The Fifth Witness

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Peter Giles

Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

In this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller, after taking on a foreclosure case, defense attorney Mickey Haller fights to prove his client’s innocence—but first he must follow a trail of black market evidence to its sinister end

Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home.

Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted, too—and he's certain he's on the right trail.

Despite the danger and uncertainty, Haller mounts the best defense of his career in a trial where the last surprise comes after the verdict is in. Connelly proves again why he "may very well be the best novelist working in the United States today" (San Francisco Chronicle).

©2011 Michael Connelly (P)2011 Hachette Audio

You can't put this one down

Michael Connelly is one of the best mystery writers today. He not only can tell a story but he gives you characters you want to return to again and again. Harry Bosch is as good a detective as you can find. Cassie West almost makes you forget about Lisbeth Salander. And if you ever need a good lawyer, there is none better than Mickey Haller.

Haller has appeared in four Connelly books but does his best work in The Fifth Witness. The story is fast paced and has enough twists and turns for even the most demanding mystery reader. He give you plenty of characters to cheer and a few to boo. The end is not only satisfying but sets us up for a future Haller adventure. My only regret is that I can't give this book six stars.

Grittier--Trickier--Doesn't let you rest

Okay, let me say I have liked Connelly since his days with the Times. I have liked Harry, was amazed with the Poet, but Haller is so real as an LA criminal attorney I was hooked with the first in the series. Nevertheless, the key to this novel is having a protagonist that you feel a bit uneasy with his ethics (which was not really true with the first two), as well as having a defendant that you really get to distrust to the point of almost disliking. Add to that a contemporary social ill which should have set up the good guy/bad guy dichotomy (and yet never really does in black and white terms). So the imminent reality Connelly sets is kind of like riding the rapids in an inner tube--fun and exciting but never a moment when you can get ignore that next curve.

Very enjoyable read

I rarely buy a book with less than a 4 star average rating for at least 200 reviews. This means most people give it a 4 or a 5. I ignore the 1's 2's and look at the average being greater than 4. This was a great read. Its intriguing plot with great insights on criminal court issues in Los Angeles, my home town, made this a very pleasurable read. I recommend highly.

Witnessing epiphanies.

It's really very good. It would be hard to say enough about this book without divulging important points. I will say that the end will blow you away -- not because it's a surprise, but because of the visceral upheaval you may (I did feel) racing to the conclusion. The beauty of this kind of writing is that everything that occurs is there, hidden in plain sight in the tiny details so that the end is relief but not a shock. The shock comes from the recognition that we share Mickey Haller's joys, pains and disappointments during his discoveries. The satisfaction comes when we agree with his final acts and decisions.

Haller's OK, the narrator's horrible

I count myself as a huge Connelly fan, having read and listened to all of his books, some of them several times. Mickey Haller is starting to wear on me. He's lost a lot of the pathos he had in the beginning. He's up, he's down, he's with his ex-wife, he's not. Enough already. That being said, the story was bland and just never seemed to get out of neutral. It could have been a passable listen, except for Peter Giles. Bottom line, the guy is awful. He has three voices: basic (for most male characters), growl (for all other male characters), and soft (for all women). Len Cariou's understated gravitas in the later Bosch books could carry the one-note gig off, but Peter Giles is no Len Cariou. When the next Bosch book is out in November, I'm praying Peter Giles is otherwise occupied.

Suggestion for narrator

The percussive consonants, especially the "t's" and "d's" makes listening a bit tiring to the ears. A good start would be to move the mic away from his mouth.
All sentences are delivered with maximum impact, rather than with subtlety based on the rhythm of the story. This reader would be perfect for commercials. I felt like I was being "sold" through the entire book.
Good story, tiring narrator.

Great book

Loved it,addictive. Super narration. Best Haller story since "The Lincoln Lawyer." Can't wait for the next one!

Just Right!

Wonderful courtroom drama. Great see-saw both in and out of court as Mickey Heller struggles with mob, murder, and his ex-wife. I cannot wait for the next Lincoln Lawyer novel... although I'm hoping he won't be leaving the criminal defense bar. Peter Giles is pitch perfect. This is the best in the series so far and Connelly worked hard and it showed. Nice to hear the value of your purchase in extensive preparation and research. Also like it that Heller stands on his own here without the aid of his half brother Harry Bosch. I'd recommend though that you start this series at the beginning... it's not essential but each is good and they fit together perfectly.

Five stars? Really? Yes, really.

I awarded this one five stars, although I rarely rate anything that highly. And before I gush, I have to say that audio versions show up Michael Connelly's writing style for what it is: a pedestrian, "just the facts, Ma'am" deadpan that is quicker to read than to listen to. However, this one kept me awake and listening because Connelly keeps the plot propelling along nicely. The narrator, Peter Giles, is pitch perfect as Mickey Haller. If you have followed his adventures in previous books, you know Mickey, his ex-wives, his daughter, and the rest of his entourage. That story line continues in the context of a new legal thriller that revolves around the foreclosure debacle. Connolly oversimplifies that situation, but, after all this is a page-turner pop novel, not an article in The Economist:) And Connelly plays fair, providing sufficient info to figure things out. Highly entertaining, with a boffo ending that sets things up for the next in the series. Go, Mickey!

Bad writing and the wrong narrator

I was tempted to buy this book due its its overwhelming positive reviews, well I was wrong to do so.
The writing is just plain bad and seemingly treats the reader as if he/she is stupid, explaining things said as if we couldn't pick up on what was meant. The narrator is in my opinion a wrong choice for the book, he sounds like a weather hardened lone gunman who smoked all his life, not particularly what you expect from a lawyer, but then again, he doesn't really act like a lawyer either.
I can't say if its any better or worse than other books by the author since it was the first one I tried from him.