BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
(Print: 12/2/2013; 9780316069519; Little, Brown and Company; 400 pages.)
Audio: 12/2/2013; Hachette Book Group; 9781478926580; Duration 11:54:56; 10 parts.
(Film/TV: Not yet.)

SERIES:
Mickie Haller, Book 5 (26th novel by the author)

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Mickie Haller - defense lawyer
Lorna Taylor - Mickie’s 2nd X-wife and current case manager
Dennis (Cisco) Wojciechowski– private investigator and Lorna's spouse
Jennifer (Bullocks) Aronson – lawyer - Mickie’s rookie hire
Earl Briggs – Lincoln driver
Hector Arrande Moya – criminal
Lee Lankford - detective
Slyvestor (Sly) Fulgoni Sr. – incarcerated defense lawyer
Slyvestor (Sly) Fulgoni Jr. – defense lawyer
Gloria Dayton - former client
Andre La Cross - client
James Marco (Rico) – Interagency Cartel Enforcement Team (ICE-T) agent.
Kendall Roberts – friend of a victim

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
Mickie’s not doing so well as the story opens. He’s gotten a drunk driver off who then kills a mother and daughter in a subsequent drunk driving incident and the daughter happens to have been his own daughter’s classmate. She's never been terribly supportive of her father's profession and this didn't help. But with the help of his team, Mickie takes on a new client and the adventure begins.

AUTHOR:
Michael Connelly (7/21/56). Amazon has all this to say about Michael: “Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of over thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include Fair Warning, The Night Fire, Dark Sacred Night, The Late Show, Two Kinds Of Truth, The Late Show, The Wrong Side Of Goodbye, The Crossing, The Burning Room, The Gods of Guilt, The Black Box, and The Drop. Michael is the executive producer of BOSCH, an Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, SOUND OF REDEMPTION: The Frank Morgan Story and Tales Of the American. He spends his time in California and Florida.”

NARRATOR:
Peter Giles. Peter seems to keep a low Online profile. The only bio I come across is IMDb’s: “Peter Giles was born on February 15, 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is known for his work on The Life & Times of Tim (2008), Into the Dark (2018) and Portlandia (2011).”
As always, this narration was a fine performance.

GENRE:
Mystery, fiction

LOCATIONS:
Los Angeles, Victorville

SUBJECTS:
Prostitution, Cartels, law enforcement, courtroom procedure, father-daughter relationship

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 2
“My full day had been scheduled for trial. Suddenly released from it, I had no clients to see, no prosecutors to work, and no place to be. I left the courthouse and walked down Temple to First. At the corner there was a trash can. I took my handkerchief, held it to my lips and spit all the debris from my mouth into it. I then tossed it away.
I took a right on First and saw the Town Cars parked along the sidewalk. There were six of them in line like a funeral procession, their drivers gathered together on the sidewalk, shooting the shit and waiting. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but ever since the movie, a whole contingent of Lincoln Lawyers had cropped up and routinely crowded the curbs outside the courthouses of L.A. I was both proud and annoyed. I had heard more than a few times that there were other lawyers out there saying they were the inspiration for the film. On top of that, I had jumped into the wrong Lincoln at least three times in the past month.
This time there would be no mistake. As I headed down the hill I pulled my cell phone and called Earl Briggs, my driver. I could see him up ahead. He answered right away and I told him to pop the trunk. Then I hung up.
I saw the trunk of the third Lincoln in line rise and I had my destination.”

RATING:
I gave this book 5 stars. I always enjoy a Mickie Haller story ( )

Doesn't everyone love Mickey Haller? (Have you watched the TV adaptation?)

The past comes to meet Mickey in this, the fifth Lincoln Lawyer book. An old friend is murdered for no obvious reason. Voices from the past echo in Mickey's head.

It's a pretty good read. I'd rate it higher if the bad guy was better developed and if I understood why one bit of violence was included. It seems pointless and is barely woven into the story.

Otherwise, Mickey's relationship with his ex-wives and his daughter continue to evolve. We are introduced to the office space that appears in the TV series. There are some good courtroom scenes.

Definitely give it a try. ( )

Although I am not a huge fan of the Lincoln lawyer, I did enjoy this book. ( )

The title of this book, The Gods of Guilt, refers to the jurors who ultimately decide a defendant's fate. When Mickey takes on a new murder case, he doesn't realize until it's too late that he had a past relationship with the victim—a prostitute nicknamed Glory Days. Before long, Mickey Haller and his team, Lorna, Cisco, Earl, and Jennifer, are caught up in a case involving the Mexican Cartel and crooked cops. The book's first half is relatively slow, but the second half is more exciting as the suspense builds and the story moves to court procedures and the trial, which The Lincoln Lawyer books are known for. This one has some sad moments, but the plot is ultimately fascinating as Mickey tears apart the prosecution's case and reveals an ending that surprises even him. ( )

Not nearly as exciting as the Bosch books. ( )