"The Fifth Witness", by Michael Connelly

Book 4 in the Mickey Haller series

If you are a fan of Hollywood spun down and dirty courtroom scenes, you won’t be disappointed with this one. Michael Connelly’s latest novel is a real blast and one of the best legal dramas I have read in a long time. 

” The Fifth Witness” exploits the scandal in the USA that developed around the sometimes unethical means employed in the bundling and reselling of mortgage loans and the live altering grief it caused some of the homeowners. Lisa Trammel is one of those clients, who should never have been lured into such a deal, but now is faced with losing her house and hope for the future. To make things worse, she is also accused of murdering the ruthless banker who was tasked with forcing the issue. Lucky for her, Haller is up for the challenge and is defending her in court. 

Mr. Connelly is undoubtedly a master of courtroom drama, the main part of this novel describes Lisa’s trial and Mickey’s defence strategy. His writing paints a clear picture of the three way battle of wits between attorneys and the judge. The constant war of words between the attorneys, each one trying to score points but looking at the evidences from completely opposing angles is vividly created and provides all the twists and turns needed to heighten the reader’s interest to the end. Your mind mirrors the adrenaline swings the defendant experiences.

The story is very dynamic, quite suspenseful and character driven. The trial of Lisa Trammel turns into a chess match, with Haller highly skilled at seeing the value of each move. He is a defense lawyer who understands that a trial is not a search for the truth but rather a game of survival where winner takes all. This novel has great characterization. Mickey's team consists of his ex-wife Lorna, his investigator Cisco and an associate Jennifer Aronson. All three of them work alongside Mickey to ensure that Lisa Trammel has the best defense possible. They do not want to be influenced by knowing if she is guilty or not….and Mr. Connelly keeps us wondering and guessing to the very end.

The profound plotting with a touch of humour is absolutely absorbing. This was another memorable experience between the pages.