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The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Michael Connelly Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2008-09-16 ISBN: 0446541133 Number of pages: 432 Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Product features: - ISBN13: 9780446541138
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Lincoln LawyerBook Review: And He's Not From Nebraska!!! Summary: 5 Stars
Am I the only person in the world who had no idea what a "Lincoln" lawyer was until I read this book? I thought perhaps he lived in Nebraska or else had studied the great works of that famous president Abraham. What a surprise it was for me to find out that the word "Lincoln" had to do with the car in which this lawyer was chauffered around. Not only did he get driven around in this car, it was also his office. He handled his cases out of the backseat. I guess there's not a lot of overhead for these attorneys.
It's great not only to read a good book but to also learn something along the way. I've never thought of Connelly as a teacher before but he taught me something new in The Lincoln Lawyer and kudos to him for doing so.
In this book, we're introduced to a new character, Mickey Haller, attorney at law and attorney who has a fleet of Lincolns. There's no one better at character development than Michael Connelly and the reader is immediately drawn to Haller and, not only understands his way of working, but respects it as well. I just love it when an attorney has that moment in court where he's able to corner the witness -- it reminds me of having the best hand in poker and your opponent doesn't know it yet. This seems to be Haller's forte and Connelly gives Haller ample opportunity to show his wares and reward the reader with the outcome.
This is Connelly's first foray into the defense side of the law. Fans of his Harry Bosch series are used to being on the prosecution side and credit Connelly with writing great police procedurals. This is the author's debut legal thriller and, with just one book, he has proven that he is now a master at both sides of the table.
Another thing I learned from this novel is the importance of a "franchise" case. This is a case that will bring in so much money enabling the attorney to be working in the black.....and some. Thus is the case with Mickey's newest client Louis Roulet, a real estate agent but, more importantly, a rich "Momma's boy" . One of Haller's nightmares is that of having an innocent client and not being able to get him acquitted. Louis Roulet, accused of assault and rape, might just be that innocent client Mickey has dreamt about. But believe me when I say, Connelly will not allow it to be this easy. This book is masterfully intricate and the ending is the grand finale to these proceedings. If Mickey had nightmares before this case began, he clearly won't be getting any sleep when all is said and done.
When I finished this book, I was excited to hear that there was a second Connelly book featuring Mickey Haller and picking up where we left off with The Lincoln Lawyer. That was great news to me. What was even better news was the fact that Harry Bosch would team up with Mickey Haller in this next book, The Brass Verdict. As I'm typing this, I'm one hundred pages into it and am just as satisfied as I was when I started The Lincoln Lawyer. There's nothing better than being enmeshed in a great book and I'm convinced that any book, with the name Michael Connelly on the cover, is going to be a winner. He's one author who has NEVER disappointed me. Ooops....I forgot about Chasing the Dime. Oh well, only disappointed once.
Summary of The Lincoln LawyerThey're called Lincoln Lawyers: the bottom of the legal food chain, the criminal defence attorneys who operate out of the back of a Lincoln Town Car, taking whatever cases the system throws in their path. Mickey Haller has been in the business a long time, and he knows just how to work it. When a Beverly Hills rich boy is arrested for brutally beating a woman, Haller has his first high-paying client in years. The evidence mounts on the defence's side, and Haller might even be in the rare position of defending a client who is actually innocent. But when his case starts to fall apart and neither the suspect nor the victim are quite who they seem, Haller quickly discovers that when you swim with the sharks, it's easy to wind up as prey. This #1 bestselling legal thriller from Michael Connelly is a stunning display of novelistic mastery - as human, as gripping, and as whiplash-surprising as any novel yet from the writer Publishers Weekly has called "today's Dostoevsky of crime literature."
Mickey Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, traveling between the far-flung courthouses of Los Angeles to defend clients of every kind. Bikers, con artists, drunk drivers, drug dealers - they're all on Mickey Haller's client list. For him, the law is rarely about guilt or innocence, it's about negotiation and manipulation. Sometimes it's even about justice.
A Beverly Hills playboy arrested for attacking a woman he picked up in a bar chooses Haller to defend him, and Mickey has his first high-paying client in years. It is a defense attorney's dream, what they call a franchise case. And as the evidence stacks up, Haller comes to believe this may be the easiest case of his career. Then someone close to him is murdered and Haller discovers that his search for innocence has brought him face-to-face with evil as pure as a flame. To escape without being burned, he must deploy every tactic, feint, and instinct in his arsenal - this time to save his own life. Q&A with Michael Connelly Q: The Lincoln Lawyer is your second book to be made into a movie. How does that feel? A: I am very fortunate to have this experience even once. I wish every writer got a chance to see the written work translated to the visual. It is quite thrilling. Q: You?ve said that Matthew McConaughey nails the character of Mickey Haller. In what ways? A: I would say it is in many subtle ways that add up to a big performance. Mickey is a guy who is always looking for an angle. He is a bit cynical and cocky. At different times in the movie McConaughey seems to convey these character aspects without dialogue. Then when it comes to dialogue and action he delivers flawlessly. The story is about a cool, calm man being put into a desperate situation. McConaughey makes that leap convincingly. Q: What was your involvement in the making of the movie? A: Almost none. I looked at the first and last versions of the script, took a few phone calls from producers and location scouts, and that was about it. I think my biggest contribution outside of writing the book was giving my trust to Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi, the producers. They promised me six years ago that they would keep the gritty realism of the story ? the-law-in-the-trenches aspect of it. I trusted them to do that and with Brad Furman, the director, they came through. Q: What were your immediate thoughts when you first read the script? When you heard about each cast member? A: Depends on which script. It was a long-running work in progress. I went from not liking the first effort to being blown away by the last version. I am a huge believer in rewriting in my own work so I knew that the more time they spent with the script, the better it would become. As far as casting goes, I don't write with anybody in mind. But I saw Tropic Thunder with Matthew McConaughey in it and immediately thought he would be good at being Mickey Haller. A year later he was cast, so I was happy from the start. The rest of the cast is just fantastic. As each was announced, I became more and more excited. John Leguizamo was in Brad Furman's previous film and was just excellent. When I heard he was aboard, it was a great day. Same with all the rest. Bryan Cranston happens to be the star of my favorite show, Breaking Bad. So I couldn't be happier with him in the cast. Q: What was your inspiration for The Lincoln Lawyer? Is Mickey Haller based on someone you know? A: I met an attorney who worked out of his car, not because he was not doing well but because he believed it was the best way to do the job in L.A. That was the spark, and it went from there. Q: Are there any scenes in the film that you wish were in the book? A: There are definitely a few lines I wish were in the book. There is a scene where Mickey drops his sleeping daughter off at his ex-wife's home. It is a poignant scene that I really love and could have used in the book. Q: Did you visit the set while they were filming the movie? What was that experience like? A: I went four different times and scheduled the visits to coincide with the shooting of some significant scenes. I loved what I was seeing on both sides of the camera: a lot of dedication to the project. Everyone on the crew felt like they were making something good. It was great to witness.
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