THE REVERSAL by Michael Connelly

THE REVERSAL by Michael Connelly

Connelly, M. (2010). The reversal: A novel. New York: Little, Brown.

GENRE: Mystery

ANNOTATION: When new DNA evidence exonerates Jason Jessup, Mickey Haller is still convinced he guilty and glad to take the case… On one condition: he gets to choose his investigator. Together Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch navigate the lies, danger, and media to uncover truth.

SUMMARY: Long time defense attorney Mickey Haller finds himself recruited by the District Attorney to prosecute a convicted child killer whose conviction was reversed. Jason Jessup has spent 20 years in jail for the crime and the case is 20 years old. Haller teams up with his half-brother Harry Bosch an LAPD detective and his ex-wife Maggie McPherson of the DA's office to try to secure new evidence and thus another conviction. A celebrity defense attorney grandstands and attempts to try the case in the media while Jessup, out on bail, becomes a media darling as well.

EVALUATION: 5 - This is an intense and relentless thriller, the kind that has made Connelly a best-selling author. Haller, Bosch and McPherson are all characters that he has used before, sometimes at odds with one another. Connelly's writing melds them together. He continues the character development efficiently and fluidly. The author keeps the reader guessing as the suspense builds to its final conflict.