Defence lawyer Mickey Haller has had some problems, but he's put all that behind him and is ready to resume his career. Then a lawyer called Vincent dies, and Haller unexpectedly inherits all Vincent's clients, putting his stalled career back on track at a stroke.

Not only that, he inherits a high-profile and potentially lucrative murder case. It's a trial that promises big fees and an even bigger place in the media spotlight - and if Mickey can win against the odds he'll really be back in the big leagues.

There's one problem: the detective handling the case - a certain Harry Bosch - is convinced the killer is one of Vincent's clients. Suddenly Mickey is facing the biggest challenge of his life: how to successfully defend a client who might just be planning to murder him.