The Reversal

Michael Connelly's The Reversal brings together two of his signature characters: criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller and LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, who are half-brothers.

District Attorney Gabriel Williams summons Haller to propose an unexpected assignment: serving as independent special prosecutor in the retrial of Jason Jessup, a man convicted in 1986 of abducting and murdering twelve-year-old Melissa Landy. Jessup's conviction was reversed by the California Supreme Court after a legal advocacy group called the Genetic Justice Project obtained DNA testing proving that semen found on the victim's dress did not belong to Jessup. Because the original prosecution was tainted by allegations of misconduct, Williams needs an outsider but refuses to involve the state attorney general for political reasons. Haller accepts on conditions: he will operate independently, choose his own LAPD investigator, and select his first ex-wife, Deputy District Attorney Maggie McPherson, as second chair. Despite securing the deal, Haller feels uneasy about crossing from defense to prosecution.

Haller recruits Bosch as his investigator, and McPherson reveals the critical evidence: the DNA on the dress matched Melissa's stepfather, Kensington Landy, now deceased. The team believes there is an innocent explanation that preserves the case against Jessup. At a press conference, Haller departs from Williams's script by declaring the prosecution will seek the death penalty, a strategic move intended to pressure Jessup toward a plea deal and undermine his pending civil lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment.

The prosecution reviews the original case. In February 1986, Melissa was abducted from her front yard while playing hide-and-seek with her older sister, Sarah. Hiding behind bushes, Sarah witnessed a man in coveralls grab Melissa and lead her to what sounded like a truck. The stepfather connected the description to tow truck drivers who patrolled the neighborhood on Sundays, and detectives identified three drivers from Aardvark Towing. Lead Detective Doral Kloster brought all three to the house for an improvised identification from Sarah's bedroom window. Sarah identified Jessup. Melissa's body was found hours later in a Dumpster behind the El Rey Theatre, strangled, and three strands of her hair were found in Jessup's tow truck. The team faces two major challenges: Sarah has vanished, and the DNA now cuts against the prosecution.

At the arraignment, Jessup's defense attorney, Clive Royce, requests bail. Haller surprises everyone by not opposing it, calculating that Jessup, hardened by 24 years in prison, will commit some violation while free that helps the prosecution. The LAPD's elite Special Investigation Section (SIS), a covert unit that tracks violent suspects, is assigned to watch Jessup around the clock.

Bosch traces Sarah through name changes, arrests, and addiction, eventually locating her under her birth name, Sarah Ann Gleason, in Port Townsend, Washington, where she has been clean for six years and works as a glass artist. When shown a photo lineup, Gleason identifies Jessup without hesitation. McPherson then reveals the DNA match to her stepfather. Gleason confirms what the team suspected: The dress was originally hers, and the semen came from her stepfather's sexual abuse, which began when she was twelve. She never laundered the dress for fear the housekeeper would discover the stain, and she did not know Melissa would borrow it. Gleason agrees to testify, saying that the man who took Melissa killed three people that day: her sister, her mother who later died by suicide on Melissa's grave, and Sarah herself.

Bosch also consults Rachel Walling, a former FBI profiler, who concludes the murder was not a sex crime but an impulsive abduction gone wrong: Jessup heard the police report on his truck's scanner and killed the girl to eliminate her as a witness. Walling believes Jessup likely killed before Melissa Landy and warns that the pressures of the trial will accelerate his compulsion to act again.

SIS surveillance reveals Jessup's double life. By day he presents as a media-friendly figure, surfing and attending public events. By night he cruises bars and makes mysterious visits to parks along Mulholland Drive, sitting in the dark and lighting candles. At one park, a cadaver dog reacts to a spot Jessup frequents. Bosch suspects Jessup may be visiting the burial sites of earlier victims. The team agrees to keep this investigation separate from the trial to avoid complicating discovery.

As the trial approaches, Royce maneuvers aggressively, attempting to disqualify McPherson and to exclude Gleason's testimony based on her history of substance use and mental health treatment. Judge Breitman denies both motions but grants the defense wide latitude to cross-examine Gleason about her past. In an alarming development, Jessup parks outside Bosch's house one night with a lit candle on the dashboard for 30 minutes. Haller offers his home as a safe house, but Bosch refuses to run.

At trial, the prosecution builds its case methodically. DNA analyst Lisa Atwater confirms the semen on the dress matched the stepfather but cannot determine when it was deposited. She testifies that the hair in Jessup's truck matches Melissa's DNA with a probability of one in 1.6 trillion. The defense counters by suggesting lead detectives had opportunity to plant the hair. Gleason takes the stand as the final prosecution witness, testifying about the abduction, identifying Jessup, and revealing her stepfather's abuse and how his semen came to be on the dress. Royce reserves his cross-examination, and the prosecution rests.

Behind the scenes, Bosch discovers that Jessup has obtained a weapon and outfitted an abandoned storage room beneath the Santa Monica Pier with a padlock, blanket, and supplies, positioning it near the pier's amusement area and potential victims.

The defense opens with the theory that the stepfather killed Melissa, the family covered it up, and police planted evidence. When Gleason is recalled, she holds firm against Royce's attacks. Then Bosch executes a prepared maneuver against Edward Roman, a key defense witness who shared a rehab stay and brief relationship with Gleason. Royce intended Roman to testify that Gleason confessed her stepfather killed Melissa. But Bosch brings Roman's former partner, Sonia Reyes, into the courtroom as a silent witness. Upon seeing Reyes, Roman fears exposure and reverses his testimony, telling the truth: Gleason always told the same consistent story about a stranger abducting her sister. Roman further testifies that Royce's investigator coached him and promised financial compensation. The defense case collapses.

During the lunch recess, Jessup goes to Royce's office and opens fire, killing Royce, associate counsel Denise Graydon, investigator Karen Revelle, and SIS officer Manuel Branson before escaping through the back of the building. Bosch rushes to the scene and discovers a note on Revelle's desk with Gleason's hotel and room number. He sends McPherson to collect his daughter and Haller's daughter and arranges protection for Gleason and Haller.

Judge Breitman declares a mistrial after several jurors see live television coverage of the shooting during lunch. Haller is devastated. He later learns from post-trial interviews that one juror would have voted not guilty, meaning the jury would have hung regardless. Gleason is placed in protective custody.

The manhunt converges on the Santa Monica Pier after Jessup's car is found in Venice and Bosch realizes Jessup has retreated to his prepared hiding place. SIS teams approach from above and below. Jessup emerges raising a gun, and officers open fire, killing him in a ten-second barrage. The operation ends at 7:18 P.M. as the sun sets over the Pacific.

The next day, investigators dig at the spots Jessup visited on Mulholland Drive, finding only a silver charm bracelet at one site. Haller suggests the park visits may have been orchestrated by Royce as misdirection to keep Bosch chasing phantom leads. Bosch considers this but notices the bracelet's graduation cap charm could connect to a missing girl from Jessup's old Riverside neighborhood who disappeared shortly after graduating from high school. Energized by the slim lead, Bosch heads to Riverside to investigate, driven by his need to pursue justice for victims who may still be in the ground. Haller watches him go and reflects on returning to criminal defense, where the lines are cleaner and the mission clearer.