If you liked
Books like The Lincoln Lawyer
by Michael Connelly
The Lincoln Lawyer put Mickey Haller and his backseat law office on the map: a defense attorney who works the angles until a case turns lethal. Michael Connelly writes the legal thriller with real procedural muscle. If you want more page-turners built on cops, courts and cons, read on.
The shortlist
What to read next
The Late Showby Michael Connelly
“The Late Show by Michael Connelly 2017 review. Renee Ballard works the LAPD late shift in Hollywood after being banished from the elite Robbery-Homicide Division. The novel that launched the strongest new Connelly series in twenty years.”
Tell No Oneby Harlan Coben
“Tell No One by Harlan Coben 2001 review. A pediatrician receives an email containing a video clip of his murdered wife, eight years after her death. The single best Coben standalone and the one that defined the contemporary domestic-thriller register.”
Along Came a Spiderby James Patterson
“Along Came a Spider by James Patterson 1993 review. Alex Cross, a Washington D. C. detective and psychologist, hunts a kidnapper who has taken two children from an elite Georgetown school. The first Alex Cross novel and the entry point to the highest-selling American thriller series of its generation.”
Postmortemby Patricia Cornwell
“Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell 1990 review. The debut Kay Scarpetta novel that invented the modern forensic-pathologist thriller. A Richmond, Virginia serial killer is targeting women, and the chief medical examiner is the one who can stop him.”
In the Woodsby Tana French
“In the Woods by Tana French 2007 review. Dublin Murder Squad detective Rob Ryan is assigned to a child murder in the same woods where his two best friends disappeared twenty years earlier. The Edgar winner that launched the strongest contemporary literary-crime series.”
The Silent Patientby Alex Michaelides
“The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides 2019 review. A forensic psychotherapist works with an artist who has not spoken since the night she shot her husband. The thriller debut that topped the New York Times bestseller list for over a year and became the most-discussed contemporary psychological thriller of its decade.”
FAQ
Common questions about The Lincoln Lawyer read-alikes
- I want more Michael Connelly.
- The Late Show introduces Renee Ballard, his newer detective who works the night shift, and it connects to the wider Bosch and Haller universe. Same clean, propulsive procedural style, a fresh lead to follow.
- I want the twisty every-man-in-danger kind of thriller.
- Tell No One by Harlan Coben is the pick: an ordinary man gets an email from his supposedly dead wife and the ground drops away. Coben is the master of the normal-life-explodes hook if Connelly's courtroom is not what you are after.
- I want a great detective and a serial-killer case.
- Along Came a Spider by James Patterson launches Alex Cross, and Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell launches Kay Scarpetta and modern forensic crime fiction. Both are franchise starters with a strong lead, if you like to settle in with a series.
- I want a smarter, more literary crime novel.
- In the Woods by Tana French and The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides trade some pace for psychology and prose. French especially writes crime as literature, if you want the case to haunt you rather than just click shut.
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