Double-Teaming

Today in January Magazine, contributing editor Anthony Rainone reviews The Reversal, the new novel by Michael Connelly. It’s the third book to star Los Angeles defense attorney Mickey Haller, but also the second of those to also feature Haller’s half-brother, LAPD Detective Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch. Its story finds Haller being asked by Gabriel Williams, the district attorney for Los Angeles County, to cross the aisle and become a special prosecutor. Writes Rainone:

Williams intends to retry a convicted child killer named Jason Jessup, who was imprisoned for 24 years at San Quentin but has recently been released, his conviction thrown out on the basis of evidence found using new DNA technology. Because of impropriety on the part of the original prosecution team, Williams wants someone outside of his office to spearhead Jessup’s retrial. Who could be better for that assignment than a pre-eminent defense attorney--especially one, like Haller, who believes that the DA’s office got it right the first time?

Haller has a young daughter, Hayley, whom he wants to impress, and he sees working on the Jessup case as an opportunity to prove that he’s a stand-up guy, rather than an advocate restricted to representing a scumbag clientele (“I involuntarily conjured the image of my daughter sitting in a courtroom and watching me stand for the people, instead of the accused”). Therefore, he accepts DA Williams’ offer with two non-negotiable conditions: his ex-wife, Maggie “McFierce” McPherson, will act as his second chair; and Harry Bosch will be his investigator. For Connelly fans, this is nothing short of a Dream Team.

You will find the full review here.