Fifteen years after winning a case as a public defender against then prosecuting attorney Jerry Vincent, Haller is called to the office of Chief Judge Holder and advised that Vincent has been murdered and Haller is to take over all his cases one of which is to represent Walter Elliot the chair/owner of Archway Pictures who is accused of killing his wife and her lover.

Called the case of the decade by the press, it represents a chance for Haller to get back on his feet both professionally and financially. Elliot who is free on $20M bail seems certain he will be acquitted and will hire Haller only if the trial goes forward at its scheduled time.

 Haller goes to Vincent's office only to find two detectives going thru the files one of whom is Harry Bosch (the hero of many of Connelly's books). Haller and Bosch are at first confrontational but after a threat on Mickey's life ultimately work together to find Vincent's killer.

  Several days later, Mickey discovers that he has a mystery case, Eli Wyms, accused of multiple counts of firing a weapon. Vincent had placed Wyms in a Psych Ward for 90 days under heavy medication and now the case is ready for trial. Mickey is certain this is somehow related to the Elliot case and in fact may be the "magic bullet" which turns the case in his favor.  

 First time Michael Connelly readers need not worry about having read prior books about Mickey Haller or Harry Bosch as this book stands on its own merit. This is Mickey Haller's story. The Brass Verdict moves along nicely till the trial begins and then bogs down in legal detail about the venire (jury pool), voir dire (questions asked of prospective jurors), jury selection, where visitors are placed in the courtroom, gunshot residue, and jury tampering.

The conclusion of the book has several surprises ultimately ending with “The Brass Verdict” – a killing that comes down to simple street justice. While certainly not to the standard of Connelly’s earlier books such as The Poet, how Connelly weaves his two favorite main characters together is intriguing. Given the disclosure at the end of the book, perhaps we'll see a sequel, hopefully with less detail and a bit more action to hold our interest.  

--Jerry Solot