Debby H. (katkrazee) - , reviewed on 2/10/2011

This book (after I read it) has been the Gold Standard for any legal mystery/thriller I have read since (I read an earlier book, not the movie tie-in). It's that good. Now, I obviously haven't read every available legal procedural out there. But I have read over 400 books in the last three years, almost all in the mystery/thriller genre. So, while still just my opinion, I do have several other books to compare it to. And this has always been the best in that genre and in the top five of all books read.

The characters are all well liked (if and when Connelly intended) and well fleshed out. There are of course many scenes of court room drama, but this is where the book excels. I don't usually spend a lot of time in a review telling what the book is about, but rather, how well it is done. Even the best authors throw out the occasional stinker.

Everything you would hope to have in a book, this one has in spades. Pace, plotting, ending, twists (probably the most surprises I have come across in a novel), turns, suspense, accuracy and realism. There is also subtle humor which is something I prefer, though some don't. Everything just flows, it just works itself into such a pleasure that it may take a while to read a book that isn't somewhat disappointing by comparison. We all know how that is.

So now that I have built this up, I hope you aren't let down! I find that the more media hype sometimes, you're expectations are sooo overblown that you focus more on the hype than actually enjoying the read. Don't do it!

I don't plan on seeing the movie. I have never personally seen a movie that could touch the depth of a novel. I won't take that away from this book.

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