The Brass Verdict

There is not a day that goes by that I don't find some time to read. But once in a great while, I find a book that is so riveting that I plant myself in a comfortable spot and abdicate all other responsibilities until I'm finished. The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly is just such a book. In fact, it might be one of the best mysteries I have read--ever.The Brass Verdict has been touted as a combination of Connelly's Harry Bosch series with Michael (Mickey) Haller, a lawyer who has appeared in other books and who made the big time in the best-seller, The Lincoln Lawyer. Instead of being strictly a police drama, The Brass Verdict is written in the first person (Haller) and is more of a legal thriller. In fact, Bosch is a rather shadowy figure in The Brass Verdict.Haller has had a year-long sabatical as he recovers from being gut-shot, as well as an addiction to pain killers and alcohol. But instead of starting off slowly, Haller has 31 cases dumped in his lap when fellow lawyer Jerry Vincent is murdered. One of those cases is the trial of the decade. Hollywood movie mogul Walter Elliott is accused of killing is wife and her lover. This is one of those high-stakes, high-paying cases that defense attorneys only dream of. LAPD detective Harry Bosch is on the case of Vincent's murder, and he believes that one of those 31 cases could hold the secret to the lawyer's death. But Haller and Bosch are reluctant to share information as they're sitting on opposite sides of the law.When Vincent was murdered, the killer took Vincent's laptop and calendar. So Haller must try to reconstruct his cases before proceeding. But as he accomplishes this, he discovers that Vincent was involved in some very shady dealings. But the bad news is that if the killer thinks that Haller knows what Vincent was up to, that his life is also in danger. Haller and Bosch reluctantly find themselves on the same team as they try to get to the bottom of this mystery.Connelly is one of the best writers today--mystery or otherwise. From the very first page, he has the reader hooked. "Everybody lies. Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie. A trial is a contest of lies." But the job of the defense team is to be patient, waiting for a lie, "the one you can grab on to and forge like hot iron into a sharpened blade. You then use that blade to rip the case open and spill its guts out on the floor." Connelly also continues his love-hate relationship with Los Angeles. This city "was the kind of place where everybody was from somewhere else and nobody really dropped anchor. It was a transient place. People drawn by the dream, people running from the nightmare." In terms of the writing, Connelly writes from experience. He has a genuine feel for both law enforcement and the courts. Also, the plot has enough twists and turns to make you dizzy.The Brass Verdict is Connelly's 20th book, and it's great to know that this is one of his best. Unlike many authors, he not getting older, he's just getting better.

Connelly's Detective Bosch is an uncommonly well developed and explored character. It stands to reason that our author having described the world from Bosch's view, the best way for the reader to deepen his experience of Bosch is to see him interact with other characters without being privy to his thoughts and intents. An interesting gambit; for Bosch has placed Mr. Connelly in the upper echelons of this genre and it is a brave author who places his franchise in a supporting role. I am heartened to see that Mr. Connelly remains no less a moralist than Bosch's namesake painter, who sought to portray a clear difference between good and evil, innocence and sin, through his art.Yet despite all the fun with the hugely enjoyable plot and characters, The Brass Verdict contains a much more sobering message. Our system of justice is as fallible as the people who make it run. The opening page is a classic: it contains truth that I intend to utilize in my own legal practice when I attempt to persuade my clients that the Courtroom is the last place to resort for a decision--much better to settle if you can. Yet despite the lies and ugliness of the "real" world, however encumbered we may be by societal expectations, rules, laws and even our own desires, we remain free to determine our own contribution and to participate in the building of a perfectly just society.We take our system for granted. We take the protection of police for granted. We take the impartiality of juries for granted. We take the honesty of witnesses and judges for granted. But what else can we do? Unless we adhere to the fiction of the "whole truth and nothing but the truth" it all falls apart. Unless we choose to believe in the potential for a better world and then act upon that belief, we remain helpless victims--Mr. Connelly admirably points out that we must each be accountable, that private decisions will ultimately have a most public consequence.One of the strongest themes in Mr. Connolly's works is the power of family and friendships. His characters learn the hard way to value their children. His books reward loyalty and goodness. In a world that is prepared to throw out the concept of truth as a childish fiction more appropriate to the good old days when people went to Sunday School, Mr. Connelly uses his talents to remind us that truth remains and that goodness is its own reward; he cautions us that we disregard truth at our peril and for that he deserves our respect.Highly Recommended

I really loved this book, fantastic read

Connelly books are awesome 👏

It's not the first time Connelly is mixing his hero Harry Bosch in a book driven by another character, in this case, Mickey Haller, seen before in The Lincoln Lawyer and The Last Coyote.The story is breathtaking, even if the ending is not amazing.It's not the best book he has written, but it's a pleasant one. The dialogue between both heroes are quite interesting!

Tout est réglé . Merci

Good read