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Thriller writer extraordinaire, Connelly combines his two most indelible series characters for one white-knuckled novel. The Brass Verdict finds Connelly's storytelling bravado in first-rate form. Recommended by Chris Bolton, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Things are finally looking up for defense attorney Mickey Haller. After two years of wrong turns, Haller is back in the courtroom. When Hollywood lawyer Jerry Vincent is murdered, Haller inherits his biggest case yet: the defense of Walter Elliott, a prominent studio executive accused of murdering his wife and her lover. But as Haller prepares for the case that could launch him into the big time, he learns that Vincent's killer may be coming for him next.
Enter Harry Bosch. Determined to find Vincent's killer, he is not opposed to using Haller as bait. But as danger mounts and the stakes rise, these two loners realize their only choice is to work together.
Bringing together Michael Connelly's two most popular characters, The Brass Verdict is sure to be his biggest book yet.
Review:
"Bestseller Connelly delivers one of his most intricate plots to date in his 20th book, a beautifully executed crime thriller. When L.A. lawyer Mickey Haller, last seen in The Lincoln Lawyer (2005), inherits the practice and caseload of a fellow defense attorney, Jerry Vincent, who's been murdered, the high-profile double-homicide case against famed Hollywood producer Walter Elliot, accused of shooting his wife and her alleged lover, takes top priority. As Haller scrambles to build a defense, he butts heads with LAPD Det. Harry Bosch, the stalwart hero of Connelly's long-running series (The Black Echo, etc.), who's working Vincent's murder. When Haller realizes that the Elliot affair is bigger than simply a jealous husband killing his cheating wife, he and Bosch grudgingly agree to work together to solve what could be the biggest case in both their careers. Bosch might have met his match in the wily Haller, and readers will delight in their sparring. 10-city author tour. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
Graham Greene liked to distinguish between his serious novels and those he called his "entertainments," though given the complexity of the man and his work it wasn't always easy for readers to draw the distinction. Probably Michael Connelly would be the last to compare himself with Greene, but he, too, writes at differing levels of seriousness. If at first encounter he seems primarily an exceptionally... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) accomplished writer of crime novels, at closer examination he is also a mordant and knowing chronicler of the world in which crime takes place, i.e., our world. Three years ago, within the space of only a few months, Connelly published two novels notable for the serious business underlying the entertainment. The first, "The Closers," published in May 2005, found his noted Los Angeles police detective Harry Bosch trying to solve a "cold case" and thus trying to bring justice to victims on whom the law has turned its back. Then, in October of the same year, he published "The Lincoln Lawyer," his first novel told from a lawyer's point of view, about an ambulance chaser named Mickey Haller, who, in the course of pursuing a lucrative case, finds himself seeking justice for a man he believes he failed to represent fairly when his case was being heard. Now, in "The Brass Verdict," Connelly brings Bosch and Haller together for the first time. Though the novel has some serious things to say about the workings, and occasional failures, of the jury system, it is primarily an entertainment, and more than welcome purely as such. It's narrated by Mickey, a criminal-defense lawyer who is just coming off a year's self-imposed sabbatical — he'd been shot in the gut and then had become addicted to painkillers in various forms — and plans to ease slowly back into his practice. He's no K Street lawyer, as he tells a young man he takes on as his driver: "I haven't had an office since I left the Public Defenders Office twelve years ago. My car is my office. I've got two other Lincolns just like this one. I keep them in rotation. Each one's got a printer, a fax and I've got a wireless card in my computer. Anything I have to do in an office I can do back here while I'm on the road to the next place. There are more than forty courthouses spread across L.A. County. Being mobile is the best way to do business." Mickey's hopes of easing back in are quickly deep-sixed when a lawyer he's known slightly, Jerry Vincent, is found murdered in his car. He and Vincent had worked the occasional case together but hadn't been close. Still, Mickey is called into the office of the chief judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court and informed that Vincent "filed a motion with the court ten years ago that allowed for the transfer of his practice to you should he become incapacitated or deceased." Most of the 31 active cases in Vincent's file are minor stuff, but one is huge: "Walter Elliot ... was the chairman/owner of Archway Pictures and a very powerful man in Hollywood. He had been charged with murdering his wife and her lover in a fit of rage after discovering them together in a Malibu beach house. The case had all sorts of connections to sex and celebrity and was drawing wide media attention. It had been a publicity machine for Vincent and now it would go up for grabs." Obviously, Mickey would love to have the case, but first he has to persuade Elliot — who most emphatically is not a nice man — to take him on. Once he does, Mickey is off and running. One of the people he runs into is Bosch, who is back on the active force and investigating Vincent's murder. Bosch wants access to Vincent's past and present case files because he believes the murderer was a client who'd crossed swords with him, but Mickey refuses on the grounds that to release the information would violate lawyer/client confidentiality. Bosch has 33 years on the force and is "a man on a mission" to seek justice wherever he can find it. He's a tough cop and an honest one, and there are angry sparks between him and Mickey from the moment they first meet. Mickey would just as soon have nothing to do with Harry — Connelly's faithful readers don't have to be told that his real name is Hieronymus, "like the painter" — but there's a problem: The deeper both men dig into Vincent's past, the more suspicions are raised. Vincent had received a lot of money, presumably from Elliot, and much of it — $100,000, to be precise — had disappeared. Mickey says Vincent claimed that "he needed the money to buy a boat and that if he made the deal in cash, he would get the best deal and save a lot of money," to which Harry replies: "There is no boat. The story was a lie." Vincent "bought something," Harry says, "and your client Walter Elliot probably knows what it was" — something, for starters, like a potential juror. "You should take it as a warning, Counselor," Harry continues. When Mickey scoffs, he says, "His lawyer got killed, not him. Think about it. And remember, that little trickle on the back of your neck and running down your spine? That's the feeling you get when you know you have to look over your shoulder. When you know you're in danger." Mickey doesn't want to be scared, but as things unfold it appears he doesn't have much choice. One of those things is, how much — if at all — can he trust his client? Walter Elliot loudly and frequently proclaims his innocence and insists he wants a speedy trial to clear his name as rapidly as possibly, but though Mickey wants to believe him, experience teaches him to be cautious: "Over the years I had represented and been in the company of a couple dozen killers. The one rule is that there are no rules. They come in all sizes and shapes, rich and poor, humble and arrogant, regretful and cold to the bone. The percentages told me that it was most likely Elliot was a killer. That he had calmly dispatched his wife and her lover and arrogantly thought he could and would get away with it. But there was nothing about him on first meeting that told me one way or the other for sure. And that's the way it always was." If you're beginning to get a whiff of the O.J. Simpson case, well, that's pretty obviously how Connelly planned it. Not merely is the accused murderer a Los Angeles celebrity and the victims his wife and her lover, but Connelly drops in the occasional teasing reference as well. When Elliot blusters in court that "the sooner Mr. Haller gets to prove my innocence to the world, the better," Mickey dismisses it as "O.J. 101," and when another lawyer offers to pitch in and help, Mickey tells him: "He wants only one lawyer at the table. ... He said no dream team." But all of that is just a little juice on the side; the main story is strictly Connelly's. The essence of it is this, as Mickey puts it: "I was defending a man I believed was innocent of the murders he was charged with but complicit in the reason they had occurred. I had a sleeper on the jury whose placement was directly related to the murder of my predecessor. And I had a detective watching over me whom I was holding back on and couldn't be sure was considering my safety ahead of his own desire to break open the case." Yet how does Mickey feel? "I felt like a guy flipping a three-hundred-pound sled in midair. It might not be a sport but it was dangerous as hell and it did what I hadn't been able to do in more than a year's time. It shook off the rust and put the charge back in my blood." Mickey is pumped, and, take my word for it, you will be too. Even though the way it ends is just a wee bit contrived, it's still a terrific ride. Jonathan Yardley's e-mail address is yardleyj(at symbol)washpost.com. Reviewed by Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group)
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Review:
"Connelly is justly celebrated for his characters and his ability to create mood from the sights and sounds of L.A., but he's also a terrific plotter, and that skill is in high relief here. Essential for fans; a great read for anybody." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review:
"Connelly is firing on all cylinders in this epic page-turner. The intriguing story line, the chance to view Bosch from another perspective, and Haller's reappearance as a main character add up to a fantastic read. One of the best thrillers of the year..." Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review:
"The answer to every Connelly fan's dream....Even if the case is less than baffling, Connelly brings his two sleuths together in a way that honors them both." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"The Brass Verdict has the sneaky metabolism of any Connelly book....Like Harry Bosch's mojo, Mickey Haller's is liable to work well for a long time." Janet Maslin, New York Times
Review:
"Haller is a mixture of light and dark, a flesh-and-blood guy who, as with Harry Bosch, we'll look forward to meeting again." Los Angeles Times
Review:
"Connelly's skills at melding plot, character and scenery into a cohesive unit shine in this book. The Brass Verdict is gold." South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Review:
"Connelly writes detective and legal thrillers that elevate the genre with authentic characters, realistic dialogue and knowing details." Oregonian
Review:
"Connelly builds to some breathtaking twists before all comes to a close. And a more perfect end to the maze he has drawn is difficult to imagine." Denver Post
Synopsis:
At last, Mickey Haller, hero of The Lincoln Lawyer, Connelly's bestselling hardcover yet, meets the legendary LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Mickey and Harry are flip-sides of the same coin, one for the prosecution and one for the defense. Each must work with the other before someone — namely Mickey — gets killed.
This book has some elements of what Connelly fans want to see: street-smart insightfulness, like the recognition that “Everybody lies. Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie. A trail is a contest of lies”; or, that “brass verdict” is a term for deadly street justice when the legal system does not deliver; and familiar characters like long-time favorite detective Harry Bosch and recent addition, the Lincoln lawyer, Mickey Haller. The story line is really quite simple. Haller is assigned the entire case load of fellow lawyer Jerry Vincent when he is found murdered in his car, which includes the case of Hollywood mogul Walter Elliot, who apparently shot his wife and her lover at their Malibu beach home.
The story hardly comes charging out of the box. Because Vincent’s laptop was stolen, Haller spends a great of time reconstructing case details and representing clients guilty of a series of petty infractions. Bosch comes on the scene because, unbeknownst to Haller, Vincent has been under scrutiny because of possible shading dealings including the Elliot case. The interactions between Bosch and Haller are bizarrely brief, antagonistic, and awkward, including a scene where Bosch attempts to intimidate Haller with an attempted break-in. Bosch does not come across as the crusty, cool guy that fans are used to. The book is best at watching Haller, step-by-step, undermine seemingly slam-dunk evidence in the Elliot trail.
The only interesting character angle is Haller’s return from a year’s hiatus due to recovery from a gunshot wound and subsequent addiction to painkillers. The plot has a couple of nice twists and one or two improbabilities, but over all is not overly complex. Even Haller gets taken by the lies that he knows always exist. It’s likely that most will be aware well before the end of the book of the person orchestrating the crime behind the crime. The book is nice enough but does suffer from the aforementioned minimalist, if not strange, depiction of characters and not particularly inspired plot.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Wendy Robards, October 19, 2008 (view all comments by Wendy Robards)
Defense attorney Mickey Haller unexpectedly gets thrust back into the legal arena (after a year recovering from prescription drug addiction) when his colleague Jerry Vincent is found murdered in a parking garage. Vincent’s entire caseload - including accused double murderer Walter Elliot (a famous movie studio executive) - is transferred to Haller in Vincent’s will. Haller eagerly steps into Vincent’s shoes, but quickly discovers that nothing is as it seems…and Vincent’s killer may be one of his own clients. Detective Harry Bosch is the lead investigator on the case and is himself somewhat of an enigma. Before the novel comes to a close, both Bosch and Haller will need to cooperate from both sides of the law in order to catch the killer.
Michael Connelly’s novel is fast-paced and gripping, with twist and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the end. This book is a continuation of Connelly’s previous novels (which I have yet to read). But it is not necessary to have read Connelly’s work beforehand in order to enjoy The Brass Verdict.
Connelly has a firm grasp of the legal system and creates memorable (and believeable) characters who are not always predictable. His dialogue is tight and compelling.
For readers who love suspenseful legal thrillers, The Brass Verdict is one they will enjoy.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (6 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
Product details
422 pages
Little Brown and Company -
English9780316166294
Reviews:
"Staff Pick"
by Chris Bolton,
Thriller writer extraordinaire, Connelly combines his two most indelible series characters for one white-knuckled novel. The Brass Verdict finds Connelly's storytelling bravado in first-rate form.
by Chris Bolton
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Bestseller Connelly delivers one of his most intricate plots to date in his 20th book, a beautifully executed crime thriller. When L.A. lawyer Mickey Haller, last seen in The Lincoln Lawyer (2005), inherits the practice and caseload of a fellow defense attorney, Jerry Vincent, who's been murdered, the high-profile double-homicide case against famed Hollywood producer Walter Elliot, accused of shooting his wife and her alleged lover, takes top priority. As Haller scrambles to build a defense, he butts heads with LAPD Det. Harry Bosch, the stalwart hero of Connelly's long-running series (The Black Echo, etc.), who's working Vincent's murder. When Haller realizes that the Elliot affair is bigger than simply a jealous husband killing his cheating wife, he and Bosch grudgingly agree to work together to solve what could be the biggest case in both their careers. Bosch might have met his match in the wily Haller, and readers will delight in their sparring. 10-city author tour. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review"
by Booklist (Starred Review),
"Connelly is justly celebrated for his characters and his ability to create mood from the sights and sounds of L.A., but he's also a terrific plotter, and that skill is in high relief here. Essential for fans; a great read for anybody."
"Review"
by Library Journal (Starred Review),
"Connelly is firing on all cylinders in this epic page-turner. The intriguing story line, the chance to view Bosch from another perspective, and Haller's reappearance as a main character add up to a fantastic read. One of the best thrillers of the year..."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"The answer to every Connelly fan's dream....Even if the case is less than baffling, Connelly brings his two sleuths together in a way that honors them both."
"Review"
by Janet Maslin, New York Times,
"The Brass Verdict has the sneaky metabolism of any Connelly book....Like Harry Bosch's mojo, Mickey Haller's is liable to work well for a long time."
"Review"
by Los Angeles Times,
"Haller is a mixture of light and dark, a flesh-and-blood guy who, as with Harry Bosch, we'll look forward to meeting again."
"Review"
by South Florida Sun-Sentinel,
"Connelly's skills at melding plot, character and scenery into a cohesive unit shine in this book. The Brass Verdict is gold."
"Review"
by Oregonian,
"Connelly writes detective and legal thrillers that elevate the genre with authentic characters, realistic dialogue and knowing details."
"Review"
by Denver Post,
"Connelly builds to some breathtaking twists before all comes to a close. And a more perfect end to the maze he has drawn is difficult to imagine."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
At last, Mickey Haller, hero of The Lincoln Lawyer, Connelly's bestselling hardcover yet, meets the legendary LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Mickey and Harry are flip-sides of the same coin, one for the prosecution and one for the defense. Each must work with the other before someone — namely Mickey — gets killed.
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