The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly: Review

I started watching The Lincoln Lawyer streaming on TV last year and got addicted rather quickly. So when I spied this upcoming release due to come out soon, you better believe I grabbed it to feed my addiction.

In typical fashion, Connelly kills it with this addictive read! Read my thoughts below.

Disclaimer: Affiliate Links have been included
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly
Series: Book 8 of 8: Lincoln Lawyer
Publisher: ‎ Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: ‎ October 21, 2025
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0316563826

OVERVIEW:
Following his “resurrection walk” and need for a new direction, Mickey Haller turns to public interest litigation, filing a civil lawsuit against an artificial intelligence company whose chatbot told a sixteen-year-old boy that it was okay for him to kill his ex-girlfriend for her disloyalty.

Representing the victim’s family, Mickey’s case explores the mostly unregulated and exploding AI business and the lack of training guardrails. Along the way, he joins up with a journalist named Jack McEvoy, who wants to be a fly on the wall during the trial in order to write a book about it. But Mickey puts him to work going through the mountain of printed discovery materials in the case. McEvoy’s digging ultimately delivers the key witness, a whistleblower who has been too afraid to speak up. The case is fraught with danger because billions are at stake.

It is said that machines became smarter than humans on the day in 1997 that IBM’s Deep Blue defeated chess master Garry Kasparov with a gambit called “the knight’s sacrifice.” Haller will take a similar gambit in court to defeat the mega forces of the AI industry lined up against him and his clients.

The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly Review

I am not usually one for courtroom dramas. I have read a few, and they tend to drag on a bit, unless you are talking about The Lincoln Lawyer.

The best part about this awesome character is that you cannot keep up with the twists and the extent to which this man goes to bat for his clients.

Always on the edge of breaking laws or getting into trouble with the judge, Mickey takes a case that is ripped from the headlines today and a parent’s worst nightmare. Connelly tells a story that is riveting, not only for the subject matter but also for the depths of description, twists, and chess-like moves in the courtroom.

Connelly takes a chance when discussing morale and responsibility in a growing sector of intelligence today. Who should be held responsible for machine learning? The twisting of the truth, deep dives into how the “intelligence” is taught and loaded. Not only is the story fascinating, but the author adds in multiple subplots that are relevant today, such as the LA wildfires. He gives it all!

Can this really be the last Lincoln Lawyer story? Will this be Connelly closing out this character while on top? Say it is not so. However it goes, The Proving Ground is one freaking addictive book that you will not want to stop reading!

5 STARS!!

Disclaimer: Affiliate Links have been included – Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.