Bestseller Connelly delivers one of his most intricate plots to date in his 20th book, a beautifully executed crime thriller. When L.A. lawyer Mickey Haller, last seen in The Lincoln Lawyer (2005), inherits the practice and caseload of a fellow defense attorney, Jerry Vincent, who's been murdered, the high-profile double-homicide case against famed Hollywood producer Walter Elliot, accused of shooting his wife and her alleged lover, takes top priority. As Haller scrambles to build a defense, he butts heads with LAPD Det. Harry Bosch, the stalwart hero of Connelly's long-running series (The Black Echo , etc.), who's working Vincent's murder. When Haller realizes that the Elliot affair is bigger than simply a jealous husband killing his cheating wife, he and Bosch grudgingly agree to work together to solve what could be the biggest case in both their careers. Bosch might have met his match in the wily Haller, and readers will delight in their sparring. 10-city author tour. (Oct.)
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Mickey Haller, last seen in The Lincoln Lawyer , returns to the courtroom in an unusual way here. Former colleague Jerry Vincent is murdered, and his caseload is dropped in Haller's lap. One of Vincent's high-profile cases involved a movie mogul accused of killing his wife and her lover in a jealous rage. As Haller prepares the mogul's defense, he discovers that Vincent's killer might have chosen him as the next target. Haller must trust Harry Bosch, the police officer investigating Vincent's murder, if he is going to survive and trust his instincts if he is going to succeed in convincing a jury of his client's innocence. Connelly is firing on all cylinders in this epic page-turner. The intriguing story line, the chance to view Bosch from another perspective, and Haller's reappearance as a main character add up to a fantastic read. One of the best thrillers of the year and a mandatory purchase for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/08; $1 million marketing campaign.]
The answer to every Connelly fan's dream: Hieronymus Bosch meets the Lincoln Lawyer. Away from the courtroom for two years after he was shot (The Lincoln Lawyer, 2005), Mickey Haller plans a gradual return to the legal practice he runs from the back seat of his car. But the plan is abruptly accelerated by the murder of his colleague Jerry Vincent, who designated Mickey as the attorney who'd take over his list of clients if anything happened to him. One client is a high-profile defendant guaranteed to put Mickey back on the map. Hollywood studio head Walter Elliot is accused of killing his much younger wife Mitzi, who evidently took the recent vesting of her prenup as the signal to file for divorce, and her even younger lover, interior decorator Johan Rilz, who wasn't nearly as gay as Mitzi had hinted. Before Mickey can claim victory, however, he'll have to explain away the gunpowder residue on his client's hands; he'll have to figure out what secret the client is hiding from him that makes him so sure he's going to get off; and he'll have to be ready to go to trial in ten days. While he's racing around trying to fit the pieces together, he'll cross swords repeatedly with Connelly's long-running hero, Det. Harry Bosch, the 33-year veteran of Robbery-Homicide (The Overlook, 2007, etc.) who's investigating Vincent's murder. Despite twists aplenty, the trial drags on for so many pages that savvy readers will solve the mystery ahead of Mickey. But his relationship with Bosch, whom he doesn't recognize as his half brother, is satisfyingly resourceful-by turns wary, competitive, complementary, cooperative and mutually predatory. Even if the case is less than baffling, Connelly brings his twosleuths together in a way that honors them both. Agent: Philip Spitzer/Philip Spitzer Literary Agency
"The Brass Verdict has the sneaky metabolism of any Connelly book. It starts slowly, moves calmly, hides pertinent bits of information in plain sight and then abruptly ratchets up its energy for the denouement....In the midst of this new story, Mickey rebounds with a vengeance....Like Harry Bosch's mojo, Mickey Haller's is liable to work well for a long time."—Janet Maslin , New York Times Jeff Ayers , Library Journal Kirkus Reviews The Brass Verdict ....Connelly builds to some breathtaking twists before all comes to a close. And a more perfect end to the maze he has drawn is difficult to imagine."—Robin Vidimos , Denver Post Jonathan Yardley , Washington Post Publishers Weekly
"Connelly is firing on all cylinders in this epic page-turner. The intriguing story line, the chance to view Bosch from another perspective, and Haller's reappearance as a main character add up to a fantastic read. One of the best thrillers of the year."Library Journal
"If at first encounter Connelly seems primarily an exceptionally accomplished writer of crime novels, at closer examination he is also a mordant and knowing chronicler of the world in which crime takes place, i.e., our world....AWashington Post
"Connelly once again hits it out of the park in the tightly written, fast-paced and sharply imagined The Brass Verdict ....Connelly builds to some breathtaking twists before all comes to a close. And a more perfect end to the maze he has drawn is difficult to imagine."Denver Post
"The answer to every Connelly fan's dream: Hieronymus Bosch meets the Lincoln Lawyer....By turns wary, competitive, complementary, cooperative and mutually predatory....Connelly brings his two sleuths together in a way that honors them both"
"The Brass Verdict has the sneaky metabolism of any Connelly book. It starts slowly, moves calmly, hides pertinent bits of information in plain sight and then abruptly ratchets up its energy for the denouement....In the midst of this new story, Mickey rebounds with a vengeance....Like Harry Bosch's mojo, Mickey Haller's is liable to work well for a long time."New York Times
"A beautifully executed crime thriller....Bosch might have met his match in the wily Haller, and readers will delight in their sparring."
Michael Connelly’s twentieth novel as narrated by newcomer Peter Giles is a humdinger. The plot brings together the morose detective Harry Bosch and his stepbrother, Mickey Haller, the cynical criminal defense attorney first seen in THE LINCOLN LAWYER. Haller inherits a high-profile murder case from a colleague who was also murdered. When Bosch investigates, the two brothers immediately clash. Giles is proficient at marking the differences between these two opposites. He portrays Bosch as a dark, deep-thinking person while his characterization of Haller is glib. Giles’s hoarse, whispery voice crackles when he's Bosch and is authoritative as Haller. Despite their differences, the story resolves in a way that makes listeners eager for the next installment, especially if it’s performed by Peter Giles. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
NOVEMBER 2008 - AudioFile
