The Proving Ground
The Brand New Blockbuster Lincoln Lawyer Thriller
Published on 21. October 2025
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-3987-1906-4 (ISBN)
Description
Mickey Haller - The Lincoln Lawyer - leaves criminal court behind for his first civil lawsuit. But to him, this is still a murder trial.
An AI company's chatbot encouraged a sixteen-year-old boy to kill his ex-girlfriend. Can Haller prove the company knew the dangers of its own creation?
To do so, he turns to Jack McEvoy - a journalist who knows how powerful the coming wave will be - and together they soon uncover a whistleblower in hiding.
As the tech titans try to buy or bully their way out, the scale of their courtroom battle before them becomes clear. Because billions are at stake - along with countless lives - in an all or nothing case, which could change everything...
From the author of the books behind the #1 Netflix show The Lincoln Lawyer, and #1 Amazon Prime series Bosch and Ballard.
*****
PRAISE FOR MICHAEL CONNELLY & THE LINCOLN LAYWER THRILLERS:
'An incredible writer' RICHARD OSMAN
'The Lincoln Lawyer series keeps getting better' WASHINGTON POST
'A superb natural storyteller' LEE CHILD
'The pre-eminent detective novelist of his generation' IAN RANKIN
'Mickey Haller is a worthy colleague of Atticus Finch' LOS ANGELES TIMES
'A master of the genre' STEPHEN KING
'A terrific writer' THE TIMES
'A powerhouse, an unstoppable force in crime fiction' MICK HERRON
'Crime thriller writing of the highest order' GUARDIAN
'Nobody writes a better modern thriller' EVENING STANDARD
'One of the world's greatest crime writers' DAILY MAIL
'The master of modern crime fiction' EXPRESS
An AI company's chatbot encouraged a sixteen-year-old boy to kill his ex-girlfriend. Can Haller prove the company knew the dangers of its own creation?
To do so, he turns to Jack McEvoy - a journalist who knows how powerful the coming wave will be - and together they soon uncover a whistleblower in hiding.
As the tech titans try to buy or bully their way out, the scale of their courtroom battle before them becomes clear. Because billions are at stake - along with countless lives - in an all or nothing case, which could change everything...
From the author of the books behind the #1 Netflix show The Lincoln Lawyer, and #1 Amazon Prime series Bosch and Ballard.
*****
PRAISE FOR MICHAEL CONNELLY & THE LINCOLN LAYWER THRILLERS:
'An incredible writer' RICHARD OSMAN
'The Lincoln Lawyer series keeps getting better' WASHINGTON POST
'A superb natural storyteller' LEE CHILD
'The pre-eminent detective novelist of his generation' IAN RANKIN
'Mickey Haller is a worthy colleague of Atticus Finch' LOS ANGELES TIMES
'A master of the genre' STEPHEN KING
'A terrific writer' THE TIMES
'A powerhouse, an unstoppable force in crime fiction' MICK HERRON
'Crime thriller writing of the highest order' GUARDIAN
'Nobody writes a better modern thriller' EVENING STANDARD
'One of the world's greatest crime writers' DAILY MAIL
'The master of modern crime fiction' EXPRESS
Reviews / Votes
Another edge-of-your-seat thriller from a master writer * Daily Express * It's the electrifying legal thriller of the year * Peterborough Telegraph * Connelly proves once again why he's the master of the modern legal thriller. The Proving Ground is razor-sharp, timely, and utterly compelling - a courtroom drama that grapples with technology, accountability, and the human cost of progress * Crime Monthly * A must-read * Belfast Telegraph * This tale smoulders away as assuredly as Connelly's fan could want * The Times * Ferocious storytelling * Daily Mail *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
618 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3987-1906-4 (9781398719064)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
MICHAEL CONNELLY is the author of forty previous novels, among them the Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers Nightshade, The Waiting, and Resurrection Walk. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renee Ballard series, have sold more than eighty-nine million copies worldwide.
A former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels, Connelly is the executive producer of four television series: Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Ballard. He spends his time in California and Florida.
A former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels, Connelly is the executive producer of four television series: Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Ballard. He spends his time in California and Florida.