The Law of Innocence sees the return of Mickey Haller in the latest book from the prolific Michael Connelly.

This time Haller is facing a murder charge after a dead body is found in the book of his Lincoln and whilst he knows he is guilty how can he prove it?

Connelly has created over his many books a great cast of characters and some old favourites reappear in this story which kept me hooked from the beginning to the very end.

As usual the jousting between Haller and his courtroom adversaries is top class with fantastic twists and turns.

Definitely a book not to miss!!!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of The Law of Innocence, the sixth novel to feature the Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller.

Returning home after an acquittal celebration Mickey is stopped by the traffic police who the find a dead body in the trunk of his car. Charged with murder and held in jail Mickey must try to defend himself against a seemingly watertight case, but he’s determined not only to defend himself in court but to be found innocent under the law of innocence by finding the real killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Law of Innocence which is an engrossing legal thriller with plenty of twists and turns. I don’t read many legal thrillers as I frequently find the technicalities difficult and boring but Mickey Haller and his doings are different. His first person narrative is ideally suited to the genre as he always explains his thinking and tactics, which eliminates any lack of understanding on the reader’s part and as he’s a street fighting defence lawyer his methods frequently bring a smile to my face.

He’s in a fight for his life literally in this novel so the novel is half his advance preparation and half courtroom drama as he defends himself against a zealous prosecutor, Dana “Death Row” Berg and her certainty that he’s guilty. I was glued to the pages as the reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride through the highs and setbacks of the case, especially as Mickey Haller doesn’t always take the obvious route. He always has the main prize, the law of innocence, in mind so he can be extremely devious in his pursuit of it. I love his rationalisations when he’s skirting the edges.

The plot is well conceived and executed with an elaborate set up at its centre and everything else radiating out from this central premise. It’s a duel of two certainties with Mickey knowing he’s innocent and law enforcement certain he’s guilty and yet the resolution adds another layer. There is an urgency throughout the novel with Mickey determined to prove his innocence and resume his life as quickly as possible through a speedy trial date and the judge determined to have a speedy physical trial before a potential virus lockdown closes her court. It all adds a certain piquancy to the jousting.

The Law of Innocence is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The Lincoln Lawyer is driving himself home from a celebration when he's pulled over for a routine traffic stop due to a lack of back license plate. When he's stopped, the police officer notices blood leaking from his car boot, leading to Mickey being accused of murdering a former client in cold blood.

As someone who recently read all of Michael Connelly's back catalogue, this book is a worthy addition to the Lincoln Lawyer series. It ties together quite a few of the previous cases in the books, with recognisable characters from them reappearing in surprising places.

The ending is a touch abrupt, but ties together nicely with the epilogue. 5*.

Highly enjoyable entry into the Mickey Haller universe with guest appearances by half-brother, Harry Bosch.
This is more of a courtroom tussle of a book as Haller attempts to prove himself not guilty (not inncocent) in the eyes of the law as he is charged with first degree murder.
The swiftness of plot and effortless of character arc and narrative is second to none; the inclusion of Bosch is deliberate but not overbearing.
I spent the whole time with the voices of Matthew McConnaughey and Titus Weliver in my head; this would be a tale ripe for adaptation - and Connelly makes it very much of now with the tale taking place over November 2019 to March 2020 with the threat and worry over the Wuhan disease incoming for the inhabitants of Los Angeles.
Thoroughly enjoyable fare of the highest order.

Michael Connolly brings back defence lawyer, Mickey Haller, the half brother of Harry Bosch, a Los Angeles set nail biting legal thriller, a compulsive courtroom drama that sees Haller becoming uncomfortably closely acquainted with his clients experience as he finds himself framed for murder. Haller is stopped by a police officer due to his missing rear licence plates. When the officer opens the boot of the car, there is a dead body which turns out to be a former client of Haller's, the multiple convicted con man, Sam Scales, a man Haller had eventually stopped representing, owing money Haller had given up on. Before he knows it, Haller finds him incarcerated in a jail cell in the Twin Towers Correctional Centre, under constant threat, paying for protection from black prisoner, Bishop. In a situation where the stakes have never been higher, Haller opts to defend himself.

With the prosecution led by Dana 'Death Row' Berg, Haller has a supporting team who are rock solid in their belief in his innocence, his law partner, Jennifer Aronson, investigator Dennis 'Cisco' Wojciechowski, and later joined by Harry Bosch, lending his considerable expertise. Haller needs all the help he can get, he is hamstrung by being in jail, which takes a considerable toll on his health, as the weight begins to drop off his body. Haller is surprised by just how much support and loyalty he receives, including a grateful former client offering to pay bail, his law student daughter, Hayley, and his ex-wife, prosecutor Maggie McPherson. With Berg intent on doing everything she can to ensure he is convicted of murder with what appears to be a slam dunk case, Haller has to work out who set him up, amidst all the obstacles that litter his path, his life in constant danger.

As always, Connelly's research is impeccable, illustrated with his attention to detail, the legal process in the American legal system and the courtroom is riveting as it is applied to Haller. Haller is not just chasing a not guilty verdict, he needs to apply the law of innocence, which states you not only have to prove you are innocent but identify the actual guilty party of the crime of which you stand accused. In the novel, the first inklings of the horrifying Covid 19 pandemic, beginning at Wuhan in China, that will go on devastate the country and the world, are interspersed in a narrative that concludes with self isolation and lockdown. Connolly can be relied on to write a compulsive, entertaining and riveting crime thriller, as he demonstrates once again here, with well plotted and adrenaline fuelled storylines that had me glued to the pages until I had finished. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.