The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly Hodder HK$91
Michael Connelly's last, The Overlook, took an unusual critical beating. Adapted from a serial he wrote for The New York Times, it was accused (unfairly) of being short, thin and vapid: a Miley Cyrus of a novel in other words. For those who were 'Overlook-averse', The Brass Verdict is a reaffirmation. With Connelly's usual hero, Harry Bosch, relegated to a bit part, defence lawyer Mickey Haller takes centre stage for the first time since The Lincoln Lawyer. Dishevelled (he runs his practice from his Lincoln) and down on his luck (he was shot on his last case), Haller is trying to put his life back on track. When Jerry Vincent, a friend and colleague, is found dead, Haller inherits his entire business and all his clients. These include Walter Elliott, a Hollywood film producer accused of killing his wife and her lover. Not that Elliott seems too bothered. Connelly is a brilliant plotter who always saves a twist for the ending. He is also a powerful writer, exploring the corruption that defines modern-day American justice. As Haller says, sounding like Dr Greg House: 'Everybody lies. Cops lie. Lawyers lie. The victims lie ... That's my job ... To be truth in a place where everybody lies.'