The Brass Verdict: A Novel

Mickey Haller! Harry Bosch! Together again for the first time!!

Connelly has always enjoyed crossing his characters over, so this combo is no big surprise, really.

It's also no surprise that the combination is very effective, and leaves us wanting more. Oh boy does it. In ways we can't talk about, and if anyone tells you, they aren't your friend, ok?

Haller, returning from the depths Connelly deposited him in during The Lincoln Lawyer, finds himself dropped square in a maelstrom of events the reader will fear he's not capable of handling.

When a former adversary/ally, Jerry Vincent, is murdered, Haller is notified of his having been bequeathed the entire practice, including what is already billed in current media as The Trial Of The Century. That would be the murder trial of one Walter Eliot, Hollywood big-shot. Set to begin in a matter of days. Yikes!

Connelly is great as setting atmosphere while events unfold. He seamlessly blends flashbacks with current events to set up the relationship between Vincent and Haller.

With Bosch being the lead detective on the Vincent murder investigation, the time-honored conflicts between law enforcement and defense attorneys receives the Deluxe Connelly Treatment, and it's huge fun to watch these two do the dance.

Haller, balancing his genuine dedication to his client against his desire to survive, walks a thin ethical line as he tries to help Bosch solve Vincent's murder, and Connelly weaves the web with the subtle skill that makes him planetary in the genre.

The heart of The Brass Verdict is the murder trial itself, and Connelly moves things along at a rapid pace, while making us feel like we're sitting in the gallery at the trial, right next to Nancy Grace.

Connelly definitely has some things to say about the jury system, how it's been abused and manipulated, and why that is probably necessary for the system to be able to evolve. He does this via Haller's narration of the trial proceedings, from jury selection through opening statements and evidence presentation, on to the Shocking Conclusion, which is, of course, a necessary ingredient to any good legal thriller, right?

Connelly also brings in his sorta-alter-ego Jack McAvoy, from The Poet and The Narrows, to complete the comfortable assemblage of characters that compose what fans like to call the ConnellyVerse. All that's missing is Cassie Black!!

The Brass Verdict is a bit "bigger" in scale and feel than we're used to with Connelly, and that's a really great thing to read and be part of.

Oh, and the end? Very cool. That's all I'm sayin'!

Michael Connelly is the best mystery writer working today. Although The Brass Verdict does not reach the heights of The Poet it still is great to read. The relationship between Mickey ( who I really enjoy) and Harry is wonderful. I can close my eyes and see them together. My major question is which one I like more. I am also anxious to see who will be the hero of the next book.

There are very few authors that keep me interested from page one to the very end. Michael Connelly is one of those rare authors. I have loved the Harry Bosch series, and immensely enjoyed THE LINCOLN LAWYER, the first Michael Haller novel. To have both characters in the same book was great. Michael Haller was the primary focus of the novel, but I really enjoyed the interaction between Bosch and Haller especially the surprise twist at the end. Since there are already 113 reviews posted, there is no need for a summary. Suffice it to say this is a book well worth reading--interesting characters with a suspenseful, intricately drawn plot.

Its been a long drought for Michael Connelly fans to endure. No mickey Haller "The Lincoln Lawyer" or Harry Bosch out to make wrong things right in their own slightly warpt way. In The Brass Verdict he makes amends to fans by having his most scarred heroes back in print and working together to bring a little more justice to the western sinkhoke known as Los Angeles.

Loved the twist ending. I certainly never saw it coming and it gave me a nice warm cuddly feeling. Contrived? Maybe, but hey, it worked for me. I can't say that this is his best, but it's up there.

If you have never read Michael Connelly, you must. He never dissapoints. You'll also love how he works Bosch into this one. The only complaint I have is we have to wait so long between books.