The Law of Innocence

I'm a big Michael Connelly fan and this book does not disappoint. Love the Mickey Haller character. Recent world events (pandemic) giving it an up to date and real feel to it.

I am amazed at how prolific a writer Michael Connelly is. This is the second novel he has published during 2020, and he had produced at least one book a year for the last twenty years or so. What is more, that productivity is not achieved at the cost of quality; this latest offering is up to his customary high standard.Connelly is best known for his long series of books featuring Hieronymus ‘Harry’ Bosch. Formerly a long-serving detective in LAPD, and more recently retired, and acting as a private investigator. Connelly went out of his way to ensure that Bosch aged in real time, and while that helped with the books’ sense of authenticity, it meant that he had to make hard decisions about when, and how, Bosch would step down from the police force.Connelly has also written a second, related series of novels featuring Mickey Haller, known as the ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ because for a long time he worked from the back of his chauffeur driven Town Car, rather than from a formal office. However, it gradually emerges that Haller is actually Bosch’s half-brother, and in recent years they have often worked on the same case. It is not a frictionless relationship. For one thing, Bosch’s upbringing was significantly harder than that of Haller, involving care home and intervention by social services. Bosch had also been a cop for almost all his working life, and as such had formed an intrinsic dislike (and distrust) of defence lawyers, whom he dismissed as frequently subverting, rather than upholding, justice. Over the years, however, they have established an accommodation.As the novel opens, we learn that Haller himself is in prison, on remand and awaiting trial for murder after the body of one of his former clients was found in the boot of his car. The case appears fairly strong, and the District Attorney’s Office is pursuing their investigations zealously, feeling extra savour in the thought of perhaps convicting someone who over the years had proved such a thorn in their side. Haller has marshalled his own team, and is working vigorously on his defence from his prison cell, but knows that he is embarking on the most important case of his career.Connelly has a fine style for crime writing. He develops his plots clearly, and the reader invariably finds themselves engrossed in the story virtually from the opening page. His characters, from either side of the law, are highly plausible, as are his plots. He never relies on spurious or contrived coincidences. Connelly began his professional life as a crime reporter, which presumably is where he perfected his sharp prose style. His writing is direct and clear. For the last few years, I have worked in the Civil Service, drafting correspondence for government ministers, and the mantra that my colleagues and I frequently cite is for the ABC of good drafting: accuracy, brevity and clarity. Michael Connelly delivers on all three counts.

An intriguing book, interesting stuff about the American legal system throughout. Good to read this series in one go as they do link together.

I’m a massive Michael Connelly fan and it’s rare his books disappoint.The Law of Innocence sees the return of Mickey Haller - as recently featured in Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer.This one’s a bit different as Mickey finds himself accused of murder. As well as plotting his defence Mickey needs to survive spells in prison and try and track down who actually did it.All the usual supporting cast are present and it’s now impossible for me not to see them as portrayed in the recent Netflix show!Based on the first 90 odd percent this is a five star book. It’s just brilliant.For me though the ending was…disappointing. I’m not going to even say why as I don’t want to give anything away. But it was just completely unsatisfying and reminded me of the way certain John Grisham books have suddenly ended.Connelly is such a good author and that’s perhaps why I found the end unsatisfying.I’d still recommend it to anyone though and perhaps I’m in a minority when it comes to the conclusion.Four out of five feels right.

Michael Connelly has created some great characters for his novels with Bosch probably being the best known. Bosch has a minor role to play in The Law of Innocence, but this is essentially a legal thriller centring on another of Connelly's creations, Mickey Haller, The Lincoln Lawyer (and Bosch's half-brother). The good news is that you do not have to have read any of the earlier novels featuring Mickey Haller to enjoy this one.The plot opens with defence lawyer Haller being stopped by the police who find a body in the trunk of his car. He is arrested on suspicion of murder. As the story unfolds, we see how Haller and his team gather evidence to try and prove his innocence and the various barriers they have to overcome.What I particularly enjoyed about this story were the very atmospheric courtroom and prison scenes. You could easily imagine being there with Mickey Haller (helped in part by the story being told in the first person). Secondly, my lack of knowledge of US state and federal law did not prove a problem as it was very easy to understand the various legal machinations that were taking place.However, a few aspects of this novel surprised me. For example, I got an impression that this novel questions the objectivity of the US justice system - perhaps this has been a theme in the earlier novels featuring Mickey Haller, and I have just missed it. In addition, I felt the character of the main prosecutor was not entirely credible and I think this is because we are not given enough information about her background to understand why she acts the way she does. This surprised me as we get far more insights into Haller's character than has been the case in earlier novels in which he features. While the plot is terrific, I found the very dramatic ending raised a number of questions and seemed rather tangential to the main storyline. Finally, there are a few mentions about the rapid spread of a mysterious virus that originated in Wuhan, China, which while providing topicality, seemed superfluous to the plot (although it provided a convenient backdrop for the final scene!).Overall however, The Law of Innocence is certainly a gripping thriller, with a dramatic plot, atmospheric settings and great dialogue, and as such, should appeal to anyone who enjoys reading American legal thrillers (as well as fans of Michael Connelly's novels).

A great storyteller. I've read all MCs books and enjoyed them enough to always look for the next release. However his complex plot in this book should have unravelled in the court. An abrupt conclusion which lacked the authors usual vibrant imagination left me sad.Still that should not deter any new reader as he is unparalleled.