Mark's #16 - The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

This book marks the third legal thriller I've read this year, and the first Michael Connelly book I've ever read. Though I enjoyed the first two legal thrillers, by Randy Singer and John Grisham, I have to say that this is the best,  most believable, well-written, most suspenseful of the three. Since it is a thriller/mystery, I don't like to go into too much plot detail. Briefly put, the story is a first person account of  defense laywer Mickey Haller, aka- The Lincoln Lawyers.  Traveling in his Lincoln through Los Angeles' rougher neighborhoods to meet with various clients who are criminals and convicts, Mickey is a shrewd lawyer and businessman.  Like most defense lawyers, Mickey spends most of his time either working out suitable plea deals, or trying to expose the cracks and flaws of the prosecutions case against his clients.

Connelly does well to lead the reader to have uncomfortable feelings about, what many would consider, a sleazy defense lawyer, while still drawing the reader into wanting him to succeed.

As a defense lawyer for some of the worst criminals in southern California, Mickey realizes the vast majority of his clients are guilty as charged - but he's not concerned with that.

What scares Mickey the most, and where the plot thickens, is the possibility of representing an innocent client and losing the case.

There were a few weak spots in the plot such as Mickey's amicable relationship with his two ex-wives, who work as prosecutors.

What made me pull the trigger and buy this book was the high reviews on amazon, many of them claiming, "Connelly's book puts Grisham to shame when it comes to writing legal thrillers."

I think I agree with that sentiment, and if you read this book you may as well.

Ron’s #26: The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney by Randy Singer

This is the first book on the list this year that I discovered by accident. In my usual buying and selling of used books, I found this paperback and threw it in my selling pile. When I was looking for a novel to read on the plane ride back to the States, I thought of this and put it in my carry-on. It was a good read to pass the time.

The premise is quite interesting: a billionaire is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and has a limited time left. As he contemplates the meaning of his life’s endeavourers, he creates a reality show called Faith on Trial where representatives of the world’s religions complete to show the world which faith system is the most true. It’s Survivor meets The 700 Club, I guess.

Each of the contestants—a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, and an atheist—are lawyers and complete in courtroom-based situations challenging the other’s faith. These legal scenes are a mini-apologetic for the Christian faith, and are worth reading.

Aside from the worldview discussions, the contestants discover that there is a plot to kill one of the players. Oliver Finney, a Virginia judge who hacks and coughs more than any character I’ve met in a book, tries to find out more by sending coded exchanges to his law clerk Nikki Moreno. Nikki races to discover the truth of what is happening on the show to save the judge’s life.

I enjoyed this Christian version of a John Grisham story, and I loved the discussions of faith. I thought that Singer was especially fair to the Muslim and Hindu characters. The Swami was perhaps the most likeable guy of the entire book. I was disappointed in how the plot unfolded and the big revelations. The ending negates some of the mysteries in the story, making them meaningless.

Randy Singer published this novel at the same time as his non-fiction, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ, a lawyer’s look at the court case of Jesus. In Oliver Finney, the judge uses that book (which he authored in the fictional version under the pseudonym “Randy Singer”) to communicate with Nikki. It’s a bit of a gimmick, but I thought it was clever.

This is a quick and worthwhile read for those who enjoy legal thrillers. And reality shows.