PROVING GROUND, A Lincoln Lawyer Novel, by Michael Connelly

5 stars

The Lincoln Lawyer’s back, this time with Mickey Haller having transitioned his practice to civil litigation cases but finding himself on a case even more dangerous and complex that his criminal defense practice. Haller’s given up practicing law out of the back of chauffeured Lincolns, but kept his former wife and investigator on – who have subsequently married each other.

Haller has brought a negligence lawsuit against a huge corporate player in AI, TidalwAIv, who has created an AI companion, Clair who is available both to adults and teens. Teens increasingly turn to Clair to be their best friend, confident, cheerleader and advisor, in a time of coming of age and all the insecurity that entails. In this case, Clair encourages Aaron, a despondent teenager who has come to rely on Clair, to enact revenge his high school girlfriend Rebecca after she breaks up with him. The question is: did she actually encourage the murder?

Haller represent first Rebecca’s mom, who is devastated by her daughter’s death and wants most of all a public acknowledgement of the role AI played and an apology by the company. Haller adds on as plaintiffs the Aaron parents, as they face a lifetime of legal bills and the loss of their son to prison. But Aaron’s Dad, prone to violent outbursts himself, may be more in it for the money than anything else.

Tensions erupt between the plaintiffs, especially as the CEO of TidalwAIv dangles multimillion dollar settlements to make the case go way as his company is courting acquisition. if the bribes don’t work there’s always threats and violence. Suddently Haller and his team are in the crosshairs, along with witnesses they try to protect until their testimony.

What unfurls is a tense, action packed courtroom drama, with a smart, determine judge, sleazy corporate defense lawyers, and constant roadblocks Haller has to figure out how to overcome in presenting his case.

At the same time, Connelly skillfully tackles of the moment themes: where AI is heading, the increased reliance on AI to serve as a therapist, and the increasing use of AI to fend off isolation and rejection many teens experience, and the willingness of tech companies to throw scruples to the wind in order to jack up their profits. Particularly jarring is their decision to not screen out use by teens, and the data fed the AI that ignores teen sensitivities.

All this as the news breaks this week of Meta’s scandal of allowing it’s AI chatbot to have romantic conversations with teens; 42 State Attorney Generals putting all the AI companies on notice about being vigilant about AI  by exploitative and predatory of kids; and of the family of a teen boy bringing a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI for their ChatGPT AI for aiding their son in committing suicide. S

Yet another amazing novel by Connelly, and quite a twist in the direction the Lincoln Lawyer is heading!

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.