The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

(4. - 1293.) The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly - Mickey Haller is back where he feels most comfortable - a courtroom. My eyebrows shot up when it was a civil case courtroom rather than criminal court. Mickey has sold all of his Lincoln cars but one which is under a tarp in his warehouse. He has moved from the tumult of the criminal courts to the more refined viciousness of civil actions.

He is suing Tidalwaiv, an AI company, on behalf of Brenda Randolph whose teenage daughter, Rebecca was killed by ex-boyfriend, Aaron Colton. Mickey, as certain as ever, states that an avatar called Wren from Tidalwaiv’s app Clair told Aaron to get rid of Rebecca for he would always have Wren. The avatar is lifelike in appearance and was modelled after the real life fictional Wren the Wrestler. Aaron spent several hours a day with his AI companion.

The company is vigorously defending the action and has buried Mickey in “twelve terabytes of discovery”. Mickey is overwhelmed but publicly stalwart.

After a pre-trial motion he is approached by Jack McEvoy who is a writer on technology. Long time readers of Connelly may remember him from earlier books - The Poet, The Scarecrow and Fair Warning. In The Proving Ground McEvoy, not Connelly, has written the books. It is a deft touch.

McEvoy volunteers to help with the case, especially with digesting the terabytes. He has grave concerns over AI.

Mickey has built a Faraday cage in his warehouse:

The cage was a twelve-foot-by-twelve-foot cube of chain link. Across the top was a crosshatch of wires supporting copper mesh that also draped down all four sides of the cage, preventing all manner of elecronic intrusion. Inside was 144 square feet of workspace. The cage was ground zero for Randolph v. Tidalwaiv.

Mickey or Lorna take home every night the hard drive to the computer inside the cage. There is no connection to the internet.

(I suspended disbelief for the book concerning the number of lawyers. No action with terabytes is going to be pursued by a single lawyer for the plaintiff and a pair of lawyers for the defendant. There would be significant teams on each side. There is just too much information to be processed. The American Department of Justice has had  hundreds of staff, including dozens of lawyers, reviewing the millions of documents in the Jeffery Espstein files.)

The court action appears destined for trial. Mickey says Brenda wants a “Triple-A settlement of accountability, action and apology”. I have never had a “Triple-A settlement”. It is a rare lawyer that, working on a contingency fee, will go to trial for more than money - the most common means by which a court imposes accountability - because of the costs of a trial and a court in a tort action being unable to do more than money for accountability. It can neither force action nor apology.

Mickey is now in the civil world of law where he must prove his case, not just work on casting doubt on the prosecution’s evidence.

Getting evidence from stubborn opposition often requires multiple court applications for disclosure. It is hard to develop drama in recounting such applications. I can appreciate the drama of Connelly’s approach in wanting people to breach confidentiality by turning over information.

As an example, to my regret as a lawyer, Mickey seeks to have his former wife, Margaret “Maggie McFierce” MacPherson, now district attorney for Los Angeles give him access to Aaron Colton’s computer before his criminal case has been resolved because that is the right thing to do. He blithely wants her to breach multiple statutes, criminal procedure, legal ethics and privacy rights.

Abruptly, real life events intervene. The devastating Los Angeles fires of 2025 erupt. Maggie McFierce’s home in Altadena is in the midst of one of the fires and she, despite her position as DA, is denied access by the fire department.

Her home is destroyed. She stays with Mickey. To their surprise and my surprise their relationship is rekindled. Great losses can change attitudes.

As trial approaches the drama builds as does my concern about how the evidence is being assembled. Changing the rules of court makes a story easier to write. Following them would increase the drama as the parties and the judge wrestle on admissibility. I should have realized Connelly would deal with the issue. Mickey effectively finesses matters in court.

The most intriguing pre-trial legal question was whether the chatbot, Wren, can become a witness at trial. He spoke with Wren for hundreds of hours.

Not surprisingly, Tidalwaiv makes a generous offer to settle on the eve of trial.

Mickey has become righteous since becoming a non-criminal lawyer. He turns down personal injury and medical malpractice cases and will not even send on such cases for a referral fee:

I wanted something bigger, something more important, something that I could be proud of at the end of the day.

Having a righteous lawyer is dangerous for the client. The lawyer will not be realistic about risk which is a key factor in considering settlement offers. What is best for the clients is not always best for society but a lawyer is not representing society and the court’s judgment will not be based on what is best for society.

In the trial a detective testifies that Aaron walked up to Rebecca as she was getting out of a car at school, shot her once and walked away.

The evidence of the conversations between Wren and Aaron are startling and very disturbing.

The trial was compelling especially in the evidence on how chatbots are trained. The phrase “garbage in, garbage out” is emphasized. The biases of the coders are inevitably reflected in how the chatbot responds in communications.

The Eliza effect is always present:

“In short, it is people’s tendency to attribute human thoughts and emotions to machines.”

The ending of the trial is amazing both legally and factually.

The last witness was as dramatic a moment as I have experienced in reading a trial in a long time.

I was captured by the story and read swiftly. Connelly pounds the narrative. The Proving Ground is a return to the best of Michael Connelly. It will be a contender for the 2026 Best of Bill Fiction.

****

Connelly, Michael – (2000) - Void Moon; (2001) - A Darkness More than Night; (2001) - The Concrete Blonde (Third best fiction of 2001); (2002) - Blood Work (The Best);  (2002) - City of Bones; (2003) - Lost Light; (2004) - The Narrows; (2005) - The Closers (Tied for 3rd best fiction of 2005); (2005) - The Lincoln Lawyer; (2007) - Echo Park; (2007) - The Overlook; (2008) - The Brass Verdict; (2009) – The Scarecrow; (2009) – Nine Dragons; (2011) - The Reversal; (2011) - The Fifth Witness; (2012) - The Drop; (2012) - Black Echo; (2012) - Harry Bosch: The First 20 Years; (2012) - The Black Box; (2014) - The Gods of Guilt; (2014) - The Bloody Flag Move is Sleazy and Unethical; (2015) - The Burning Room; (2015) - Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts; (2016) - The Crossing; (2016) - Lawyers and Police Shifting Sides; (2017) - The Wrong Side of Goodbye and A Famous Holograph Will; (2017) - Bosch - T.V. - Season One and Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch; (2018) - Two Kinds of Truth; (2019) - Dark Sacred Night and A Protest on Connelly's Use of Vigilante Justice; (2020) - The Night Fire; (2020) - Fair Warning; (2021) - The Law of Innocence and Writing a Credible Trial; (2022) - The Dark Hours; (2024) - Resurrection Walk; (2024) - Kim Stone and Harry Bosch; (2025) - The Waiting; (2025) - Nightshade

The Widow by John Grisham (The Trial)

In my previous two posts on The Widow by John Grisham I discussed the wills of 85 year old Eleanor “Netty” Barnett and her subsequent poisoning in hospital by thallium laced ginger cookies.

Simon, charged with murder, is innocent but who was the killer? I have written often of the implausibility of the mysterious stranger as killer defence. Simon and his lawyer need to find the anonymous tipster and the killer or at least a credible alternative. 

Simon spends nights working on his defence in Lassiter’s law library.

Unfortunately, Lassiter, his junior Casey Noland and Simon are going with the theory of a mysterious stranger as the killer. Why a stranger would go through the complications and the risks of poisoning an elderly woman is not addressed. They will rely on the presumption of innocence that the Commonwealth of Virginia has to prove the accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. It is a perilous defence.

The court will hear that Jerry Korsak and Wally visited Netty. He can mention in argument that there were many hospital staff in and out of  Netty’s room. None of them resonate as murderers.

As with many lawyers, including myself, Lassiter says at court, just before the trial begins, that it is “showtime”.

Grisham presents the trial evidence briskly with some nice cross-examination by Lassiter.

There is nary a surprise in the evidence which is unusual in real life and fictional trials.

Should Simon testify? 

Is a lawyer automatically looked down upon as not a reliable witness?

Is there evidence Simon could provide that has not already been presented?

Would Simon simply be denying killing Netty and asking the jury to believe him? 

Initially I thought he should not testify but eventually reached the conclusion he should testify. With the mysterious stranger defence I think the defendant needs to give the jury reason to conclude he was not the killer and a mysterious stranger is believable.

You will need to read the book to see if Simon went on the witness stand. 

If he does not testify the jury will have to decide the case on circumstantial evidence.

In Canada the test for conviction when the evidence is circumstantial is whether the only reasonable conclusion from the proven facts is guilt.

Grisham has always had credible trials. However, I consider there was a major flaw in this trial. I would be willing to exchange emails with readers of the book who would like to know the flaw.

The flaw diminished my enjoyment of the book. I do not think more drama was added to the book. It did make the legal issues simpler. Grisham had to have been aware that what he wrote was not plausible. As always, I appreciate authorial licence but Grisham has the skill as author and lawyer to be dramatic by being logical.

The ending is credible. 

In the book Grisham’s lawyers have differing personalities. Wally is sleazy and very willing to breach professional conduct rules. Simon is hard working but willing to put himself in position to reap large sums from the administration of Netty’s estate. (Not covered in the book is that the alternative to Simon being executor would be a trust company as executor. Simon’s fees would be no higher than those of a trust company.) Prosecutor Cora Cook is aggressive and ethical with a sense of style in her clothing. Lassiter is hard charging with a big personality and fine suits and silk ties. Teddy Hammer’s aggressive advocacy for the stepsons skews impressions. Another, who must be nameless to prevent a spoiler, endangers the public to gain a huge fee though I think he would have gotten just as much money by taking a morally correct action. An unnamed team of lawyers equally endanger the public over the same matter. Confusing a lawyer with a client is an occupational hazard for all lawyers.

The book was compelling. I read it quickly.

As a lawyer, the book left me uncomfortable with the willingness of too many lawyers in the book to act unethically. Greed led them to stray. Our profession requires more from lawyers than not breaking the law. Acting ethically is important. 

****

Grisham, John – (2000) - The Brethren; (2001) - A Painted House; (2002) - The Summons; (2003) - The King of Torts; (2004) - The Last Juror; (2005) - The Runaway Jury; (2005) - The Broker; (2008) - The Appeal; (2009) - The Associate; (2011) - The Confession; (2011) - The Litigators; (2012) - "G" is for John Grisham - Part I and Part II; (2013) - The Racketeer; (2013) - Grisham's Lawyers; (2013) - Analyzing Grisham's Lawyers; (2013) - Sycamore Row; (2014) - Gray Mountain and Gray Mountain and Real Life Legal Aid; (2015) - Rogue Lawyer and Sebastian Rudd; (2016) - The Whistler; (2017) - Camino Island; (2017) - The Rooster Bar and Law Students and Integrity; (2019) - The Reckoning; (2019) - Cullen Post in The Guardians and The Guardians; (2020) - A Time for Mercy and Practising Law in Rural Mississippi and Rural Saskatchewan and Writing a Credible Trial; (2021) - Camino Winds; (2022) - The Judge's List; (2022) - The Biloxi Boys and Body Counts in Fictional Gang Wars (Ian Hamilton, John Grisham and Don Winslow); (2023) - The Exchange; (2025) - The Widow - The Wills and The Death

The Widow by John Grisham (The Death)

In my previous post on The Widow by John Grisham I had summarized how 85 year old Eleanor “Netty” Barnett  had two questionable wills with solo lawyers in Braxton, Virginia.

As the post ended Netty was in hospital because of injuries in a car accident.

With no family to assist her, the hospital wants someone to take charge of her financial and health decisions. Simon is the logical choice and Netty trusts him. He draws up the usual general power of attorney and advance (health care) directive. He makes sure abundant hospital staff, including doctors, are present at signing to confirm her capacity and that Simon is not exerting undue influence upon her.

How Simon proceeded makes sense to me. I have been called to hospitals because a patient is in a life threatening or terminal situation. It is hard trying to give advice, review options and take instructions from someone desperately ill. It is rarely a simple situation or the patient would have taken care of it sooner. You want to ensure they have proper documents in place but a client making major decisions while in a hospital bed is stressful. In the end, the lawyer has to make a decision if the patient/client has the capacity to make legal documents and is not under duress from someone.

As for signing legal documents in a hospital setting I have usually had another lawyer or office staff member present with me. If that is not possible the hospital will normally arrange for an administrator not a doctor or a nurse to be a witness.

There was a case in southern Saskatchewan where a lawyer knew there was going to be contention over a will. He took instructions very carefully. For signing he arranged for two other lawyers to come to the hospital. They were able to see the patient/client and confirm the decisions set out in the will. The lawyer making the videotaped the signing process as a further confirmation. The will was contested. Because of his caution and taking extra steps the will was upheld at trial.

In The Widow, Netty’s health declines, especially her respiratory condition, and she is diagnosed with pneumonia. Eventually, with her doctors saying there is no brain activity and every breath is a struggle, he lets Netty die.

Upon her death Simon contacts the funeral home and starts on the process of cremation. It is clear Simon does not want to spend extra money on a funeral and coffin.

An anonymous caller provides information to the stepsons, then their lawyer, then the police and then the media and the book explodes. I stayed up late reading.

Forensic testing shows Vietnamese ginger cookies bought by Simon and brought to Netty by Tillie are poisoned with thallium, an odourless, tasteless and colourless drug. Its production is banned in the U.S. 

All his actions appear suspicious and Simon is arrested for murder. 

His family is devastated and he advises them to leave town.

The vast American media circus surrounding a juicy murder trial descends on Braxton. Public opinion vociferously convicts him.

Simon hires Raymond Lassiter, the best criminal defence lawyer in the area. It was interesting that Grisham’s defender for Simon is a legal tiger in his early 70’s who drinks “excessively” daily when not in trial and usually has a cigar beside him. He tells Simon his fee for a murder trial is $200,000. Simon cannot afford a fraction of that amount.

Unlike most legal thrillers Grisham explores the frustration, boredom and misery of being in jail awaiting a bail hearing. Fair or not the impression is created that it is especially hard on a professional as opposed to the impact on a career criminal.

Wally’s finances are so dire he can raise but $10,000 of the $30,000 needed for bail. Paula is not a choice. His mother’s money is tied up with her second husband. His former bookie, Chub, believing Simon helped get him out of an FBI investigation buys Simon’s building for a price that lets Simon raise bail and pay $10,000 to Lassiter. Simon gives Lassiter a promissory note for $190,000.

Unexpectedly, at an early court appearance, Lassiter, impressed by the publicity for this case, says he will defend Simon until another lawyer is found. There will be no search for another lawyer. Lassiter is the defence counsel.

My third post will deal with the trial.

****

Grisham, John – (2000) - The Brethren; (2001) - A Painted House; (2002) - The Summons; (2003) - The King of Torts; (2004) - The Last Juror; (2005) - The Runaway Jury; (2005) - The Broker; (2008) - The Appeal; (2009) - The Associate; (2011) - The Confession; (2011) - The Litigators; (2012) - "G" is for John Grisham - Part I and Part II; (2013) - The Racketeer; (2013) - Grisham's Lawyers; (2013) - Analyzing Grisham's Lawyers; (2013) - Sycamore Row; (2014) - Gray Mountain and Gray Mountain and Real Life Legal Aid; (2015) - Rogue Lawyer and Sebastian Rudd; (2016) - The Whistler; (2017) - Camino Island; (2017) - The Rooster Bar and Law Students and Integrity; (2019) - The Reckoning; (2019) - Cullen Post in The Guardians and The Guardians; (2020) - A Time for Mercy and Practising Law in Rural Mississippi and Rural Saskatchewan and Writing a Credible Trial; (2021) - Camino Winds; (2022) - The Judge's List; (2022) - The Biloxi Boys and Body Counts in Fictional Gang Wars (Ian Hamilton, John Grisham and Don Winslow); (2023) - The Exchange; (2025) - The Widow - The Wills

The Widow by John Grisham (The Wills)

(3. - 1292.) The Widow by John Grisham - 

“Bankruptcies, drunk driving charges, delinquent child support, foreclosures, nickel-and-dime car wrecks, suspicious slip-and-falls, dubious claims of disabilities - the stock-in-trade of a run-of-the-mill street lawyer whose law school dreams of riches had faded so dim they were almost gone. Eighteen years into the grind and Simon  F. Latch, Attorney and Counselor (both) at Law, was burning out. He was weary of other people’s problems.”

I consider Grisham’s characterization of Latch’s practice as cruel. Latch’s practice deals with the issues of people. It is not as dramatic as big injury claims, murder trials, major human rights issues, important constitutional issues and colourful family law battles. While I have had experiences with dramatic cases Simon’s practice is close to my own. I am proud to represent people.

There was so much of interest to me in The Widow it will take three posts to say all I wanted.

Simon is 41 and a solo practictioner in Braxton, Virginia.

He has an experienced reliable personal assistant in Matilda “Tillie” Clark.

Ms. Eleanor “Netty” Barnett comes to see him to do a will. He expects a simple will will suffice. She has outlived two husbands. She has two stepsons whom she loathes. She has a modest home.

Everything changes when he asks if she has investments other than her home. She advises him that she has $10,000,000 in Coca-Cola shares, $6,000,000 in Wal-Mart shares and $4,000,000 in the bank. 

Her second husband was a district sales rep for Coca-Cola and received shares and held them. Observing Wal-Mart sold “a lot of soft drinks” he started buying shares.

They lived modestly and never cashed in on the steady increase in value of the investments.

She is uneasy about the will she did with another solo practitioner across the street, Wally Thackerman, who “convinced” her to leave her entire estate “to him, in trust” so “he would have the authority to give the money to my favourite charities” and included a cash bequest to him for $485,000.

She has no favourite charities.

Wondering what the net value of the estate after taxes would be, he finds out from a legal friend that the estate of anyone who dies in the next 12 months will not be taxed as Congress had not extended an estate tax statute.

Simon writes a will with him as trustee and estate counsel but giving the money to charities and family members. He includes a clause revoking any bequest to someone who unsuccessfully challenges the will. He would like to be as brazen as Wally but fears the inevitable court challenges. He will make his money off running the estate and having his fees approved by the court.

I was upset with Wally’s will and uncomfortable with Simon’s will. In Canada Wally would be in trouble the moment he tried to probate a will which effectively has no beneficiaries beyond the huge cash bequest to himself.

Simon was dealing with an awkward situation. I have had clients who had neither family nor friends they trust to handle their affairs and wanted my involvement. I avoid involvement. Most Saskatchewan lawyers would do the same. If the client continues to want me involved I would arrange independent legal advice for the client before proceeding with any personal involvement. Even with a client having independent legal advice I doubt I would be willing to be the executor for a “Netty”.

Simon has had a sham of a marriage. Simon and his wife, Paula, strapped for money, have remained officially a couple. They spend as little time together as possible. He is often at their home, usually when she is gone, and sleeps at his office in an improvised tiny apartment he calls “The Closet”. He has a 9 year old daughter, Janie, and two loutish teenage sons, Buck and Danny.

Simon and Paula decide to divorce. The pages describing explanations to the children were painful and poignant and completely convincing.

Simon is a sports gambler. He considers himself skilled but does moderate research. His bets are actual gambles. Because of innate caution and fear of Paula finding out about his betting he had not been in gambling trouble.

Summer and fall go by with Simon and Paula bickering, Simon in a constant cash crunch and Netty regularly going for lunches with Simon paid for by Simon.

Aging is getting more complicated for Netty. A series of traffic tickets are looming. Her ability to drive is at risk.

After I wondered through many pages why Simon has not been billing for all their consultations he sends her a bill.

The story is proceeding at a measured pace when Netty is in a car accident and hospitalized. Expectations for a swift recovery are wrong.

The next post will cover what happens with Netty.

****

Grisham, John – (2000) - The Brethren; (2001) - A Painted House; (2002) - The Summons; (2003) - The King of Torts; (2004) - The Last Juror; (2005) - The Runaway Jury; (2005) - The Broker; (2008) - The Appeal; (2009) - The Associate; (2011) - The Confession; (2011) - The Litigators; (2012) - "G" is for John Grisham - Part I and Part II; (2013) - The Racketeer; (2013) - Grisham's Lawyers; (2013) - Analyzing Grisham's Lawyers; (2013) - Sycamore Row; (2014) - Gray Mountain and Gray Mountain and Real Life Legal Aid; (2015) - Rogue Lawyer and Sebastian Rudd; (2016) - The Whistler; (2017) - Camino Island; (2017) - The Rooster Bar and Law Students and Integrity; (2019) - The Reckoning; (2019) - Cullen Post in The Guardians and The Guardians; (2020) - A Time for Mercy and Practising Law in Rural Mississippi and Rural Saskatchewan and Writing a Credible Trial; (2021) - Camino Winds; (2022) - The Judge's List; (2022) - The Biloxi Boys and Body Counts in Fictional Gang Wars (Ian Hamilton, John Grisham and Don Winslow); (2023) - The Exchange

The Only Café by Linden MacIntyre

(2. - 1291.) The Only Café by Linden MacIntyre (2017) - MacIntyre writes:

 “Thoughts of death come almost naturally to people who have spent real time among the dead - doctors, undertakers, soldiers - those who have seen death’s overwhelming presence and then the disconcerting banality of what it leaves behind.”

Five years after he vanished in 2007 Pierre Cormier has been declared dead. He was a serious, reserved man. Yet he leaves a whimsical note directing a roast in which the guests, all designated, are to “give candid assessments of his character”. The roast is to be held at The Only Café and presided over by Ari. 

Pierre had come to Cape Breton in the fall of 1983 as a refugee from Lebanon.

In June of 2007 Pierre, now a corporate lawyer and executive at Draycor, a major mining company in Toronto, is dealing with a mine shutdown in Western New Guineau and with a diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer. Eight protesters had been killed at the mine by trigger happy Indonesian special forces (Kopassus). He goes to the mine rather than for recommended treatment.

Taking a break before leaving he drives to the east end of Toronto where he comes upon the Only Café and Ari. They recognize each other as from the Middle East. Pierre is from south of Beirut and Ari from near Haifa.

In considering the actions of the Kopassus, Pierre is drawn back to the early years of Lebanon’s civil war from 1975 to 1982.

Pierre, a fisherman, had become a Phalangist soldier in the war. His father, mother, sister and niece were killed by Palastinian gunmen in 1976. 

Maronite Christian militia massacred Palestinians at the Shatila refugee camp in 1982. The Israeli military did not intervene.

There is so much hatred in Lebanon. Violent death came to many Lebanese families. Massacre begat massacre.

In 2012 Pierre’s son Cyril is 24 and an intern in the newsroom of a Canadian T.V. network. 

MacIntyre, the former co-host of a national Canadian current affairs program for 24 hours, skilfully delves into the turmoil of T.V. news with clever descriptions of news people Canadians will recognize as based on actual broadcasters.

Cyril desperately wants to know more about his father. There are few sources.

Suzanne Reynolds, a prominent Canadian broadcaster tells Cyril:

“Secrets are invariably motivated by something shameful. Like a betrayal or a crime. When the shame becomes too much, it leads to self-destruction of some kind.”

MacIntyre’s prose flows smoothly, rich in detail, as he explores Pierre’s greatest mystery - the story of his life.

The story moves effortlessly between the present of 2012, the disappearing year of 2007 and Lebanon of 1976 to 1982.

Pierre liked being on his boat in the ocean where he can “look at the distance between me and the land …. [W]here everything happens”.

Cyril diligently pursues Pierre’s life. He finds bits of information.

Cyril wants to know what Pierre was doing during the turbulent years of the civil war when his Dad was slightly younger than himself? His father has neither told Cyril nor his wives about those years.

Pierre’s ex-wife, Aggie, describes him as a stranger:

“To me and everybody else.”

As readers we learn what happened in those vicious years.

At work Cyril is involved in the challenge of trying to develop a story that involves intelligence agencies, Israel and radicalized Muslims. The consequences of what happened in the Lebanese civil war are connected with the Arab Spring of 2012. Facts are difficult to discern and harder to confirm.

Cyril is going to be a good reporter. His colleagues have convinced him it is more honourable to be a reporter than a journalist. He goes and talks to people. He does not just rely on existing interviews. There are good reasons to interview a witness more than once.

His friend Nader explains to him:

“That the only way to know what happens is to be a part of it.”

Cyril also has a secret though I was disappointed that the plot line was not fully developed.

Ari and Pierre were war survivors. Ari says Canadians have a “sanctimonious self-image”. MacIntyre forced me to think about the Canadian self-image. Are we a smug self-righteous people?

MacIntyre looks deep into the minds of men during and after war. He writes a compelling, complex thriller where the masses of bodies come from real life massacres decades ago.

As the conclusion neared I felt I was reading a John le Carré novel with the inevitability of a frightening and brutal conclusion crushing an individual. 

MacIntyre is an excellent writer.