#BlogTour - The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly

 

THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE OF HIS LIFE. ONLY THIS TIME THE DEFENDANT IS HIMSELF

"The law of innocence is unwritten. It will not be found in a leather-bound code book. It will never be argued in a courtroom. In nature, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the law of innocence, for every man not guilty of a crime there is a man out there who is. And to prove true innocence the guilty man must be found and exposed to the world."

* * * * *

Heading home after winning his latest case, defense attorney Mickey Haller - The Lincoln Lawyer - is pulled over by the police. They open the trunk of his car to find the body of a former client.

Haller knows the law inside out. He will be charged with murder. He will have to build his case from behind bars. And the trial will be the trial of his life.

Because Mickey Haller will defend himself in court.

With watertight evidence stacked against him, Haller will need every trick in the book to prove he was framed. But a not-guilty verdict isn't enough. In order to truly walk free, Haller knows he must find the real killer - that is the law of innocence...

* * * * *

THE LAW OF INNOCENCE is seventh in Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer series, a sequence which has become one of the best legal thriller series around and truly the equal of Connelly's Harry Bosch series. The books have a different feel to the Bosch novels, both through the first person narration of Mickey Haller, the eponymous Lincoln Lawyer and Harry Bosch's half-brother, and by Mickey's less strict 'code' than that by which Bosch lives. Mickey is a fast talking dealer, a man with a sense of right and wrong but who is prepared to bend the rules, muddy the waters, when necessary to get the right verdict. This time his task is made much more difficult as Haller is the accused, whose decision to defend himself is further hampered by  a prohibitive bail leading to his incarceration.

The real joy of the series, as with all great series, is the characters, the interactions between Haller and his team, including his investigator, Cisco, Harry Bosch, and two (!) ex-wives. The dialogue is sharp and snappy, the plot moves like a snake, the threat to Haller, from the dogmatic prosecution and from fellow prisoners, feels real and has the potential for lasting consequences. The courtroom scenes are truly thrilling.

While there are callbacks to previous novels, the book can be read as a standalone, although those who start here should be prepared to devote some considerable time in going back to the start and catching up - I don't believe you could read this and not want more...

While it doesn't play a huge part in the plot, this novel is the first that I have read, especially by a renowned authors, in which Covid-19 appears. As the plot develops, Haller becomes aware of news stories about a virus in Wuhan, he starts to see people wearing masks in the street and then in the jail. It is well done and adds to the verisimilitude. It is ironic that I am reviewing the book on a day when America is counting votes in an election so affected by Coronavirus.

THE LAW OF INNOCENCE is a fine addition to a fine series. I really enjoyed spending time with Haller, Cisco, Maggie McFierce and the rest. I love the Harry Bosch books, and it is close, but the Haller novels may now be Michael Connelly's preeminent series. Can't wait to find out what happens next.

Thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers and to Orion Fiction/Hachette for the advance review copy.