The Brass Verdict
by Michael Connelly
Published by Grand Central
Click on book
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Reviewed by Bob Pike CSP, CPAE-Speakers Hall of Fame
(Also available in CD)
Connelly fans will love having two of his best characters in a single book. Defense Attorney Michael Haller has been on a one-year sabbatical. Going through rehab after becoming addicted to painkillers cost him his wife, almost cost him his daughter–and if he hadn’t come to his senses, it would have cost him his life and career.
He’s ready to slowly come back when a lawyer friend, Jerry Vincent is murdered, and because he had agreed to be his backup, Vincent’s 31 cases fall into his lap. This includes the murder trial of the decade in LA–that of Walter Elliott, movie magnate, accused of murdering his wife and her lover just days after her prenuptial agreement was fully vested.
When he arrives at Vincent’s office, the LAPD is already going through his confidential files. Here Haller has his first run in with Bosch, the lead detective going through the files. But as it turns out they each need information on cases they’re involved in, and each may be able to help they other. If they can trust one another, that is.
Preparing for the Elliott case will take all the experience Haller and his team can muster, and then some. For the reader that likes to figure it out, the opening paragraph of this book should serve as a warning: Everyone lies. Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie. This book is a contest of delightful lies. See if you can separate out the truth.
Armchair Interviews says: Connelly fans will be thrilled.