The #1 New York Times –bestselling author tells the origin story of LA defense attorney Mickey Haller. In this concise, absorbing account, Michael Connelly reveals the work—and the strokes of luck—that contributed to his creation of the character Mickey Haller, the subject of multiple bestselling novels as well as the hit Netflix series. He reveals the lawyers, both fictional and real-life, who played a role in shaping the sharp-witted attorney who does his best work in the back seat—and the librarian who planted the seeds of his future literary career in the steamy, sticky Florida of his childhood. This is not only a portrait of Mickey Haller, but a fascinating look at the award-winning crime novelist who created him, along with Harry Bosch and other unforgettable characters. “Haller is the kind of slick, cynical showman who can’t resist making high drama out of every legal procedure... There’s always something deadly serious behind Connelly’s entertaining courtroom high jinks.” ―Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times “If at first encounter Connelly seems primarily an exceptionally accomplished writer of crime novels, at closer examination he is also a mordant and knowing chronicler of the world in which crime takes place, i.e., our world.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
Author
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information. Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing—a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews. After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written. After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels. Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) . Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
