The return of Mickey Haller, aka the Lincoln Lawyer, is always something to celebrate. THE PROVING GROUND is a triumph and brilliantly takes on very real topics that threaten society today. It is also a reminder that the book is always better than the movie or streaming series, which is saying a lot as Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” is excellent.

Artificial intelligence technology is at the heart of this book. We already are experiencing the threats of job replacement due to AI, as well as the impingement on the entertainment industry --- from writing to performing to voice acting. The company Tidalwaiv has created a chatbot aimed at teens. A tragedy has occurred when a chatbot convinces a 16-year-old to kill his ex-girlfriend. Mickey Haller is representing the family of the murdered young lady. When he is approached by the boy's family, he combines their cases into one. Both are victims of this greedy, irresponsible company that is criminally liable for their unbridled product.

"I can proudly state that THE PROVING GROUND is my favorite Lincoln Lawyer novel and one of the best books that Connelly has ever written. There is not a single moment that drags, and I could not turn the pages quickly enough."

If you are not hooked at this point, just hang on because Michael Connelly pulls out all the stops to make THE PROVING GROUND one of his most intense and engaging reads to date. Mickey is now a public interest attorney following a successful run as a criminal defense lawyer. In this battle, he is taking on the defense team for Tidalwaiv, which consists of brothers Marcus and Mitchell Mason. Conniving and clever, they share a mutual hatred for Mickey. Judge Margaret Ruhlin, who Mickey used to know as a fellow lawyer, is running the trial in an efficient and impartial manner and does not take any nonsense from either side.

In addition to his usual team --- private investigator Cisco and legal assistant/ex-wife Lorna Taylor, who is now married to Cisco --- Mickey is approached by Jack McEvoy. McEvoy asks if he can be a “fly on the wall” during the proceedings and watch from the inside so he can write a book about it. He is also a crafty journalist with insight into the tech world and offers to assist in the investigation. After Cisco successfully vets him, McEvoy is welcomed to the team and ends up being a huge help to Mickey throughout the trial.

Mickey has his team focused on proving that Tidalwaiv failed to install the proper guardrails for this particular AI software and redacted some names and information from their discovery documents concerning the feature. McEvoy is able to identify the primary redacted name, Dr. Naomi Kitchens, who had been hired as an ethicist specifically for this project and was curiously let go. She ends up being Mickey’s principal witness.

The accused teen named his chatbot Wren. Mickey is able to produce text messages from Wren to the boy instructing him to eliminate his ex after she did him wrong by breaking up with him, mainly due to her concern about his obsession with Wren. This is damaging and powerful evidence, so readers might think it's an open-and-shut case. But, not surprisingly, Connelly continues to provide his masterful plot twists to keep Mickey and his team on their heels with major setbacks following each perceived victory. I will keep those under wraps here for your enjoyment.

For longtime Connelly fans like myself, there are some great moments that include a reference to Harry Bosch and a scene where a woman tells Mickey that she likes the “Lincoln Lawyer” series on Netflix but prefers following the real thing at work in the courtroom. I can proudly state that THE PROVING GROUND is my favorite Lincoln Lawyer novel and one of the best books that Connelly has ever written. There is not a single moment that drags, and I could not turn the pages quickly enough.