TheBelleBeat

With the recent silver screen release of The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe, I knew I wanted to be a head of the curve and read the original, Michael Connelly’s book, before jetting to the theater.

The Breakdown: Power defense attorney Mick Haller operates his defense of criminals business from the back of his Lincoln towncar, hence the title. Never one to actually question the guilt of his client, Haller specializes in turning a cops “black and white” take on a crime scene and turning it into enough shades of grey to cast doubt in the minds of jurors. Always on the lookout for a big fish client, Haller soon meets Louis Roulet. As the case unfolds, Haller begins to question the guilt/innocence of his client for the first time.

Connelly’s storytelling is nothing short of enrapturing. As is traditional with crime novels, I found myself attempting to figure out the ending before reading it. Thankfully Connelly creates a patchwork of facts that continues to grow as the trial progresses and I consequently, I did not guess the ending no matter how hard I tried. But that’s half the fun of reading right? Both a novice and expert in the law will enjoy reading this journey through the judicial process from Roulet securing his lawyer, to discovering, the trial, and finally, the verdict.

Portraying a character known for his bravado and way with words, it’s no surprise to me that McConaughey was cast as Haller. (Flashback to A Time To Kill anyone?) Thankfully though I didn’t envision him while reading and instead relied on Connelly’s portrait of the protagonist, which was equally enticing.

Now off to the theater for me, and a trip to the book store (or Amazon.com for my fellow Kindle readers) for you!