The Fifth Witness

Connelly proves again why he "may very well be the best novelist working in the United States today" (San Francisco Chronicle).. Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted, too - and he's certain he's on the right trail. Despite the danger and uncertainty, Haller mounts the best defense of his career in a trial where the last surprise comes after the verdict is in. Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty

Court Drama Richard B. Schwartz Of course it's court drama; it's the Lincoln Lawyer at work. However, The Fifth Witness is different from the other Haller novels, which are often more traditional crime stories. This is actual courtroom stuff, recalling the earlier work of, e.g., Steve Martini. The novel proceeds day by day, witness by witness and focuses on the workings of a defense attorney's mind. The law and legal strategy are the focal points of the novel. Past surveys have shown that there is a disconnect between readers' interests and publishers' offerings. Bottom line. Fantastic book. I'm sold again on fiction. Sui Juris Michael Connelly just made me a fiction fan again. I normally read non-fiction (history, political-economics) and sometimes historical fiction here and there.but I have read my share of fiction in the past, and still make sure to read a classic here and there. I did read his book "The Lincoln Lawyer" which I thought was okay (I give it a 6.5 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10). But I saw this book was highly-recommended, and thought I'd give him another shot. Boy, am I glad I did. This is one of the best novels I've ever read. I am an attorney, and a . Shary said Connelly writes a good read. Good story. Connelly is very good at fleshing out his characters thoroughly and putting together an interesting plot. What strikes me the most about the Lincoln Lawyer series, however, is how flawed our legal system is. Yes, it's better than what a lot of countries have, but that might not be saying a lot. What we have is games between prosecution and defense, much that is relevant that is withheld from the jury for one reason or another, and juries that are expected to decide whether someone is guilty or innocent based on legal posturing and