Michael Connelly

The Lincoln Lawyer

Sivani

“It is obvious by your suit that you know and practice the adage that a trial lawyer should never dress too well. You want the jury to like you, not to be jealous of you. Well, Michael, a Century City lawyer can’t have an office that is nicer than the offices his clients come from. And so I can assure you that our offices are very modest.” I nodded in agreement. But I was insulted just the same. I was wearing my best suit. I always did on Mondays.

You could say his name is also permanently scratched onto my Christmas list. At the end of the year I give a can of salted nuts to everybody on it. Planters holiday mix. Each can has a ribbon and bow on it. But no nuts inside. Just cash. I have a lot of bail bondsmen on my Christmas list. I eat holiday mix out of Tupperware well into spring. Since my last divorce, it is sometimes all I get for dinner.

Nothing crazy but a solid courtroom drama

I don't read a lot of crime thrillers but this one was recommended to me years ago, before the movie came out. I do have to say this book surprised me. Micky Haller is a character with much more depth and heart (even though he would deny it) than you would expect from a defense lawyer. Highly recommend for anyone that likes thrillers.

Stephanie Boisvert

Peggy Walker

This is the first of a series about attorney Mickey Haller. I was familiar with the title, since they made a movie of this book...which I hadn't seen. I ended up thoroughly enjoying the book. It's a book featuring a defense attorney in a murder case, but it gives very different insights into the business of legal defense. Mickey is a great character and the story is well told. I immediately went to find the rest of Connelly's books that feature him.

Jeff Brown 

I've read plenty of Connelly's Bosch books, but while this had the similar roller-coaster feeling, it was one of the best I've enjoyed by Connelly. It had the great combination of torment of Haller's profession with a dose each of his morals and his family. Gee, it would probably make a great movie.

**** WARNING -- Movie comments ahead -- I thought that Matthew McConaughey was an awful, silly actor until a surprising performance (for me) in "Dallas Buyers Club". I thought he suddenly learned how to act. So I will try out "The Lincoln Lawyer" movie soon and maybe he had learned how to act two years earlier than I thought.

Lynn Braden

Slick lawyer, Mickey Haller uses his Lincoln as an office for several reasons including the fact that he doesn't make much money on the cases that he takes until his friend, bail bondsman, Fernando Valenzuela, refers him to the family of Louis Roulet, who has been charged with the assault of a local prostitute. Mickey thinks that this case might be the answer to his financial problems as well as developing new contacts and attracting a different kind of client. Things change when he begins to suspect that Roulet was involved in a case from his past, which might mean he advised an innocent man to take a deal and go to prison for a crime he didn't commit.

The Lincoln Lawyer is about the character of Mickey Haller, who is suitably greedy and self centered, but does show that he cares about some of the people in his life including his ex-wife and his daughter. The action and suspense build to a climax that is at the same time expected and unexpected, leading to a very satisfying conclusion. Overall, The Lincoln Lawyer is a skillfully twisty mystery with well developed characters and an expertly paced plot.

Shreerag Plakazhi

What will I do once I run out of Micheal Connelly books to refresh my reading palate?

What I love about Connelly is the pacing of his books and deep research into his protagonist's psyche. This is the first book in the Mickey Haller series and yet he feels real and lived in. Also it's been a while since I was hooked and boy was I hooked from page 20 or so. Looking for a fun time in the court? Pick this up!

The Lincoln Lawyer

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