The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (2005. Hachette Audio (audio version). ISBN 978-1-600247-2)
John Grisham’s latest efforts haven’t met with the same critical and fan success that his earlier works did. Grisham’s attempt at short fiction (Ford County Stories) was, as my review in the archives of this blog urges, poorly done compared to his other work. So picking up this legal thriller by yet another Grisham-wannabe for our ride back from Bozeman to Duluth after a recent ski trip, well, it was bound to be fraught with disappointment, right? I mean if the master of legal fiction is having trouble putting pen to paper, how can a newcomer to the genre like Connelly measure up. Am I right?
Turns out, The Lincoln Lawyer, with the exception of a minor plot implausibility or two, is a satisfying listen as an audio book. Calling biker clients to protect your ex-wife and daughter in the face of a serial killer (who is also, unfortunately, your client) when the ex is a DA rather than calling the police makes little sense. But that’s one of only a few minor diversions from a well constructed reality in this tale.
Micky Haller, the Irish American lawyer protagonist in this story is a very troubled man: He realizes, early on in the plot, that he blew it with a former client, a Hispanic named Hector, who is now doing life for something he didn’t do. Oh sure, Micky tries to rationalize away Hector’s fate by arguing (with himself) that the man was slated for the needle-that his work as a criminal defense lawyer saved the man from Death Row. But the nagging notion that Haller failed to recognize a truly innocent man, and now has confused sociopathic behavior with innocence in yet another client, haunts the lawyer.
The title is a clever twist being that Haller insists on being driven from scene to scene in the book by his hip-hop living African American driver in a Lincoln Town Car. He has a fleet of them, four to be exact, hence the title of the book. The dialogue is gritty and a bit tough for the ears of say, anyone under the age of twelve, but appropriate to the story. The characters, for the most part (the mother of the killer is a bit overdone and cartoonish as is her lawyer) are believable. Not better than say, The Verdict or The Firm, and certainly no To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lincoln Lawyer is a compelling, well written piece of genre fiction.
4 stars out of 4.
