As much as I love Michael Connelly's writings, this one didn't hit the spot for me. It is so comfortable to read his stuff that it partially makes up for some of the shortcomings. This book features a (relatively) new character, Mickey Haller, a defense attorney. (Haller is first introduced in The Lincoln Lawyer, which is evidently about to be released as a movie with, someone please save us, Matthew McConaughey as Haller. That, in and of itself, is enough reason for me not to see it...and I'm not a particularly discriminating movie-goer, as evidenced by the fact that I intend to see I Am Number Four tomorrow.) Sheesh. Back to the book.
The story is tidy, well-laid out, and moves quickly to a reasonably satisfying conclusion. The real problem is that I don’t find Haller a particularly interesting or compelling character. Connelly’s Harry Bosch, however, is both. And he is also in this story, which only serves to make Haller even less interesting than he is.
The plot explores the interesting games that defense lawyers and district attorneys play in their respective parts in delivering “justice”. And, just like a lot of Law and Order shows, justice is subverted by the complexities of real life and real people and real problems. Luckily, Connelly’s villain deserves everything coming to him – but it certainly doesn’t happen because of the trial process. I really like Connelly’s clean expository style (if memory serves, he was an LA Times reporter before he started writing full time). Anyway, an easy read, and satisfying – just not the best that Connelly has produced in the past with Harry Bosch. (I do have to acknowledge I almost gave up on Harry Bosch in Connelly’s last book – “Nine Dragons”, I think – because his self-destructive tendencies caused hideous collateral damage.. while his behavior often creates havoc, but it was to an extreme that made me a bit ill in that book.)