The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"The Fifth Witness" is a good read. I am happy that Mr. Connelly returned to good form after "The Reversal", which I found weak and dreadfully flat (I have reviewed it here and I persist in my suspicions that Mr. Connelly might not have written that book himself - it is that bad).

In "The Fifth Witness" Mickey Haller returns to the defense side. The plot is as good as in the fabulous "The Lincoln Lawyer". Of course, the characterizations are not as crisp and fresh as in the original (are they ever in sequels? I don't think so.) The legal thriller layer of the book is first-rate. Everything else (for instance, the relationship with Haller's first ex-wife, Maggie the prosecutor) is completely formulaic so it can be easily skipped. By the way, I am curious why the book is so long. Cut all the silly filler stuff, and you'd get a better book. Is there some business reason for writing 400+ pages instead of, say, 250?

Three and one-quarter stars.


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