The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael ConnellyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: 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.
Read as an audiobook - really enjoyed the narrator on this one.
I found this to be a fascinating mystery-thriller, a bit more thriller than mystery. The twists were twisted and the suspense intense. The backdrop of a courtroom trial interwoven with intrigue was refreshing - no cops blazing away in a gunfight at the end, no high speed chases across country roads, no police entry team battering down a door in a OK Corral type shoot-out. This was a battle of wit and word and legalese and I loved it.
While our lawyer - Mick - was jaded, egotistical and full of himself, he didn't hop into bed with the first long-legged beauty to bat her eyelashes at him. Nor did he try and get into the pants of the female detective. Perhaps in a later book, but for now, she did her job, he did his, and nary a sex scene to be found. Mike has a chilly if cordial friendship with his first ex-wife and mother of his daughter, while remaining friends and co-workers with the re-bound ex-wife. So refreshing!
I had two complaints with the book - I had the feeling of having my hand held as I was walked through the legal system. I can see the premise necessary for establishing the background of the character, but unfortunately, several times it came across as a bit overdone. Almost high-school lecture like. My second complaint was with every. single. cop. hating defense lawyers unilaterally. And they all take it out verbally on our Mikey. The abuse became repetitive and boorish real fast.
Overall, recommended.
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