My first ever "legal thriller" shattered all expectations ... that I'd be bored to death. First, Connelly is the rare pulp writer who doesn't resort tMy first ever "legal thriller" shattered all expectations ... that I'd be bored to death. First, Connelly is the rare pulp writer who doesn't resort to overused cliches, whose characters are not two-D silhouettes, and whose prose doesn't grate one's patience, and second, he seems to have done his research on the situations he addresses. I learned more about criminal law from this novel than I ever have from any other exposure (mostly L&O reruns... ok, not a high bar, so what I'm saying is, for a "beginner", The Lincoln Lawyer was an edifying learning experience). Also, I was entertained without feeling compelled to yell at the author for misogynistic tendencies (ahem, Coben), amateurish writing (ahem, Ludlum), stereotyped stock characterizations (Baldacci), unbelievable plot "twists" (Silva), etc etc etc.
Not High Art by any means, but certainly at the top of its genre....more
