The Brass Verdict: A Novel (Mickey Haller) by Michael Connelly
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Book Reviews of The Brass Verdict: A Novel (Mickey Haller)
Book Review: Justice Served the Old-Fashioned Way
Summary: 5 Stars
Having just finished Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer a month ago, I was eager to read this next book featuring defense attorney, Mickey Haller. As if another Haller book wasn't enough of a gift to his readers, the author further rewards us by injecting Harry Bosch into the mix. Be still my heart!!! Haller and Bosch together!!! It's a dream come true for Connelly's avid fans. If you're not familiar with Connelly's previous books, Harry Bosch is the homicide detective who has appeared in more than ten of them and is greatly loved by all of Connelly's readers.
One might say that each of these characters is cut from the same cloth. But almost everything about them is the flip side of the other. One serves the prosecution while the other serves the defense; one lives on one side of the mountain while the other lives on the other side; one has one view of the city while the other has a different view. But this book will show how much they are truly alike and the words "cut from the same cloth" can perhaps be taken literally. I think the thing I enjoyed most was seeing Harry Bosch through someone else's eyes and being able to get a new take on an old and much beloved character. At one point, Harry is standing outside of police headquarters listening to an Ipod. Mickey Haller is as surprised by this as is the reader who has followed Harry for years. There's no way I can picture Bosch standing on the street listening to music through an Ipod. We actually find out it wasn't music he was listening to which puts Harry back where he should be in the reader's mind.
In The Brass Verdict, Connelly dishes out my kind of justice...the brass kind....as Mickey Haller is defending an arrogant Hollywood bigshot charged with some serious murders. Prior to this, Mickey had been on leave for a year after the conclusion of The Lincoln Lawyer forced him to take some time off. The death of a former colleague brings him back to the defense table when he inherits that attorney's cases. Haller is great at picking apart the prosecution's case but, as with all of Connelly's books, it's more about the journey and not the destination. The things the reader learns along the way, about the characters Connelly so obviously loves, makes each and every one of Connelly books something to be greatly appreciated.
When I read The Lincoln Lawyer, I loved it but had no idea that The Brass Verdict would be as good, if not better, than the first book in this series. It's obvious that Connelly has the desire to make all of his books connect in some way. Pairing Bosch and Haller was the greatest of all connections for this reader. When I read books that are part of a series, I keep notes on each main character so I can go back and reference them from time to time. There was a note I made in The Black Ice that told me this connection would come one day. I didn't know who the character would be but I knew it would happen. If this doesn't make you loyal Connelly fans read this book, I don't know what else will.
Book Review: An very well written novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Connelly is the author of twenty very interesting books, all but one of which is fiction. This book reintroduces Mickey Haller who was the hero in his 2005 Lincoln Lawyer. Connelly portrays Haller as a very likable man who prefers to operate his law office out of his several Lincoln automobiles that are equipped with fax machines, an individual who had made mistakes in the past, but who is now taking hold of an opportunity that is presented to him.
An acquaintance of his, another lawyer, is killed and leaves his practice to Harry. It is unclear why the lawyer was murdered and Harry fears that the murder is related to one of the cases that he inherited and the murderer may now come to kill him.
If the clients agree, Harry has first choice in representing them. All of the cases are rather small, except for one. This is a murder case in which a rich movie producer is charged with killing his wife and her lover. This is the kind of case most lawyers yearn for. The client is able and willing to pay an extremely large fee to his lawyer and, since the client is famous, the case will give the lawyer representing him a huge amount of publicity.
The detective Harry Bosch, who appears in most of Connelly's mysteries, also appears in this novel. Mickey and Harry work together to solve the death of the lawyer. However, Mickey is repeatedly faced with a problem. Although he would like to give Bosch information - as long as it helps his client and protects him - he is frequently restrained by legal ethics that mandate that he not reveal information given to him by his client.
Connelly's writing style is excellent. The literary critic Edmund Wilson disliked detective stories and mocked "Who cares who killed Roger Ackroyd?" Had Wilson read this book by Connelly, he would not have made this statement. The publisher of this very fine mystery placed on the books cover, "The best mystery writer in the world." While this is an exaggeration, it is not far wrong.
Connelly's novel moves in a straight line. Unlike Lee Child, for example, another excellent writer, whose protagonist first has one understanding of the facts and then after seeing something else, comes to a different conclusion, Mickey generally moves from fact to fact, in a straight line, without change in direction. Even the end of the book, where certain revelations are made, these facts follow logically from what was presented earlier. This should not be understood as a criticism or even a diminution of either book. This is simply a description of this volumes' writing style. Both the Child and the Connelly styles are interesting and the books should be read.
It is not until the end of the book that the reader is told why the novel is called The Brass Verdict. The surprising revelation at the book's end leaves the reader wandering whether the revelation will be explored in future novels. Be this as it may, this book stands alone as a very readable and entertaining mystery.
Book Review: "Sometimes, justice can't wait."
Summary: 5 Stars
In Michael Connelly's "The Brass Verdict," forty-two year old Mickey Haller has been to hell and back, both physically and emotionally. He is a recovering pain pill addict with two ex-wives and a moribund law practice. Mickey is shocked to learn from Mary Townes Holder, the chief judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, that Jerry Vincent, a former prosecutor turned defense attorney, has been murdered. Ten years earlier, Jerry filed a motion providing for the transfer of his practice to Mickey in the event of his incapacitation or death. After questioning Haller, Judge Holder appoints him to be Vincent's replacement counsel.
Although he is not sure that he is ready to become a busy lawyer again, Haller scrambles to get up to speed. With the help of his excellent manager, Lorna Taylor, and his skilled investigator, Dennis (Cisco) Wojciechowski, Mickey prepares to take over Jerry's caseload. By far, his biggest concern is the impending high-profile trial of Walter Elliot, a movie mogul accused of killing his unfaithful wife and her lover. Mickey knows that his handling of Elliot's defense will garner a great deal of media attention and his performance could make or break his newly resuscitated career.
Connelly is an old pro who uses his considerable knowledge of the law and police procedure to fine effect in this absorbing novel. Haller, known as the "Lincoln Lawyer" since he works out of his Lincoln Town Car, is an engaging protagonist. He is smart, resourceful, and courageous; he also has a conscience, which can be inconvenient in his line of work. Although his personal life is pretty much defunct, Mickey wants to regain his daughter's trust and make amends for his many mistakes. One of the book's intriguing gimmicks is the appearance of Harry Bosch, the homicide detective par excellence who has appeared in most of Connelly's novels. Harry has an interest in Jerry Vincent's murder and he spars with Mickey, who refuses to turn over information from his predecessor's active files. Neither Bosch nor Haller is completely forthcoming about what he knows. For quite a while, the two men refuse to cooperate with one another, but eventually, Harry and Mickey find common ground. However, even the formidable Detective Bosch might be unable to save Mickey when he learns some unpleasant truths that could get him killed.
"The Brass Verdict" is a complex and intriguing story with lively characters, spirited courtroom battles, and a suspenseful plot filled with surprises. Haller categorically states: "Everybody lies. Cops lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie. A trial is a contest of lies." Although he has represented many liars and used his considerable expertise to get them off the hook, Mickey eventually comes to the conclusion that he would much rather let the liars fend for themselves. What this will mean for his criminal defense practice remains to be seen.
Book Review: Different sides of the same mountain-Bosch and Haller
Summary: 5 Stars
In The Lincoln Lawyer : A Novel Michael Connelly introduces Mickey Haller, a criminal defense lawyer trying unsuccessfully to live up to the reputation of his father, one of L.A.'s first celebrity lawyers. Haller's ironic voice stands in stark contrast to Connelly's Harry Bosch, the brooding dark presence in the Robbery Homicide Divison at the Parker Center.
So what happens when circumstances drive these two protagonists together? Connelly has played with character encounters before. Terry McCaleb, the FBI profiler in Blood Work teams with Bosch in A Darkness More Than Night (Harry Bosch). But when McCaleb dies further cases with Bosch are precluded to the disappointment of many fans.
Here the story is told from the point of view of Haller, not Bosch. For all his faults, Haller is a fairly typical defense lawyer, and defense lawyers generally see themselves as being better than cops, even homicide cops. Bosch however is no ordinary cop and Haller begins to rely on the detective to keep himself alive even as he has had fortune fall into his lap. The Trial of the Decade, a Tinseltown murder, previously the property of a murdered friend is reassigned to Haller. This case represents both money and publicity, a rare occurrence at the criminal bar, where cases are usually about one or the other. Haller fresh out of rehab suddenly becomes the lawyer to watch, even as his own life is endangered.
Had Connelly chosen Bosch to tell this story the result would be interesting. Bosch outwardly disdains Haller even as his instincts, dark secrets, and consummate professionalism draw him closer to the flawed lawyer.
While intriguing, Bosch's point of view does not contain the sort of dramatic tension inherent in litigating The Trial of the Decade.
We need Haller's perspective and Haller delivers a narrative in a voice that every trial lawyer will recognize. Connelly, though not a lawyer himself, somehow finds within Mickey Haller that inner concentration that allows lawyers in the courtroom to do what we do. John Grisham is the author's only contemporary peer in writing about trials in this way.
But as in all of Connelly's work, there is more going on than readily meets the eye. Haller and Bosch literally live on different sides of the same mountain overlooking Los Angeles. Their convergence happens for reasons known only to Connelly until the end. That final revelation will delight fans of Bosch and leave them hungry for another book in his voice.
Book Review: Mickey Haller, the "Lincoln Lawyer" is back!
Summary: 5 Stars
Criminal lawyer Mickey Haller made his sole debut in "The Lincoln Lawyer" - - - and he was an instant hit. Shuttling between the more than 40 courthouses, jails and other places Haller has to hit, he settled upon the ingenious scheme of having no real office. Instead, Haller uses the backseat of whichever of his three Lincolns Mickey is being chauffeured around in that day.
That's Mickey for you. The son of a legendary criminal defense attorney, Mickey is an original. Creative. Unorthodox. Ruthless. He doesn't care if his criminal defendant clients are guilty or innocent of the crimes they are chazrged with: he just wants to give them the very best defense he can under the laws of the United States.
Agree or disagree with Haller's philosophy, his antics in and out of the courtroom are the stuff of great legal thrillers. Mickey knows not only every facet of criminal law, but he is also something (in a good sense) of a con-man as he exploits the foibles and weaknesses of human nature to get a win. As Mickey puts it "[a] trial is a contest of lies". The trick, according to Mickey, is to be patient and wait for the right lie - and use it to rip the case open.
Mickey also has a lot of background clutter: three ex-wives, one of whom is his assistant, another the mother of the daughter he dotes on. Mickey is just coming off a year's sabattical for pain-killer addiction when he learns of the murder of a one time courtroom adversary, Jerry Vincent, who he had remained somewhat friendly with over the years. Haller inherits Vincent's 42 current criminal cases, including that of Hollywood mogul Walter Elliot who is accused of murdering his wife and her lover.
A case like that is called a "franchise" for its moneymaking potential to the lawyer.
So there youu have it. A brutally murdered lawyer, the murderer still on the loose. Mickey Haller, fresh out of an addiction and a rehab, sorting through his life problems; a week or so to prepare for the start of a murder trial, deling with the other newly inherited cases.
Haller has his hands full even with his ex-wife assistant Lorna, his investigator Cisco and his newly acquired chauffeur Patrick. And, of course, we have Harry Bosch, the oddball detective from other Connelly novels, who is a fully formed character in his own right. The inclusion of Bosch never comes off, even though Connelly resorts to some desperate surprises.
The story moves - and works well - on several levels. Courtroom thriller of the first order. Sort of a police procedural. Frail man coping with problems.
All in all, a great read. Not a page turner, but a great, satisfying read.
Jerry