# Is "The Law of Innocence" by Michael Connelly a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, 2020) is identified by: The copyright page states "First Edition" together with a full descending number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the terminal 1 marking the first printing. US Little, Brown and Company is the true first, published November 2020; a Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states "First Edition" together with a full descending number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the terminal 1 marking the first printing
- Issued in a priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap; a price-clipped example lacks it)
- Standard Little, Brown first-printing points: stated First Edition and the complete number line
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Connelly |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Year | 2020 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states "First Edition" together with a full descending number line 10… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states "First Edition" together with a full descending number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the terminal 1 marking the first printing. Issued in a priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap; a price-clipped example lacks it). Standard Little, Brown first-printing points: stated First Edition and the complete number line.

## Is this the true first?
US Little, Brown and Company is the true first, published November 2020; a Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) novel. The UK Orion edition is a separate printing and is not the American first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club issue; later Little, Brown printings remove the 1 from the number line, separating them from the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Law of Innocence* by Michael Connelly a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-law-of-innocence
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.