The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly

A new book by Michael Connelly is always a cause for celebration, so I was delighted to be invited onto the blog tour for his latest, the seventh novel featuring lawyer Mickey Haller, which is out in the UK tomorrow. Many thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

 

The Blurb:

THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE OF HIS LIFE.

ONLY THIS TIME THE DEFENDANT IS HIMSELF

"The law of innocence is unwritten. It will not be found in a leather-bound code book. It will never be argued in a courtroom. In nature, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the law of innocence, for every man not guilty of a crime there is a man out there who is. And to prove true innocence the guilty man must be found and exposed to the world."

* * * * * 

Heading home after winning his latest case, defense attorney Mickey Haller - The Lincoln Lawyer - is pulled over by the police. They open the trunk of his car to find the body of a former client.

Haller knows the law inside out. He will be charged with murder. He will have to build his case from behind bars. And the trial will be the trial of his life.

Because Mickey Haller will defend himself in court.

With watertight evidence stacked against him, Haller will need every trick in the book to prove he was framed. But a not-guilty verdict isn't enough. In order to truly walk free, Haller knows he must find the real killer - that is the law of innocence... 

* * * * *

CRIME DOESN'T COME BETTER THAN CONNELLY.

The Law of Innocence is published tomorrow by Orion. You can purchase it from Bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones, Amazon or your usual bookseller. 

My Review: 

I love Connelly's Bosch books but I'm a little behind with those featuring Bosch's half brother, lawyer Mickey Haller, so it's been brilliant catching up with him. And what a book to pick to do that as Haller has the fight of his life on his hands. And it was easy to jump back in as The Law of Innocence can easily be read as a standalone.

On the way back from celebrating a court win Mickey Haller is pulled over by a cop for a seemingly routine traffic stop until a dead body is found in his car boot. Mickey is charged with murder and remanded to jail whilst the State builds its case. And of course, Haller needs to build his own defence case, with the help of his team including his ex wife Maggie. And he has to do it from jail. 

You know what you're getting with a Connelly book. Fully formed, three dimensional characters and a cracking storyline which takes you to the wire. The Law of Innocence is no different, despite being set mainly in prison and the court house. The plot is tight as Haller seeks not only to clear his name but also to identify the real killer. The story, played out mainly in the court, is detailed and well thought out, with plenty of dead ends before reaching its denouement. 

I love Haller. It's hard not to see him as Matthew McConnechy, who played him in film of The Lincoln Lawyer, but I'm not sure that's quite how I see him. We certainly see him go through it in this book, and we see it through his eyes as it's written in the first person. Mickey's determination is not lessened by prison - after all, his life is on the line. But I loved that we see him falter and fret, see his fragility as well. His team are all fab, but I have a thing especially for investigator Cisco. I reckon he's my mind of man! It was great to see Bosch in the mix too. It w would be fair to say I didn't like Dana Berg - you'll see why when you read it. 

I found the courtroom scenes fascinating and loved the wee glimpse of prison life and how grim it was. The storyline took in corporate crime,  corruption, murder and lies. It was totally absorbing and a fab read from beginning to end. Will appeal to Connelly fans and new readers alike. 

The Author:

A former police reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Connelly is the internationally bestselling author of the Harry Bosch series, and several other bestsellers including the highly acclaimed legal thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer. The TV series - Bosch - is one of the most watched original series on Amazon Prime and is now in its third season. He has been President of the Mystery Writers of America, and his books have been translated into thirty-nine languages and have won awards all over the world, including the Edgar and Anthony Awards. He spends his time in California and Florida.

To find out more, visit Michael's website or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.


Be sure to check out all the stops on the blog tour!