Book Review: The Fifth Witness

By Sandy Amazeen Apr 21, 2011, 2:38 GMT

Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home. Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market ...more

LA lawyer Mickey Haller continues conducting business out of the back of his Lincoln Town car while taking advantage of the foreclosure crisis by working on cases of homeowners about to lose everything in the fourth Lincoln Lawyer thriller. With so many cases, the legal system is just cranking them through keeping Haller busy. The last thing Haller expected was to be involved in a murder investigation but when the bank executive that is in the process of taking Lisa Trammel’s house away from her is killed, she specifically requests his services. An outspoken advocate, Trammel had a restraining order taken out against her by the bank and with evidence including an eyewitness piling up, she is the LAPD’s only suspect. With the prosecution single-mindedly pursuing Trammel as their only lead, Haller refuses to back down from defending his client, even in the face of a brutal beating meant to warn him off the case but can he smoke out the truth in a setting where truth doesn’t seem to matter.

Packed with courtroom drama, this legal thriller takes readers into the sometimes dark and dirty side of the criminal justice system. As the prosecution builds a compelling case and ignores leads that could contradict their theory, Haller works every angle to defend his client resulting in plenty of friction between the two camps. The climax throws in some strong twists and look closely for a brief appearance by Harry Bosch along with a preview of The Drop. This is the best of the Lincoln Lawyer series to date and shows Connelly on top of his game.