Book Review - The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

Synopsis: Things are finally looking up for defense attorney Mickey Haller. After two years of wrong turns, he is back in the courtroom. When his famed former colleague Jerry Vincent is murdered, Haller inherits the biggest case he's ever had, defending Walter Elliot, a prominent Hollywood producer accused of murdering his wife & her lover. Haller has his hands full with Elliot, who seems more concerned about his movies than about a possible life sentence. With a key part of the defense's strategy missing, Mickey scrambles to prepare for trial, and the pressure only intensifies when he learns that Vincent's killer may be coming for him next.

Enter Harry Bosch. Determined to find Vincent's murderer, Bosch will do whatever it takes to crack the case, even if it means using Haller as bait. Flip sides of the same coin, Haller & Bosch rarely see eye to eye on the law. But as danger mounts & the stakes rise, these two loners realize their only choice is to work as a team.

First Line: "Everybody lies."

Random Quote: "A trial is a contest of lies. & everybody in the courtroom knows this."

Review: Michael Connelly writes a great mystery. I don't know how he manages to do it, but he delivers every single time. His primary series character, Detective Bosch, hooks up with his newest character, Mickey Haller from The Lincoln Lawyer in his latest book.

Image by OZinOH via Flickr

Like all of Connelly's books the writing is uncomplicated & well-paced with an emphasis on both plot AND character. I suspect it's this that makes his books so enjoyable. This one is less a police procedural & more a courtroom drama & as such the trial sequences are the strongest part of the book.

Some may think that Bosch has too small a role here, but the intersection is believable & successfully sets up these two men (& their underlying connection) for future interaction.

I also appreciate the fact that Connelly writes L.A. so well. Often writers pay lip service to their setting, but Connelly obviously considers his setting to be a player in the story in much the same way that James Lee Burke writes south Louisiana (although Burke is the master of this). For a fun, quick read you can't get much better than this. It's refreshing to read a writer of a mystery series who doesn't seem to be running out of steam. Can't wait for the next one!