"The Lincoln Lawyer"
by Michael Connelly
Little, Brown, 404 pp., $26.95

Crime-fiction fans know Michael Connelly best for his high-octane series about Hieronymous (Harry) Bosch, an LAPD homicide detective with a streak of melancholy. The author's demonstrated his versatility elsewhere as well, periodically stepping out with excellent stand-alone novels like "Chasing the Dime" and "Void Moon."

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is a kind of hybrid: a stand-alone, but with a connection to Harry Bosch (and the potential to kick off a crackerjack series). It's Connelly at the top of his game, with a plot as solid as cast iron and a crew of lively characters headed by a compelling narrator.

That would be Michael (Mickey) Haller, a Los Angeles criminal-defense attorney known as the Lincoln Lawyer. Mickey doesn't have a real office; instead, he's kitted out the back of his Lincoln Town Car (license plate NT GLTY) as a mobile command center. (One of Mickey's clients works off his fee by acting as chauffeur.) Time in L.A. traffic can thus be usefully spent keeping clients out of jail via phone, fax, e-mail, what have you.

Mickey is a terrific character, funny and smart and interestingly flawed. He's not too great a family man — he's got two ex-wives and a daughter he doesn't see much. On the other hand, they all love him; his second ex-wife even works for him as his case manager.

Mickey is good at what he does, but it's not glamorous work. He's not exactly a bottom feeder, though his clientele do tend to be folks like hookers and motorcycle gang members. And he's got a soft spot for certain lowlifes, which means he does a lot of pro-bono work and isn't exactly raking it in. So when a case involving a rich kid drops into his lap, Mickey's eager to take it on.

Louis Roulet, a young and successful real-estate broker, is used to getting what he wants; that includes women, and he's not averse to paying for their company. When the kid is arrested on charges of raping and nearly killing a high-class escort, a bail bondsman suggests that Mickey could help out.

At first it's a dream job for Mickey. Louis is spoiled and arrogant, sure, but he also seems innocent. Not that the client's guilt or non-guilt matters to Mickey; he'll defend anybody who can pay, and Louis is paying top dollar.

But then things get interesting: The lawyer begins to suspect that Louis may, in fact, be guilty as sin. The plot kicks into high gear just as the trial begins, when one of Mickey's colleagues is killed and the lawyer becomes the prime suspect.

Not much more can be revealed, except to say that Mickey is caught between a sharp rock and at least one very hard place. He has to rely on his own considerable wits and guts to navigate a way through, trying to save his skin and confronting some basic notions of good and evil.

In addition to its steamroller plot, "The Lincoln Lawyer" boasts plenty of lively anecdotes and smooth prose; a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Connelly knows a lot about nailing details, creating colorful characters and writing clear sentences. Icing on the cake: Mickey Haller is Harry Bosch's half-brother. A book involving the two of them, rumor has it, is already in the works.

Seattle writer Adam Woog's column on mystery and crime fiction appears on the second Sunday of the month in The Seattle Times.