Veteran bestseller Connelly enters the crowded legal thriller field with flash and panache. Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller regularly represents lowlifes, but he's no slickster trolling for loopholes in the ethics laws. He's haunted by how he mishandled the case of (probably innocent) Jesus Menendez, and, though twice divorced, he's on good terms with his ex-wives; one of them manages his office, and the other, an ambitious assistant DA, occasionally tumbles back into bed with him. When Mickey signs on to defend young real estate agent Louis Roulet against charges of assault, he can't help seeing dollar signs: Roulet's imperious mother will spend any amount to prove her beloved son's innocence. But probing the details of the case, Mickey and private investigator Raul Levin dig up a far darker picture of Roulet's personality and his past. Levin's murder and a new connection to the Menendez case make Mickey wonder if he's in over his head, and his defense of Roulet becomes a question of morality as well as a test of his own survival. After Connelly spends the book's first half involving the reader in Mickey's complex world, he thrusts his hero in the middle of two high-stakes duels, against the state and his own client, for heart-stopping twists and topflight storytelling.
This was one of the best mysteries that I've read yet. It had all sorts of twists and turns, and took me off guard numerous times. Very well written.
This was an excellent book. Connelly has quickly become one of my favorites. If you haven't seen the movie, pleeeeze - read the book first. I love Matthew McConahey(sp) but the movie just wasn't up to the ride that the book took you on.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Katie's mom. I just watched the movie last night, and I thought the book was way better. Actually, I don't know if I'd have been able to follow the movie if I hadn't read the book - it skimmed over a few too many things for me to keep up.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely going to try another Connelly book soon.