Shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2009.
CWA Judges’ comments: 'A highly accomplished legal thriller. Very readable with good twists and an engaging lead character. Never less than compelling to the very last page.'
Lawyer, Jerry Vincent is murdered leaving his client list to his down-on-his-luck colleague, Mickey Haller. Haller thinks his time in the spot light has come as one of his newly acquired clients is worth millions and could put Hallers career back on track. However when Harry Bosch is put on the case and is convinced one of Vincent’s clients murdered him Haller realises his golden list of new found clients may actually be a list of suspects and he might be the next target. Connelly delivers yet again with another brilliant suspense-filled page turner.
When down-at-heel lawyer Mickey Haller gets the news that his old colleague Jerry Vincent has died, he also gets an unexpected windfall. Jerry had left instructions that Mickey should inherit all of his clients - putting Mickey's stalled career back on track at a stroke. Not only that, but Vincent was about to go to bat for Walter Elliott, the Hollywood mogul accused of brutally slaying his wife and her lover, in a trial that promises big fees and an even bigger place in the media spotlight. If Mickey could find the magic bullet and win that one against the odds, he'd really be back in the big leagues.
The only problem is that Vincent was murdered, shot at close range in his office garage. And the detective handling the case - a certain Harry Bosch - is convinced the killer must be one of Vincent's clients. Suddenly Jerry Vincent's legacy is beginning to look more like a poisoned chalice, and Mickey is faced with the biggest challenge of his career: how to successfully defend a client who might just be planning to murder him.
Michael Connelly is a former police reporter for the LOS ANGELES TIMES and the international bestselling author of the Harry Bosch thriller series. He is the author of several standalones, including the highly acclaimed legal thriller, THE LINCOLN LAWYER, which was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club. BOSCH, the TV series based on Michael's novels, is the most watched original series on Amazon Prime Instant Video and has just been commissioned for a second series. His novel Blood Work was adapted into a film in 2002 with a screenplay by Brian Helgeland and direction by Clint Eastwood, who also played the lead role. Connelly's novel The Lincoln Lawyer was made into a film in 2011, with Matthew McConaughey playing defense lawyer Michael "Mickey" Haller. He occasionally makes guest appearances as himself in the ABC comedy/drama TV series Castle.
His books have been translated into 31 languages and have won awards all over the world, including the EDGAR and ANTHONY AWARDS. Fifty-eight million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into thirty-nine foreign languages.
