Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer books make for great television, but skipping books is a great choice for the show. So far, Netflix’s adaptation of The Lincoln Lawyer has proven successful. However, the series has already made it a habit to skip books. Book one, The Lincoln Lawyer, was skipped for several reasons, and instead The Lincoln Lawyer season 1 adapts book two, The Brass Verdict.
The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 will continue the tradition of skipping a book by taking book three out of the mix. Rather, The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 adapts book four, The Fifth Witness. The first book in The Lincoln Lawyer series makes Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) difficult to like, and the third makes Haller a completely different person. As a result, Netflix is wise to skip certain books to maintain The Lincoln Lawyer’s storyline and plot.
Why The Lincoln Lawyer Is Right To Skip Books 1 & 3
The Lincoln Lawyer, the first book in Michael Connelly’s series, is already a movie. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey, and the character is already established. Furthermore, the first book is an incredibly difficult subject with a harsh storyline. The story could trigger many viewers, so starting the series with book two was wise.
Book three of The Lincoln Lawyer is a total departure for Mickey Haller. Rather than working as a criminal defense attorney from the back of his Lincoln, he works as a special prosecutor. Haller’s entire story is about him going to bat for criminals even when he might disagree with them, and working as a prosecutor takes away that element of his personality. Skipping book three in favor of book four, The Fifth Witness, allows Haller to maintain the same convictions and characteristics he has in The Lincoln Lawyer season 1.
The Lincoln Lawyer Still Needs Those Stories
Though The Lincoln Lawyer skips some books in favor of others for the series, the stories from books one and three are still necessary. For example, The Lincoln Lawyer season 1 focused on the second book, The Brass Verdict, but the first book’s narrative is a meta arc throughout the season. Much of who Mickey Haller is as a person is defined in book one, which is why the arc is used in The Lincoln Lawyer season 1, even without mentioning the first book.
The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 skips right over book three, but the story is still essential for Mickey Haller. Through the adaptation of book four, elements of book three will likely be used because book three involves a lot of personal development for Haller. The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 needs some information from the third book to ensure that the character’s development going into this new season makes sense. In short, skipping these two books works well for the series, but continuing to use the stories in different seasons is necessary for Mickey Haller.
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