Like two great tastes that taste great together, Michael Connelly delivers once again by putting together longtime character Harry Bosch with his newest, Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer), in his latest novel, The Brass Verdict. The troubled Haller is back to practicing law after being on a couple-years-long hiatus. He was shot in the gut, and the resulting injury led to his addiction to pain killers. But Haller has dealt with those demons, and his plan is to come back slowly.
No such luck for him on that front, as former colleague Jerry Vincent is murdered and Haller inherits his case load. The biggest of these cases is Walter Elliot, head of Archway Pictures, who is being charged with the murder of his wife and her boy-toy. Bosch is investigating Vincent’s murder, which brings him in contact with Haller. They clash until they both realize it’s better to work together than against each other.
As usual, Connelly deftly crafts a superb thriller that is in Haller’s world but also gives us a perspective of Bosch from the outside. The Brass Verdict is part drama, part legal thriller, part police-procedural, but always keeping you on the edge of your seat with its intricate plot.
The audio production is superb – crisp, clear sound without any choppy edits. The musical and intro’s and outro’s add a nice touch to each part of the story, and Peter Giles (CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Cold Case) delivers a perfectly nuanced performance compared to previous Haller narrators Adam Grupper and Michael Brandon. All in all, The Brass Verdict is an utterly entertaining listen.