thriller and the title refers to criminal defense lawyer, Mickey Haller’s choice of vehicles, NOT our ex-president.

One of Haller’s fears is that someday he might defend an innocent man and not recognize it. Has that time finally arrived?

Married and divorced twice, a daughter, and still, jaded Mickey lives alone. That’s n...more

like · see review

Oct 12, 2012 Mark Paulino rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story follows a criminal defense attorney known as Mickey Haller. The book is titled "Lincoln Lawyer" simply because he goes from place to place in a Lincoln car driven by an old client as a way to pay his debt to society. It is mainly about Mickey Haller investigating the case of Louis Roulet, who has been convicted of assualt and attempted murder. It goes on to how solving this case opens Mickey up as a person and allows him to see the truth in a past case.

I gave this book 4 stars because...more

like · see review

Aug 31, 2012 Booknblues rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have three confessions to make, first, I am a huge Michael Connelly fan and have been reading his Harry Bosch books for fourteen years and the second, I am a sucker for books that have been made into movies and always want to read the book first and finally, I enjoy watching Matthew McConaughey, so imagining the main character, Mickey Haller, in the image of Matthew McConaughey added points to Michael Connelly's book The Lincoln Lawyer.

Mickey Haller is a busy, ballsy defense lawyer who while h...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 16, 2012 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, police-procedural

After about 15 books in which defence attorneys are vilified as evil greedy scumbags who use despicable tactics to free their evil guilty scumbag clients, Connelly has finally produced a story told from the perspective of one such evil greedy scumbag, Mickey Haller. Haller, a defence lawyer in LA, has long since given up any idealism of truth and justice in law that he might once have had. No longer able to see any innocence in his clients, he cynically manipulates the system, constantly focused...more After about 15 books in which defence attorneys are vilified as evil greedy scumbags who use despicable tactics to free their evil guilty scumbag clients, Connelly has finally produced a story told from the perspective of one such evil greedy scumbag, Mickey Haller. Haller, a defence lawyer in LA, has long since given up any idealism of truth and justice in law that he might once have had. No longer able to see any innocence in his clients, he cynically manipulates the system, constantly focused on pride and money rather than justice or truth. When he receives a case of the attempted murder of a prostitute, he is jarred by his suspicion that his client may actually be innocent of the crime. As he begins to investigate, he is confronted with the face of both pure evil and total innocence and is thrown into a morass of moral and ethical questions and self-doubt.

One thing I've found problematic about most of Connelly's stories is that defence lawyers and IAD (Internal Affairs) are constantly vilified, portrayed as immoral bottom-feeders who maliciously inhibit the course of justice, and are literally called the "lowest of the low." At the same time, in every single story in the Bosch series I have read, the police have been guilty of unspeakable corruption. In fact, in all but one, a policeman has been guilty of the crime. This inconsistency has irritated me throughout. Given the corruption Connelly highlights in the police system, it would seem that defence and IAD are completely necessary to ensure justice. Series such as John Mortimer's Rumpole tend to characterize defence lawyers as those upholding justice and defence of the innocent against a corrupt police system. Rumpole truly sees himself as a crusader against a corrupt system, protecting those who are, if not innocent, undeserving of the punishments a corrupt police system wishes to force upon them. Haller on the other hand, is so jaded and cynical that while he may mouth the same platitudes as Rumpole, he repeats them without conviction or belief. The truth, of course, is something in between. This story gave Connelly the perfect opportunity to show the situation from the point of view of the defence. However, although he does highlight some prosecutorial corruption, it tends to be from a position similar to those in the Bosch stories: the prosecution using underhanded tactics to achieve a righteous result. I don't think he really made use of the opportunity to really show why the defence is important: to try to protect innocents unjustly accused of crimes they did not commit.

No matter what he tells himself, no matter how justified he thinks his actions are, I found Haller's actions immoral, self-centred, arrogant, and wrong. He repeatedly decides to avoid due process of law; he claims as narrator that his reasons are just, but they are clearly selfish. His actions cause an incredible amount of damage for those around him. The most striking instance for me was during his defence of his client.(view spoiler) I don't really understand him. I think he's manipulative and wrong and immoral and I think he's about as low down on the antihero scale as he can get. However, although I don't feel the sympathy, empathy, or connection to Haller that I feel to Bosch, I still find myself liking him against my will. I also found many of the characters around him--his two ex-wives in particular--engaging and sympathetic. Also, despite what I see as an impressively narrow-minded bias towards the side of the prosecution, I thought Connelly's description of the LA police system feels both authoritative and well-researched. The villain is incredibly creepy and several scenes made my pulse race. Most importantly, even though I could not approve of him, Connelly's brilliant characterization made Mickey Haller a sympathetic and very real person, torn and tortured by his own conflicting emotions and desires. (less)

like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Vicki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was refreshingly unpredictable to the very end, a rare thing to encounter in a mystery. I was really impressed with how wonderfully crafted all the characters were, even minor ones. Connelly excels at defining charcters through mannerisms, quirks, circumstances and motives in a very organic way, and in a way which presents the people as they are, without bias or judgement. I loved the insight into the judicial system, the understanding of all the gray areas, again without an overshadowing b...more

like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mickey Haller is a sleaze-bag lawyer or is he?. Haller represents clients like prostitutes, drug dealers and motorcycle thugs. He won't proceed with a case unless he knows he will be paid. When Louis Roulet is charged with the brutal beating and rape of a woman, Haller finally has his 'franchise' case. A case where he will make a ton of money. Roulet comes from a wealthy Beverly Hills family and his mother will do anything to keep him out of jail.

Haller has 2 ex-wives and a little girl and they...more

like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Alkatraz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gruesome, murders, mystery-thriller

This is the first Connelly novel I've read and I must say it was thoroughly enjoyable! We start by meeting Michael Haller, a defense attorney in L.A. His job is to not just get you off for possession, but to neutralize all evidence that the District Attorney's office may have on you. And he's not too bad at it.

Enter his latest client, Louis Roulet (pronounced roo-lay) who is accused of attempted rape, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Its clear that he's guilty, but guilt and in...more

like · see review

Feb 21, 2012 Vicki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Connelly is terrific at crafting plots and creating believable characters who are flawed but incredibly likable. He has done it before with police detective Harry Bosch and has certainly done it again with hustling lawyer for the defense, Mickey Haller.

Along the way Connelly weaves in the stories of the prosecutors, the investigators, the defendants and recent and current events in the city of Los Angeles to make this a richly detailed and entertaining fast paced read. Mickey Haller is t...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 21, 2011 Nene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, fiction, usa

I bought this for my husband who desperately needed a good read to take his mind off stress at work and flying with Easyjet. However, as he started on another one, I couldn't resist starting on this one, it being holiday'ish and all. I didn't regret it, because Connelly is always worth a read. I have more or less stopped reading crime fiction, because I generally find there's not enough sustenance in them, but when I do, I often return to Connelly. And why? Because he is a master of what he sets...more

like 2 likes · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Is this a good book?	330	812	Apr 22, 2013 08:34pm
The Indie Exchang...: 2 paperbacks and $5 Amazon GC	1	7	Aug 17, 2012 08:24am

combine
Other Editions (82)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

570 users

Mystery > Crime

233 users

Thriller

191 users

Suspense

93 users

Thriller > Legal Thriller

91 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

91 users

Book Club

38 users

Mystery > Detective

29 users

Adult

26 users

Adult Fiction

21 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

L.A. Requiem
by Robert Crais
Buried Prey
by John Sandford
Live Wire
by Harlan Coben
The Sixth Man
by David Baldacci
The Tin Roof Blowdown
by James Lee Burke

About Michael Connelly

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teache...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with 18 more novels.
Connelly's books have been translated in 35 languages and have won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), and Premio Bancarella Award (Italy).
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael was one of the creators, writers, and consulting producers of Level 9, a TV show about a task force fighting cyber crime, that ran on UPN in the Fall of 2000.
Michael lives with his family in Florida.

(less)

More about Michael Connelly...

Books by Michael Connelly

The Brass Verdict (Harry Bosch, #14; Mickey Haller, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Lincoln Lawyer

2 trivia questions
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Lincoln Lawyer

“There is no client as scary as an innocent man."

J. Michael Haller, Criminal Defense Attorney, Los Angeles, 1962.” — 39 people liked it

“I view people two ways. They're either eye-for-an-eye people or they are turn-the-cheek people.” — 28 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Lincoln Lawyer
avg rating	preview: The Lincoln Lawyer Goodreads rating: 4.06 (64332 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1025230.The_Lincoln_Lawyer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344265222l/1025230.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1025230.The_Lincoln_Lawyer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly[/url]

The Lincoln Lawyer (Mickey Haller #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website