The Lincoln Lawyer is back with the eighth novel of the Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) series.
Mickey Haller is the half-brother of Harry Bosch, a Los Angeles homicide detective. The Harry Bosch series has 24 books. Harry met his father when he was an adult and is surprised to find out that he has a half-brother. Mickey was 5 years old when they met and later follows his father’s footsteps and becomes a defense attorney. Mickey’s mother is from Mexico and Mickey spent much of his youth living in Mexico. Most of what Mickey knows about his father is from law books. Mickey gets his nickname from his preference of working from the back of a Lincoln Town Car instead of an office.
Harry and Mickey’s paths cross during the two series. The contrast between the two characters adds a lot of interest to the novels. One of Michael Connelly’s other characters, Jack McEvoy, is a reporter and is helping with a case in hopes of gathering material for a book about artificial intelligence. Connelly often has his various characters in the same novel.
In “Proving Ground,” Mickey has left criminal defense work and is now has turned to public interest litigation by filing a lawsuit against an AI company. The novel addresses the new chat bot technology that does not have any safeguards for the young impressionable audience. The chatbot, called Clair, was developed as a companion for lonely teens.
Aaron Colton murders his girlfriend Rebecca Randolph after she breaks up with him. The lawsuit alleges the chatbot encouraged Aaron to kill Rebecca. The parents of both teens have filed a lawsuit against the company hoping for both a confession of wrongdoing and a financial award. The company’s founder Victor Wendt promises the stockholders that the case will go away quietly and he is determined to settle the case to avoid damage to the company’s profits.
“Proving Ground” is a fast-paced legal drama and is full of suspense. Both legal teams use computer technology to spy on each other and try to hide evidence and potential witnesses. AI is a hot topic now. The novel is well researched and full of information I was unaware of. The novel is very educational to those of us who are not up to date on AI. It is obvious we need more safeguards in place to protect impressionable teens who might be depressed and/or lonely or be the victims of bullying.
Michael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction. He is the bestselling author of 38 novels and one work of non-fiction. He has sold over 74 million copies worldwide and they have been translated into 40 languages. I have not read all 38 novels, but I have read at least 30 of them. I highly recommend his books.
