THE REVERSAL by Michael Connelly – FIVE STARS

Five Stars for Michael Connelly’s tale of intrigue in his Lincoln Lawyer Novel, “The Reversal.” Connelly seems to know his way around the courtroom, and I am sure that was with the help and guidance of the many individuals he thanked at the end of his book.

To, “The Reversal,” though: Mickey Haller, a long-time defender of the underdog, running his office out of his Lincoln, is approached by Gabriel Williams, the DA of Los Angeles County. Williams wants Haller to take on an extremely controversial case: a retrial of imprisoned child killer, Jason Jessup. Jessup has spent 24 years in prison, but new evidence has risen to the surface, which just might exonerate him.

Haller isn’t sure why he actually accepts to take on the re-prosecution of Jessup, but he does. At the same time, when Williams tries to hardball Haller into “towing his line,” Haller stands firm and says he will try the case as he sees fit. He also asks that his second chair be his ex-wife, Maggie McPherson, whom Haller knows is a much better “prosecutor” than he is. To complete his team, Haller pulls in the LAPD detective, Harry Bosch, as his investigator.

With his team in place now, Haller must put together a prosecution that will send Jessup back to jail, where he believes the man belongs. However, he is up against a good defense lawyer, Clive Royce, who is often referred to as “Clever Clive.” And no one knows Clive better than Haller!

Haller agrees to having Jessup not re-incarcerated for the duration of the trial. Of course, the LAPD has a 24 hour tail on the man, hoping he will slip up and land himself back in jail. What transpires during the weeks leading up to the trial, and during the trial, is a spinning wheel of good versus evil, so to speak. Proving a 24+ year murder with a main witness who, at one time, led a less than desirable life might prove detrimental to the prosecution’s case if she couldn’t hold up under the pressure of Royce’s cross-examination. However, the defense also was withholding what and who they had uncovered to step up to the stand for them. And, this is where Detective Bosch enters as he ruthlessly digs for the truth and helps the prosecution with their case.

To be perfectly honest here, though, there are a number of twists in the story, and one does not always get what they want – even if they are on the right side of the law!

“The Reversal” is a great read, especially when you reach the actual court case. I was glued to the pages as the lawyers and the detective fought it out, right down to the wire…and then…well, you will just have to read it for yourself.