Product Description

They're called Lincoln Lawyers: the bottom of the legal food chain, the criminal defence attorneys who operate out of the back of a Lincoln Town Car, taking whatever cases the system throws in their path. Mickey Haller has been in the business a long time, and he knows just how to work it. When a Beverly Hills rich boy is arrested for brutally beating a woman, Haller has his first high-paying client in years. The evidence mounts on the defence's side, and Haller might even be in the rare position of defending a client who is actually innocent. But when his case starts to fall apart and neither the suspect nor the victim are quite who they seem, Haller quickly discovers that when you swim with the sharks, it's easy to wind up as prey.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34692 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's always good to welcome a Michael Connelly novel, and The Lincoln Lawyer is a strong addition to the Connelly bookshelf. This stand-alone legal thriller has all the adroit plotting and no-nonsense prose that are Connelly's trademarks, with a particularly strong protagonist.

In the hierarchy of American lawyers, ‘Lincoln lawyers’ are not held in the highest esteem. These are criminal defence attorneys who run their practices from a travelling Lincoln car, traversing the county of Los Angeles to hoover up whatever work is available, however basic. Connelly's tarnished hero is Mickey Heller, who has fine-tuned this less-than-impressive side of the legal profession to such a degree that few can match him: he knows all the ins and outs of the system, including precisely who to slip a back-hander to when appropriate. But Mickey finds a way to move upmarket when he acquires a well-heeled client. A rich young man from Beverly Hills has been arrested for savagely assaulting a woman, and the case falls in Mickey's lap. And though the lawyer is used to defending clients who are guilty as sin, it actually looks (for once) that his client is innocent. But Lincoln lawyers like Mickey are fully aware of the lottery that is their profession, and he isn't too surprised when the case goes pear-shaped. But (to his dismay) Mickey slowly learns that neither his client nor the victim in the case is quite what they seem to be, and soon there's a lot more than a penny-ante case at stake, with Mickey's life quite as much at risk as any reputation he might have.

Connelly fans (an ever-growing army) will be pleased to hear that all the customary traits are fully on offer here, with one key component even more finely honed than usual: the gritty, idiomatic dialogue, which is richer and more entertaining than usual. --Barry Forshaw

Marcel Berlins, THE TIMES
'...the best courtroom drama for some time ... the trial is terrific, full of twists, surprises and legal trickery.'

Review
"a gripping read that keeps one enthralled to the last page" (IRISH EXAMINER )

Customer Reviews

Unfamiliar and familiar too
Nothing is clear cut about this book. The lawyer is new territory for Connelly with a new “hero” but it is also very familiar country, a “hero” who is seriously flawed in a failed relationship that is still on the go. Harry Bosch fans will find this all very familiar and yet it’s fresh the more interesting for that.

It is a gripping read and plot twists offer some genuine surprises that prove ultimately credible. I particularly liked the references to LA Gangsta rap that are both authentic and incongruous.

It all goes to show that really good fiction does not have to be boring and that “genre” fiction can be multi-layered and really interesting.

If you have not tried Connelly before this is as good a place as any to start. When you move on to Harry Bosch…as you will want to it will get you nicely teed up. If you are already a Connelly fan what are you waiting for you won’t be disappointed!

Have Case Will Travel
"The scariest client a lawyer will ever have is an innocent client. Because if you [screw] up and he goes to prison, it'll scar you for life." Mickey Haller's father, a renowned attorney gave him this one piece of advice. He always remembered it and, of course, this is the base of his trouble.

Michael Connelly, the author of Harry Bosch novels has created a new character that is likeable, has many personal problems, likes to stick it to the authorities when needed, and understands that a defense attorney is the man who puts up with shit from his clients, from the oppositon and anyone else who feels the need. We know not far into this book that Mickey Haller will do what it takes to win the case. He insists that his clients be honest with him, and he will go to the end of the earth for them. Most of his clients are drug dealers, homeboys or prostitutes. He defends them, insists that they play straight and will help them out however he can. He is upfront that he needs to be paid, and most of these people find the money somewhere. He doesn't make enough money to really pay his bills, child support and the two mortgages on his home. But he survives. He has an interesting office, his Lincoln Town car. As he states "Have Case Will Travel," and he moves from one southern California city to another in his car. One of his clients who had no way to pay his bills is working it off by acting as his driver. The client wears his I-Pod and listens to his homeboys, like Tupac, when Mickey has a case to discuss over the phone or needs to listen to tapes. This arrangement works out well for both of them.

Mickey's current client is a very rich real estate agent, Louis Roulet, who is accused of attempted murder to a woman he picked up for sexual attention. The entire case leaves Mickey with a queasy feeling, and he enlists his private investigator friend, Raul Levin in learning all about this man. What he finds out is not pretty, but Mickey is smart and at the same time he is defending his client, he is working up a scheme to have his client booked for another murder. One of his former clients, who is serving life at San Quentin, is involved surreptiously, and this case becomes one of the most fascinating mysteries I have read.

Mickey Haller is the kind of attorney we all want to be on our side. He is divorced from the woman he still loves, They share a child together, and even though they are separated they are together in many ways. Mickey hopes that he will soon grow up enough to appreciate what he gave away.

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is a very clever play on words. Even though I miss Harry Bosch, I believe that there are enough similarities that there may be a relationship here between Mickey and Harry that will grow. Michael Connelly always leaves a few clues in his books that we need to follow up. I am fascinated with Mickey Haller and want to follow him more closely. Looking for the next book, Michael Connelly. Highly recommended. prisrob

Brilliant
As a massive fan of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series I just had to read his new, stand-alone novel 'The Lincoln Lawyer'.

The story introduces the half-brother of LA detective, Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller (although this is not really mentioned in this book), a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back seat of his Lincoln car, traveling between the courthouses of Los Angeles to defend his low-paying clients.

A young, rich man is arrested for attacking a woman he picked up in a bar and chooses Haller to defend him. 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 someone not quite who he thought he was defending - someone very guilty with a sick and evil past.

This is a very well written book with enough twists and shocking surprises to keep you reading until you have finished. This is an equally as good a story as any of the Bosch books and I hope Connelly brings back Haller in his future works (maybe team up with Bosch) as he is a fantastic character who is well written, believeable and most importantly - likeable. This is definitely one that fans of Connelly's other books will absolutely love and I recommend this to anyone who wants an easy to read, fast-paced, tense, shocking and exciting legal thriller.