Book Review – The Law of Innocence – Micky Haller # 6 – Absorbing
Table of Contents
My Rating – 4.5 out of 5
The law of innocence is unwritten. It will not be found in a leather-bound codebook. It will never be argued in a courtroom. It cannot be written into law by the elected. It is an abstract idea and yet it closely aligns with the hard laws of nature and science. In the law of physics, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the law of innocence, for every man not guilty of a crime, there is a man out there who is. And to prove true innocence, the guilty man must be found and exposed to the world.
Mission Statement – Micky Haller in The Law of Innocence
Plot Summary – The Law of Innocence
The Micky Haller series by Michael Connelly runs almost parallel to his Harry Bosch series, what with both protagonists turning out to be half-brothers. This is the sixth book of the Micky Haller series and is just as absorbing as the earlier ones. In a twist right at the beginning, the gritty defense lawyer is embroiled in a case where he is the defendant! Can the ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ defend himself successfully? Or does he go to jail or even Death Row? In traditional Michael Connelly style, the story catches the reader by the ears and pulls them along in a breathtaking roller coaster ride!
To celebrate a trial verdict, Haller and his friends from the legal fraternity attend a party at a well-known pub. Haller, a reformed non-drinker now leaves the party late at night in his Lincoln Town Car. Much to his surprise, he’s pulled aside for a traffic stop, apparently for a missing rear number plate.
But there are more surprises in store for him – the dead body of a con artist, Sam Scales, is found in his trunk! Haller had represented him in the past, but didn’t have any cordial relations with him. But no dislike strong enough to have killed him. Now the Police have him dead to rights, and the Judge refuses to set easy bail for him, and at 5 Million Dollars, she ensures that Haller is not free to mount his own defense.
The Public Prosecutor from the DA’s office, Dana Berg, is hell bent on seeking capital punishment for him and wouldn’t even listen to his plea of lowering the bail amount. Haller and his small team of Legal Assistance – Jennifer ‘Bullocks’ Aronson, Cisco and Lorna believe in his innocence and confer with him at the Twin Towers Correctional Center, to build his case. As a pleasant surprise, Bosch joins their team as an investigator, in their search for the truth. As investigations progress, a conspiracy much larger than a simple case of ‘Framing’ come to light and the hand of a Mob associate Louis Opparizio was strongly suspected.
Years ago, Micky Haller had blindsided Opparizio during a trial testimony, as a result of which, Opparizio lost a lot of money and his standing within the Mob also went down, as he brought unnecessary attention to their activities. So his trying to frame Haller for a murder he didn’t commit, made enough sense. But proving it all, would take all of Bosch and Cisco’s investigative skills and maybe considerable time and resources, which Haller didn’t have. The investigative trail leads to the Port of Los Angeles and a little known company called BioGreen Industries, which makes Biodiesel – it takes in plant waste and animal fats and recycles it into an alternate fuel.
Since, that Biodiesel or alternate fuel is every Governments’ dream project, the US Govt. subsidizes it per barrel to produce. This is where the corruption happens, companies cheat and show same produce transported many times over to collect the subsidy. This is where the Mob comes in, using Opparizio as a front. Sam Scales just happens to be a pawn in the game to frame Micky Haller and destroy his life and legal career.
Meanwhile, there are forces at work which do not want Haller to be free, even on bail. He’s attacked in prison and the PP, Dana Berg, even digs up old enemies of Haller to prove that he’s a flight risk and a threat to the Police investigation and thus must be kept incarcerated. Micky’s defense is hampered even further when his Assistant Jennifer, is called away on a family emergency! The odds are slowly piling up against Haller, and can he win this case against him and exonerate his name?
Conclusion – The Law of Innocence Book Review
In typical fashion, Michael Connelly takes us deep into the investigative process. His experience as a Crime Beat journalist helps big time. The legal wrangling, intertwined with the human angles of all the characters, makes this book such a winner! With the sedate and skilfull presence of Harry Bosch as a Christmas Bonus!! And as Haller likes to proclaim, The Law of Innocence is proved again.
Overall, The Law of Innocence is a great read, one that you’d love to read over the holiday season. It is fast paced, engaging and has a totally absorbing story-line.
*I hope you enjoyed reading this review, do watch this space for more such reviews!*
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