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