The Lincoln lawyer, Micky Haller, explodes back onto the legal scene with a high stakes legal case, full of twists and turns. It is based on a very real premise:
‘We are engaged in a race against time to protect the children of our country from the dangers of AI. Indeed, the proverbial walls of the city have already been breached. Now is the time to act.’ US National Association of Attorneys General, September, 2023.
In this story, AI has gone terribly wrong. A chatbot encouraged the killing of a teenage girl. Micky Haller’s job is to fight for the mother who lost her daughter. But the AI company Micky’s suing is powerful, with political connections and deep pockets. Micky finds himself up against ‘the wild frontier of the billion-dollar AI industry,’ its ‘terrifying lack of regulation’, and ‘data overload.’
The book is a page turner. Micky Haller is his usual brilliant self, showcasing his courtroom skills throughout the trial (the ‘proving ground’ is the area in front of the jury box), yet facing the terrible reality of being the underdog against a corporate entity that denies liability at every turn.
The story also (deliciously) brings back Maggie McFierce (ex-wife no 1), Lorna (ex-wife no 2), Cisco (his unorthodox investigator,) and a new character, journalist Jack McEvoy, who actually knows how to read AI documents.
Michael Connolly skilfully combines this fearsome AI possibility into a ripper courtroom drama and Micky Haller is better than ever!
Buy your copy here: The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly
Tanya Heaslip is the author of An Alice Girl, Beyond Alice and Alice to Prague.
