But, the case turns out to be more than Mickey bargained for, and not only is his client diabolical, but Mickey begins to believe he is very dangerous.
This legal thriller has all the ingredients -- a tough lawyer, with an ex-wife who is an assistant district attorney. Mickey has a great investigator working for him and it seems that he is going to be able to find lots of evidence to help Mickey's client. Add in the mysterious client, who we are never quite sure about, and The Lincoln Lawyer takes off.
The plot takes some interesting twists, and all hell breaks lose. Mickey finds himself in a desperate legal conundrum. The way he works it all out makes for a thrilling read.
I did, however, have a few problems with this one. I didn't really like Mickey. He is a strutting, egotistical character with an attitude I just don't care for. He's also tough -- and I can appreciate those qualities, but there's something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. I haven't seen the movie, but Matthew McConaughey plays Haller and he's definitely not one of my favorite actors -- because he has the same characteristics of our main character -- so I'm sure he does a great job in this movie!
The plot was interesting, but I felt that parts were overly dramatic. The dialog sometimes just didn't play well for me. And, just a little thing but it drove me CRAZY: Haller's ex-wife is named Maggie McPherson. Every time she enters the scene or is referred to, Connelly uses both names. She is always "Maggie McPherson." Don't you think after the first few times, we could just call her Maggie? I was listening to this audio, and I would get so distracted by this that I would have to rewind and listen to parts again. I'm sure this isn't a big deal to most people, but it's just something that grabbed me and wouldn't let go.
The audiobook narration, by Adam Grupper, was excellent. I thought there was enough difference in the characters voices, but nothing "over the top." I just want to be read to, you don't need to dramatize the text for me, and Grupper was great.
The plot and pacing are the strong points in this one. I didn't care for the main character, and some of the writing. If you are a big legal thriller fan, you will most certainly enjoy The Lincoln Lawyer, even with those faults.
Published by Grand Central, 2011
Audiobook obtained from the library
432 pages
Rating: 3/5
I want to read this one but I have to say I started on a high reading your review and fell flat, you make me rethink it, lol
ReplyDeleteAhhh...one of McConaughey's heaviest performances. All I can say is that "The Lincoln Lawyer" is a well-crafted, well-cast adaptation of Michael Connelly's best-selling novel. Brad Furman did a good job in casting those Los Angeles locations for the film.
ReplyDeleteMike Clark