I like Michael Connolly's writing. Detective Harry Bosch is among the leading characters of the genre, having been developed over the course of many novels; however, in Reversal, Bosch becomes part of an ensemble cast, his becomes a supporting role. Reversal's protagonist is Mickey Haller, a veteran of two prior books--a character not yet nearly as completely drawn and therefore lacking the complexity of Detective Bosch. The story of the re-trial of a child murderer, the reversal of whose conviction gives its name to the tale, Reversal has as much to say about the importance of good police work as the nature of justice as served by our legal system. This is a legal fantasy novel. Sure, the author has researched his stuff and he is (largely) correct on the procedure but it comes together in a way that only happens in fiction. No explanations here because that would spoil the read, however, I note that Connolly anticipates incredulity by offering it up through other characters in the story. Law lends itself to fiction because it allows for a life and death drama to be played out in a systematic fashion--most of us have been jurors, after all. Being a lawyer, albeit a civil lawyer, perhaps I am only noticing that which has been apparent to police detectives throughout the Bosch series--real life is never so neatly resolved. Reversal represents a confluence of a number of rare events, a combination of events not often encountered in the singular much less the plurality evident in this story. But I cannot blame the author for introducing fantastic elements because the twists and turns of actual litigation are often far less believable than the plot created by an imaginative author; you can't fault Connolly for coming up with a fantastic story because, for example, who would believe the OJ story if we hadn't lived through it. Connolly refrains, thankfully, from the moral ambiguity that is the hallmark of other authors. His is still a world of honest cops and ethical lawyers--though his characters are aware of and note the boundaries of ethics, Connolly's drama is played out by what happens to the ostensible bad guy and our author does not spare characters who cross ethical lines from the consequences of their actions. I enjoyed Reversal, reading it was time well spent with an author now so skilled that he can make serious effort look easy. The only problem is that one must judge Reversal against other Connolly books and because so much effort has been put into developing Harry Bosch's character, Haller's journey does not yet produce as much interest. The characters in this book do not really have quite the same internal struggles as in Connolly's other novels--but this is merely a quibble because Haller is a newer character lacking the backstory of Bosch. The book was worth every penny, a good read by a fine author.
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