In this 6th book in 'The Lincoln Lawyer' series, attorney Mickey Haller is in danger of spending the rest of his life in prison. The novel works fine as a standalone, but knowledge of the characters is a plus.
*****
Criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller is 'The Lincoln Lawyer' who - instead of keeping an office - works out of the back of one of his three specially equipped Lincoln sedans.
Haller is a clever fellow who usually get his clients off.
This makes Haller VERY unpopular with prosecutors, who think he's underhanded and arrogant, not to mention a n'er-do-well who puts criminals back on the streets. All this has unfortunate consequences when Mickey himself is accused of murder.
When Haller gets a 'not guilty' (NG) verdict for a client, he celebrates by hosting an open bar at the Redwood for his attorney colleagues and friends. Though Mickey no longer drinks, he's happy to pay the tab for his guests.
After Mickey's latest NG shindig, he's stopped by LAPD Officer Milton, who says Mickey's Lincoln Continental is missing a license plate.
This leads to a search of the Lincoln's trunk, which contains the dead body of Mickey's former client, a sleazeball scammer named Sam Scales.
Haller is promptly arrested, and when LAPD detectives determine that Scales was shot in the Lincoln's trunk INSIDE Mickey's garage, the lawyer is charged with first degree murder.
The murder charge gets prosecutor Dana Berg (aka Iceberg) salivating, because this is her big chance to stick it to Mickey Haller. Dana will do almost anything, no matter how sneaky and devious, to convict Mickey.
Conversely, Haller knows he's been framed, and he sets out to prove it. This is difficult because Haller's initial bail is set at $5 million, and he's stuck in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles.
Still, since Mickey is serving as his own attorney, he's allowed time with his defense team, which includes:
• Jennifer Aronson - Mickey's law partner.
• Lorna Taylor - Mickey's office manager.
• Cisco Wojciechowski - Mickey's private investigator.
• Harry Bosch - Mickey's half-brother, who's a retired LAPD detective.
• Maggie McPherson - Mickey's ex-wife, who's a Los Angeles prosecutor; Maggie takes a leave to help the defense.
Later on, Haller gets a break when Judge Violet Warfield reduces his bail and allows him to move around Los Angeles with an ankle monitor.
With diligent interviews, data mining, and surveillance, Mickey's team learns that a biofuel scam being perpetrated by Las Vegas mobster Louis Opparizio may be behind Sam Scales' murder.
Moreover, the FBI knows about the biofuel scam, but is in the midst of a SECRET OPERATION to expose the perpetrators. Therefore, federal agents won't help Haller with his defense....even when they're subpoenaed.
Though Haller is hampered every which way, he insists on a speedy trial, which is his right. So Mickey's team scrambles to assemble evidence in his favor, while Iceberg Dana does the exact opposite. This leads to riveting courtroom scenes, including jury selection, questioning witnesses, cross-examining witnesses, making motions to the judge, and so on.
It's fascinating to see the maneuvering by both the prosecution and defense, like a really good law school class. All this leads to the story's climax, which is more predictable than exciting. But this is a series after all.
Author Michael Connelly sets the novel at the outset of the Covid pandemic, when an unknown virus is killing people in Wuhan, China. The disease starts to spread around the world, people begin wearing masks, etc. Covid isn't a major theme of the book, but there are references to what was going on the time.
I always like books set in the 'Harry Bosch/Mickey Haller Universe', and this story is engaging.....but I found the plot a little too labyrinthine. Still, highly recommended to fans of the series.
Rating: 3. 5 stars
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