Working with a cell phone from the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car, aided by ex-wives and ex-cons, defense attorney Michael Haller does his best to get justice for anyone with enough cash. Well, maybe not justice, but at least good legal representation before the maw of the Los Angeles criminal court system. He is forceful and direct with his clients and his colleagues; the only thing Haller fears is that he will not recognize true innocence when he sees it.

He ponders this very thought when retained by Louis Roulet, a wealthy real estate broker accused of rape and attempted murder. Haller knows he has developed a thick shell of cynicism over the years of representing obvious criminals and struggles to maintain his objectivity as he investigates the details surrounding Roulet’s case. He finds solace is his metaphorical belief in himself as a true vanguard of the commoner, and the fact that his fees from this one case can solve a lot of his other problems.

The first-person narrative works magnificently in this taut legal thriller. The reader gets enough background (via flashbacks) to keep up to speed with the events as they occur with Haller. His philosophical self-evaluations are insightful, logical and well constructed. Even someone with no understanding of the law or the American justice system can easily understand everything happening in the story.

Rated: High. Unbelievably high numbers of the strongest profanity, mixed with plenty of occurrences of the lower-tiered terms. Personally, I have stopped reading plenty of books with less language, but I admit this time that I was seduced with an extremely enthralling story line.