Friday, April 29, 2011

The Fifth Witness

Michael Connelly
Allen & Unwin - NZ$39.99

Michael Connelly is loved the world over for his Harry Bosch detective novels (recently voted ‘World’s Favourite Detective’ by a landslide in an online knock-out tournament) and the Mickey Haller legal thriller series (who was played by Matthew McConaughey in the recent Lincoln Lawyer film). Connelly has recently been called 'the greatest living American crime writer' (The Mirror) and 'a crime-writing genius' (Independent on Sunday).

Michael Connelly's excellent latest book, The Fifth Witness  has been hailed as Mickey Haller's "strongest and most pertinent performance yet." The Bookman is having an extended Easter holiday in an exotic location and I have read The Fifith Witness over the past couple of days beside the pool and I would have to agree with this comment. I found it absolutely rivetting.
 It is set in post-recession Los Angeles as the foreclosure boom starts to hit, with Mickey not so much working to keep his clients out of jail, but working to keep a roof over their heads.  When a bank's CEO is found dead in the car park, Mickey Haller is called in to defend the accused - a single mother who is facing foreclosure and has a restraining order out against her to prevent her protesting outside the bank.
It is a complex, intriguing story that exposes the real life scandal of the Californian foreclosure business.
While all this is going on Haller is desperately trying to get back together with his former wife which provides an interesting sub-plot.
I greatly enjoyed this latest from a master crime writer who is visiting NZ in May.

No comments: