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Mickey Haller is a fictional character in the “Mickey Haller” series of books by renowned author Michael Connelly. The first novel that introduced the Mickey Haller character was “The Lincoln Lawyer “that was published in 1997 to critical and commercial success. The series of books can be classified as mystery crime fiction.
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Order of Mickey Haller Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lincoln Lawyer | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Brass Verdict | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Reversal | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Fifth Witness | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Gods of Guilt | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Law of Innocence | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Resurrection Walk | 2023 | Description / Buy |
Mickey Haller is a defense attorney that follows in the footsteps of his father a famous defense attorney in Los Angeles. Haller knows little of his childhood or his father and the little that he remembers comes from reading stories and law books from other lawyers and judges that worked with the elder Haller before his death. An overarching theme of the series is Haller’s inner conflict with ethics and reluctance to represent the guilty.
The first novel in the series, The Lincoln Lawyer introduces Mickey Haller as a defense attorney working out of a Lincoln Lawyer in Los Angeles County. While most of his clients are gangsters and drug dealers, the main story of the novel is that of Louis Roulet a wealthy Los Angeles realtor, and a suspect in an attempted murder and assault case. While Roulet initially seems innocent, Haller ultimately finds out he has been lying. His investigations connect him to very similar crimes allegedly committed by Jesus Menendez, a former client of Haller incarcerated in San Quentin State Penitentiary.
In the end, Haller proves Roulet is a murderer and rapist and avoids violating his legal, ethical code of protectin his client. He manages to free Menendez and continues to practice law though weighed down by emotional baggage and bouts of self-introspection.
Mickey Haller is a creation by author Michael Connelly. He had an early love of mystery novels introduced to him by his mother, but he actually planned on his father into a career in construction. However, a trip to the theater to see Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye made him realize that he wanted to write mystery novels. He ended up changing his major at the University of Florida from building construction to a major in journalism with a minor in creative writing.
From there he would go on to a career in journalism, ending up in Los Angeles working for the Los Angeles Times as a crime reporter. In a fun twist, he ended up tracking down the apartment from the film The Long Goodbye and telling the landlord that he wanted to rent it if it ever became available. It took a few years, but Connelly would get a chance to rent it and he used the space to work over the years.
Connelly worked three years at the Los Angeles Times before publishing his first novel, The Black Echo, which was the debut of Harry Bosch (Mickey Haller’s half brother). His career as a crime reporter definitely helped with his writing. He would write another three novels while still working as a reporter before retiring to work as an author full-time.
However, it wasn’t until Connelly’s 12th novel that he gave Mickey Haller his own platform. The Lincoln Lawyer was a huge hit and led to a movie starring Matthew McConaughey.
MICKEY HALLER AWARDS:
The Mickey Haller series have won several prestigious awards including the Macavity Awards for Best Mystery Novel, the Shamus Award for Best P.I. Hardcover Novel for the first book of the series The Lincoln Lawyer, and the Anthony Award for Best Novel for the 2009 book, The Brass Verdict.
MICKEY HALLER BOOKS INTO MOVIES:
The Lincoln Lawyer was adapted into film in 2011 and went on to receive critical and commercial success at the Box Office. Released as The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey as the protagonist, it grossed $75 million worldwide and made a $35 million profit.
BEST MICKEY HALLER BOOKS:
Popular enough to be adapted into a movie, The Lincoln Lawyer, which has also won several prestigious awards, is regarded as one of the best books of the Mickey Haller series. After achieving critical acclaim and commercial success with the detective series Harry Bosch, Connelly decided to look at things from the perspective of an attorney in this series. He is very successful in the development of an intriguing and multisided character in Mickey Haller.
The Brass Verdict is the 2nd book of the Mickey Haller series and received much widespread acclaim. Mickey Haller returns to the big time after inheriting one of the biggest cases of his career – the defense of a prominent studio executive, Walter Elliot accused of killing his wife and her lover. At the same time, a prominent Hollywood attorney Jerry Vincent is murdered, and soon Haller realizes that the killer also wants him dead. He finds that he has to work with Harry Bosch the famous detective, who is not averse to using him as bait.
Another remarkable book in the Mickey Haller series is The Fifth Witness, which is the fifth title. In this book, Haller has fallen from grace and is now working as a foreclosure defender. He is forced back into criminal defense when one of his clients is accused of murdering the banker that was trying to foreclose on her. This is one of the most thrilling books of the series and highlights Haller at his best. He sets out to find evidence to exonerate his client, but his gut tells him that the client might be guilty, particularly when he is assaulted while collecting evidence. Despite the uncertainty and danger of the case, he provides the best defense of his client in a trial whose ultimate surprise is delivered after the verdict is in.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE:
Many fans of the Mickey Haller series will also be partial to the “Harry Bosch” series also written by Michael Connelly. Both are mystery series interspersed with detective work, and Harry Bosch who also appears in the Mickey Haller series is given more character and depth.
Mickey Haller fans may also enjoy reading the “Dave Robicheaux” mystery series by James Lee Burke. Similar to Mickey Haller, Dave Robicheaux a middle-aged police detective struggles with ethical dilemmas in performing his work, and has bouts of savage self-introspection.
What Is The Next Book in The Mickey Haller Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Mickey Haller Series. The newest book is Resurrection Walk and was released on November, 7th 2023.