The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

 The eighth book in Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer series, The Proving Ground pits Mickey Haller against the Artificial Intelligence industry when a teenager follows a command from a chatbot that tells him that it is okay to murder his ex-girlfriend. Leaving criminal law behind, Haller takes on the civil suit of Brenda Randolph, mother of the victim Rebecca, opposing TidalwAIv Technologies.

 

TidalwAIv has a lot at stake as it is looking for one of the bigger tech companies to gobble it up with its investors coming out billions ahead. On the other hand, Brenda wants three things from the company: accountability, action, and apology; the company just wants to offer a big payoff for a signed non-disclosure statement.

 

As the trial is about to begin, the Mason brothers, lawyers of record for TidalwAIv, have been playing loose with the discovery material offered to Haller, who believes the real evidence is hidden in all the redactions of the documents. Jack McEvoy, a journalist who wants to write a book about the case when it reaches its conclusion, signs on to work through the tons of printed discovery materials, where his research reveals a key witness who is fearful about testifying.

 

Before the trial begins, Aaron Colton’s parents, Bruce and Trisha, want to sue TidalwAIv, for turning their son into a killer. The judge allows them to join Haller’s case. The bonding of the mothers will work well for the trial but the father is easily persuaded by monetary offers. What sounded like a good idea in joining the cases may prove to be a thorn in Haller’s side as he and his team work to defeat AI gone rogue in court, the proving ground.

Set against the background of the LA fires of 2025, a personal side of the story comes forth as Haller’s first ex-wife Maggie McFierce moves in with him since her house is in the no-way in zone of the fires. This turn of events ignites a flame between the former partners.

 

After Michael Connelly spent three years covering crime in Los Angeles, he wrote his first novel featuring Harry Bosch, The Black Echo, which he based partly on a true crime. Three of Connelly’s characters have found success on streaming platforms Amazon Prime and Netflix: Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Ballard.