Member Review

Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer series reaches its eighth book, The Proving Ground, with Mickey Haller stepping into a role reversal. Instead of defending criminals, he is in civil court, suing an artificial intelligence company on behalf of a mother bereaved of her daughter. The teenager was killed by her ex-boyfriend, also a juvenile, after being egged on by his AI companion. The company that created the bot has billions at stake and is prepared to employ its vast resources to thwart Mickey from winning. The defence resorts to dirty tactics — from offering hush money to intimidating witnesses — but Mickey, though new to civil court, is no stranger to the game. Years of experience as a criminal defence attorney serve him well, and he has the support of a reliable team, including a tech-savvy journalist and writer. Still, with the AI company willing to go to any extreme, Mickey's chance of a victory hinges on an unwilling witness who may or may not be ready to testify in court and might be hiding a vital matter from Mickey.

I joined this party late – this being my first Connelly book – but could easily understand why his books are being rated so highly. The recurring characters are already well-developed, and the new ones are equally engaging. Mickey has a roguish charm: sincere and honest, but unafraid to get his hands dirty. His personal life is complicated, yet he manages to keep things on amicable terms. The pacing of The Proving Ground is spot on, with the on- and off-courtroom scenes unfolding neatly. The subject matter – the unchecked rise of AI and its unforeseen impact on the humankind – feels extremely relevant today, and Connelly presents the facts and concerns without becoming didactic. Alongside the main story, Mickey’s recent ex-wife is forced by the California wildfires to move in with him, leaving readers to wonder if Connelly has planned a reunion for the couple. While there are enough twists around, the story flows in a straight line towards a satisfactory – but a little rushed – ending. Although I cannot judge how it compares with the previous Lincoln Lawyer novels, I hugely enjoyed The Proving Ground and am looking forward to reading the series from the beginning.

Thank you, Orion Publishing Group, for the digital review copy of The Proving Ground through NetGalley in return for my unbiased opinion!