Reviews

Note: It's actually 4 and a half stars!

So, Michael Connelly is back. I enjoyed this book far more than I enjoyed the last two entries in the Mickey Haller series because the internal emotional struggles Haller faced ringed true and resonated with me.

Connelly nailed the characterization in this book from Mickey Haller to the supporting cast. I think introducing supporting characters like Legal Siegel to flesh out Haller was a great move, because it allowed me as a reader to examine Haller's personal dilemmas. I also enjoyed Connelly's portrayal of supporting characters, particularly Jennifer Aronson, Haller's associate, as well as Kendall. I need to give credit to Connelly for fleshing out those two, and generally the female characters in the novel well since I have railed on Connelly over it in previous novels.

This book was also not a simple legal-drama, it had a good deal of mystery to it that just left me wanting to know more. One of my issues with the last few Mickey Haller books was that Connelly would stretch the trial over the entire book. This is fine if the trial is compelling but more often than not, it would just take up extra pages and be tedious to follow. This book, on the other hand, was well-paced and constantly kept me invested in the story. I should add a disclaimer though that about 80% into the book, I sort of skimmed the ending in a weak moment. However, it in no way derailed my enjoyment of the book. As a matter of fact I went back to where I left off and saw the book through the end.

And I need to praise Connelly for that ending, because it had a gravitas, weight and payoff to it that I felt was missing in some of his past couple books. Overall, a satisfying read. I am so glad that Connelly is back!