The Fifth Witness

2011 novel

978-0316069359Preceded byThe Reversal Followed byThe Gods of Guilt 

The Fifth Witness is the 23rd novel by American author Michael Connelly and features the fourth starring appearance of Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael "Mickey" Haller. The Fifth Witness was published in the United States on April 5, 2011.

Plot

Mickey Haller is called on to defend a long-standing client, Lisa Trammel, when she is suspected of murdering wealthy Mitchell Bondurant.[1] According to forensic evidence, Bondurant, who was six-foot-two, had been murdered with a hammer blow from behind, on the very top of his head, while standing up.

Haller and his staff (including his ex-wife, Lorna Taylor, and his investigator and Lorna's husband, Dennis "Cisco" Wojciechowski) work on demolishing the prosecution's case, even though Haller has never won against his opposing counsel, Andrea Freeman. On discovering Bondurant's probable involvement with organized crime, Haller concentrates on establishing alternative suspects as well as relying on forensic evidence which suggests that Trammel is physically incapable of the crime.[2]

Haller's case hinges on the testimony of a witness whom he maneuvers into invoking the Fifth Amendment on the witness stand, thus creating a plausible alternate killer for the jury. Before Haller can detail the witness' criminal connections in open court, he takes the Fifth, ending his testimony. The judge instructs the jury to disregard the entire testimony, but the jury still acquits Trammel.

Haller subsequently realizes that Trammel is guilty, and is shaken by her indifferent attitude when he confronts her. Three weeks later, with his law practice booming as a result of the trial, he gets a call from Trammel in which she both accuses him of tipping off the police to dig up her garden and begs him to represent her when she is tried for her husband's murder. He refuses, telling her that he has just filed to run for Los Angeles County District Attorney because he no longer wishes to associate with people like her.[3]

References

  1. ^ "The Fifth Witness, By Michael Connelly", The Independent, 16 May 2011. Accessed 3 January 2013
  2. ^ "'The Fifth Witness' review: Plot and judicial gymnastics test Connelly's Haller in new thriller", Oregon Books, 9 April 2011. Accessed 3 January 2013
  3. ^ "Book review: 'The Fifth Witness' by Michael Connelly", Los Angeles Times, 5 April 2011. Accessed 3 January 2013

External links

  • Official Michael Connelly Website
  • v
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Michael Connelly
Harry Bosch series
  • The Black Echo (1992)
  • The Black Ice (1993)
  • The Concrete Blonde (1994)
  • The Last Coyote (1995)
  • Trunk Music (1997)
  • Angels Flight (1999)
  • A Darkness More Than Night (2000)
  • City of Bones (2002)
  • Lost Light (2003)
  • The Narrows (2004)
  • The Closers (2005)
  • Echo Park (2006)
  • The Overlook (2007)
  • 9 Dragons (2009)
  • The Drop (2011)
  • The Black Box (2012)
  • The Burning Room (2014)
  • The Crossing (2015)
  • The Wrong Side of Goodbye (2016)
  • Two Kinds of Truth (2017)
  • Dark Sacred Night (2018)
  • The Night Fire (2019)
  • The Dark Hours (2021)
  • Desert Star (2022)
Jack McEvoy series
  • The Poet (1996)
  • The Scarecrow (2009)
  • Fair Warning (2020)
Terry McCaleb series
Mickey Haller series
Other novels
Adaptations
  • Blood Work (2002 film)
  • The Lincoln Lawyer (2011 film)
  • Bosch (2015 TV series)
  • Bosch: Legacy (2022 TV series)
  • The Lincoln Lawyer (2022 TV series)