Moderately successful criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller operates around Los Angeles County out of a Lincoln Town Car (hence the title) driven by a former client working off his legal fees. While most of his clients are drug dealers and gangsters, the story focuses on an unusually important case of wealthy Los Angeles realtor Louis Roulet, accused of assault and attempted murder. At first, he appears to be innocent and set up by the female "victim".
Roulet's lies and many surprising revelations change Haller's original case theory. He reconsiders the situation of Jesus Menendez, a former client serving time in San Quentin State Prison after pleading guilty to a similar and mysteriously related crime.
Haller outmaneuvers Roulet (revealed to be a rapist and murderer) without violating ethical obligations, frees the innocent Menendez, and continues in legal practice. He also conducts much self-examination and acquires some emotional baggage.
Raul Levin – Haller's investigator and colleague in Roulet's case
Lorna Taylor – Haller's manager and ex-wife
Cecil C. Dobbs – the Roulet family lawyer
Mary Windsor – Louis Roulet's mother
Detective Howard Kurlen – the lead detective on the Jesus Menendez case
Detectives Lankford and Sobel – two cops who investigate Levin's murder
Reception
The New York Times wrote: "Mastering the [legal thriller] on his first try, Connelly delivers a powerhouse drama fueled by cynicism and driven by a criminal defense lawyer named Michael Haller ('People call me Mickey') who works for the scum of the earth and makes no apologies."[1]
On June 25, 2019, it was announced that David E. Kelley had developed and written a television series based on the Haller series with a commitment from CBS.[8] However, on May 2, 2020, it was announced that the pilot would not be moving forward.[9]Netflix subsequently picked up the series and ordered a 10-episode series of The Lincoln Lawyer, with Kelley, on January 11, 2021. Despite the same name of the eponymous novel, the first season of the series is based on Connelly's second Mickey Haller novel, The Brass Verdict.[9][10] Filming for the series began on March 31, 2021.[11] On April 6, 2022, the series was given a May 13, 2022, premiere date.[12] It was renewed for a second season in June 2022.[13] Based on the fourth novel in the Haller series, The Fifth Witness, the second season is released in two parts, on July 6, 2023 and August 3, 2023, respectively.[14]
