The second novel in the Lincoln Lawyer series starts off with protagonist Mickey Haller, Jr. in rough shape. He’s been out of commission since the events of the first novel left him with an addiction to pain pills. Now out of rehab, Haller is weighing a return to the courtroom when he’s gift-wrapped a present he would rather not have. His colleague Jerry Vincent has been murdered, shot dead in his car, and it turns out that he had written a provision in his will turning over his entire practice to Haller. Most of the cases are petty crimes and no big deal, but there is one major exception.
Haller suddenly finds himself assigned to a double-homicide case due to begin trial very shortly. The client, Walter Elliott, is president of a mid-level movie studio whose wife and lover were shot dead in the client’s Malibu home. Walter was the one who found the bodies and called 911, but he was arrested after the police found gun shot residue on his hands. Despite the evidence, Walter is insistent on his innocence and, from Haller’s P.O.V., absurdly confident that he will be exonerated at trial.
Haller’s preparations for the trial are complicated by the investigation into Vincent’s murder, which is being conducted by a character very familiar to fans of Michael Connelly: Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch of the LAPD. As someone who has not read the Bosch series, or seen the TV adaptation, Bosch doesn’t make too much of an impression here. This is definitely Haller’s show, but it’s still fun to watch them grudgingly work together while bumping up against the limitations of their professions and respective ethical codes.
Connelly is incredibly adept at finding novel ways to frame legal thrillers, a seemingly impossible challenge in a world where Law & Order SUV is marching toward 600 episodes. The Brass Verdict is incredibly well-plotted and pacing is never an issue, with Connelly’s prose a genuine delight to read without ever getting in the way. Connelly keeps the reader guessing despite playing fair the whole way through.