The Bent Page

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly is only the second book of his that I’ve read. I actually downloaded it to my Kindle and read it here in Aruba. It was a pleasure and my review follows.

Connelly starts the book with, “Everybody lies.” And he’s right, especially from the perspective of a defense attorney. In this case, Mickey Haller is a criminal defense attorney who knows the truth about his clients, that they and everyone in the system lies. He’s recovering from being gut shot in a previous Connelly book when he inherits the cases of a former rival who was murdered. Taking the bull by the horns, Haller sorts the cases and quickly latches on to the most profitable one, that of a Hollywood Studio tycoon named Walter Elliot who is accused of killing his wife and her lover. Enter Detective Harry Bosch, another of Connelly’s characters, although in a somewhat lesser role. Still, the chemistry is good, if volatile, and the plot never slows down.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the honesty of Haller. So many bad things have been written about lawyers and their motivations that it was interesting to hear their side of the story. And it made me think, which is one of the things I look for in every book I read.

Thus, Connelly had me from the first page to the last, in and out of court as well as on the street. Justice is served in this book, though not always from the bench, which is a reflection of the world in which we live.