The Law of Innocence, The Lincoln Lawyer Series, Book 6, Michael Connolly, author; Peter Giles, narrator
How bad can a murder mystery be when it stars Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch? Not bad at all! Separately, they are great characters, and together, they knock it out of the park, as they, and the rest of Haller’s team, work to find out why he is being framed and who is masterminding the plot against him.
When the body of a former client is found in the trunk of Mickey’s car, during what is supposed to be a routine traffic stop, Mickey is arrested for his murder. Harry, Mickey’s half-brother, steps in to help prove his innocence as does his ex-wife. Both work on opposite sides of the law from Mickey, but both believe in his innocence. Harry is a former police detective, and Maggie works for the D.A.’s office, the very same group that is prosecuting Mickey.
Although the story seems like it is coming to a very obvious conclusion, and we know that both Haller and Bosch will live to fight on another day, the ending will be unexpected, and as the novel winds on towards its final pages, the reader will be kept guessing and will be surprised. Each of the characters plays their part very well. My favorite was the judge. She made herself a valued representative of the court, even though she sometimes seemed arrogant. She represented the scales of justice in a good way. She was not a blind servant. It was her knowledge and judgment that would ultimately help to decide the fate of the Lincoln lawyer!
Sometimes, the state prosecution seemed unduly biased, and sometimes the defense seemed too willing to bend the rules. Cover-ups could extend to the highest reaches of law enforcement, and sometimes the law was bent in order to achieve that higher purpose. Haller was cast in the roll of both client and prisoner in this novel. The Lincoln Lawyer was forced to view life from inside the cell, as a prison inmate, rather than as a lawyer visiting a client. He got first-hand experience into the life and trials of those he defends who insist they are innocent, and he will never again take his freedom, or his client’s, for granted.
The book tried to be relevant by mentioning current facts to confirm the time and place. The Wuhan Virus rears its head with the accompanying chaos and hoarding of supplies. However, the hypocrisy of presenting Christians and Trump in a negative light, one of the reasons being because they support law and order, will not go unnoticed by many of his fans. His views run contradictory to my own, and I was offended. I believe the author foolishly took sides with his politics and never should have done so. If I wasn’t so far into the book when the bias was introduced, I would have tossed the book and never recommended it. Authors need to realize that half the world supports President Trump and does not support the illegal and fraudulent election of President-elect Biden.
Still, it was a pleasure to read a book that held my interest without worrying about the introduction of unnecessary graphic sex or language, and instead, was just a good murder investigation and courtroom drama, absent the political interjections. In conclusion, although I enjoyed the book, I am glad I took it from the library and did not spend money on it, since his politics were the antithesis of mine, and he made it personal by denigrating those who believe as I do. I would not have wanted to support any profit from this book.