Genre
Crime Thriller/Mystery
Setting and Context
Los Angeles, California
Narrator and Point of View
Told from narrator Mickey's Haller's point of view
Tone and Mood
Violent, Depressing, Unrelenting, Solemn, Thrilling, and Mysterious
Protagonist and Antagonist
Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch are the primary protagonists. Jessup is the primary antagonist.
Major Conflict
Haller and Bosch's efforts to prove that Jessup killed the young girl.
Climax
When Jessup is killed by the police after killing his attorneys
Foreshadowing
Jessup eventually killing his attorneys is foreshadowed by some of his prior interactions with them and with Haller, Bosch, and the police.
Understatement
The trauma that Melissa and Sarah experienced in their life is understated for much of the book.
Allusions
To the criminal justice system and its inner workings, to forensic science and the technology associated with it (particularly DNA), Connelly's previous works involving Bosch and Haller, other films and novels in the mystery/crime thriller genre, and to religion (particularly Catholicism).
Imagery
In the book, Connelly uses intense imagery to paint a vivid picture of how evil Jessup is.
Paradox
The DNA that is used to link the victim's stepfather to her murder doesn't necessarily link the stepfather to her murder, especially considering the other evidence that Jessup committed the murder.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Clever Clive is also used for Royce, who is Jessup's defense attorney.
Personification
The City of Los Angeles is frequently personified in the novel.
