by Ryan Leahy
The Lincoln Lawyer
Michael Connelly
Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Connelly like John Grisham combines crime with legal drama in The Lincoln Lawyer. Mickey Haller is the best defense lawyer around and defends anyone whether they are innocent or guilty. He is driven around town in a Lincoln Town Car (hence the title of the book) by a former client that could not pay.
He did not have a care in the world until he was hired by a playboy from Beverly Hills named Louis Roulet. He asked for Haller by name. The crime was an attempted murder of a prostitute. However, as he continues to look deeper into the case, he finds that his client isn’t as innocent as he thought, putting himself and the people that he loves in danger.
The case with the dead prostitute uncovers mistakes that Mickey has made. The same crime happened years before, and he represented the suspect. Haller pleaded with the judge and got a deal, but he sent an innocent man to jail. After meeting Roulet, he has to set that right.
The characters are what made this book great. Mickey Haller is hated by a lot of people, and he enjoys it. He is the type of lawyer that everyone else refuses to be, taking on any case, whether the defendant is innocent or guilty. For most, it would eat away at their conscience, but not for Mickey. Haller is a drunk, twice divorced, bad father. He is not the person that seems like he would be brave, but he steps up in the time of need.
One of his ex-wives, Lorna Taylor, who is also his assistant, is the nicest person Haller has ever met. She still cares for him even though they are no longer married. (She reminds me of Penelope from Criminal Minds if anyone watches that show.)
I also enjoyed Haller’s private investigator, Raul Levin, who was a good friend to Michael. He was a very cool person and always got the job done. Levin always came and went as he pleased and was a genuine bad boy.
Louis Roulet was a particularly evil character. He gets away with everything, but when he is finally caught, he uses all of his connections to free himself. At first, he seems innocent, but he is only manipulating Haller to help him plead his case. Roulet is truly a sinister character that thinks he can get away with anything just because he is wealthy.
This was a cat and mouse drama, and there were only a few dull moments. The book would flash back and forth from the crime to the courtroom, so it was interesting the way the author did it. All the courtroom cases had a certain suspense to them that really added to the book. The rest of the book was fantastic. Haller’s life was threatened multiple times after getting closer to the truth. It was a hard book to put down. Haller was entangled in a web of lies, and he was trying so hard to find the truth.
Some parts were overly boring where nothing happened. At those parts, it was hard to get through the book, but they did not ruin the plot.
Anyone who is a fan of John Grisham should read any of Michael Connelly’s novels. Their books are very similar. It had a great plot and a great crime that most would enjoy.
