The Fifth Witness. Michael Connelly. Orion Books (2011)

A sheep in wolf's skin, excellent writing, a great structure and an engaging cast cannot hide the fatal failure of imagination and nerve that compromise this story. Mickey Haller is a criminal defence lawyer finding that his business has changed due to the recession. He has many more clients fighting foreclosure that criminal indictments. When one of his foreclosure clients, Lisa Trammel is charged with murdering the CEO of the bank she is fighting against, Mickey finds himself returning to criminal defence. Facing off against a tough and very capable District Attorney, Mickey has a challenging case on his hands. The story develops extremely well, the courtroom scenes are gripping and the various trial strategies used by both sides are explained in a natural and engaging way. The corkscrew conclusion is a culmination of the fatal ambiguity in the story and leaves the reader shortchanged by the whole experience.
The positive aspects to this story are many and very strong. The context for the case, the ongoing whirlwind of foreclosures that resulted from the selling of wildly unsuitable mortgages to equally unsitable customers for overpriced properties is topical and very well drawn. The way that the defence strategy is developed and implemented, the need to manage a wayward client as well as deal with the prosecution is gripping done. The cast are given space and time to make an impression and the sheer struggle involved is conveyed expertly.
The problem is that Michael Connelly does not believe in defence lawyers as a component of the legal system. He can understand that they are required, he chokes on the fact that they are defending people who did commit the crimes they are accused of, he wants them to only really defend the innocent. Assertively defending the probably guilty, that is doing the actual job of a competent criminal defence lawyer, is just a step too far for him. He allows Mickey Haller be an effective defence lawyer, then weasels at a critical moment so he can square his troubled consciences in the most appalling manner, he also uses Mickey's divorced wife and daughter as cover for this piece of shabby action. This sad squeamishness robs an otherwise excellent thriller of its force. Worth reading for the set pieces, skip the rest.

The Brass Verdict. Michael Connelly. Orion (2008)

This is a very gripping and hugely entertaining thriller. Mickey Haller is getting ready to resume his career as a defence lawyer after emerging from an active addiction to pain killers, when another lawyer he worked with is murdered. Mickey finds that he has been nominated to take of the murdered man's cases, including a very high profile murder case. Mickey has to decide if he is ready for the pressure, in particular as he is told that the dead lawyer was probably killed by one of his, now Mickey's, clients. The plot twists and turns at a great pace, the reveals and counter-reveals are cunningly staged right up to the close of the book. The cast are lively and engaging, the legal detail used to considerable effect, the whole story is thoroughly satisfying.
As a first person narrative, the book is carried by Mickey Haller and he does so with ease and confidence. Faced with the decision to return much more suddenly than he had planned the way that he copes with the pressure is credible and thoughtful. The pressure is as much a force in returning him to stability and strenght as it is a sapping demand on his ability to cope. The way that Mickey rediscovers his hunger to work and his desire to assert himself through his professional skills is compelling.
The double helix of the plot, the murder case that Mickey has inherited and the murder case that created the inheritance, is brilliantly spun. They do not crowd each other out, when one falls out of the spotlight the other one emerges in a very natural way, the tension is consistently maintained and the way they are resolved is masterly. The rest of the cast are roundly drawn, Mickey is telling the story, it is not just his story, the supporting cast emerge with force and clarity. The masterful control that Michael Connelly has over the material is nearly invisible, the story flows with such confident ease that the reader is free to simply become absorbed and enjoy the experience. Superb.