The Gods of Guilt is Connelly's fifth book in the Lincoln Lawyer series about LA attorney Mickey Haller. The other books in the series are The Lincoln Lawyer, The Brass Verdict, the Reversal, and the Fifth Witness. Haller, in these books, is a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants criminal defense lawyer who does not normally maintain an office like a normal lawyer, but instead works out of the back of his Lincoln which is driven by a former client who does that in order to work off his legal bills. Connelly is a former crime reporter both in Miami and for the LA Times and his familiarity with his beat is evident in his writing. His familiarity with the Los Angeles courtrooms is so good that it is surprising that he never practiced. These books, like Connelly's Harry Bosch novels, are good, easy reading that flow from page one to the end generally with a speed approaching that of the cars in the Indy 500. Gods of Guilt, a phrase that refers to the jury who determines guilt or not guilty, is a worthy addition to this series.
In this story, Haller receives a text about a new client who has been arrested for murder, but he doesn't know who this person is. It turns out that the client is some sort of internet pimp who operates websites and billing for call girls and that one of his associates, the person who was murdered, is a former client of Haller's. He knew her as Gloria Dayton, but she goes by the name Giselle and also by the name of Glory Days. The signs all point to his client's guilt. They argued over money after a job. His client put her in a chokehold. Motive, means, and opportunity are there. However, as Haller gets involved in the case, he becomes convinced that there is more to this than meets the eye. Gloria, before she disappeared some years ago and changed her name, was a DEA informant and she gave the information that put away a high-placed cartel guy for life.
The story charts Haller's investigative efforts as he races from courtroom to federal prison and tries to figure out how to put on a defense that will exonerate his client. The courtroom scenes in the trial are convincingly real. Some of the cover-up in the plot is a little far- fetched, but perhaps, without it, there wouldn't be as much of a plot.