Love a good legal thriller? Are you a Michael Connelly fan looking for a plot summary of The Lincoln Lawyer and a discussion about how The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix is different from the 2005 book or from the 2011 movie? Want to discuss the adaptation, the casting, the changes from the book to the movie? Let’s discuss ALL of it. Welcome to Page to Screen: The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix! You can find all my Page to Screen posts here!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this site.
Table of Contents for Page to Screen: The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix
- Summary of The Lincoln Lawyer book series (2004-2023) by Michael Connelly
- Which Lincoln Lawyer Books is the Netflix Series Based on?
- The Lincoln Lawyer Book Series in Order
- Summary of The Lincoln Lawyer Movie (2011)
- The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix: What Do We Know?
- How is The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix Different From the 2011 Movie?
- How Does the Lincoln Lawyer fit into the Bosch Universe?
- The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix: Season One Summary and Review
- Differences Between the Lincoln Lawyer book (The Brass Verdict) and Lincoln Lawyer Season One
The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix: books vs the movie
Summary of The Lincoln Lawyer (2004-2020) by Michael Connelly
- The Lincoln Lawyer is the first of a series of six books featuring enterprising criminal defense lawyer Mickey Haller, who runs his criminal law practice out of the back seat of one of his fleet of Lincoln Continentals.
- Haller’s skill and showmanship in the courtroom reflect both sides of his parentage. His father was a lawyer, while his mother was a Mexican movie star.
- The Lincoln Lawyer books are part of the Bosch universe, as Mickey is the younger half-brother of LAPD detective Hieronymous “Harry” Bosch, the protagonist of the Bosch series.
Which Lincoln Lawyer Books Are the Netflix Series Based on?
SEASON ONE (2022) is based on The Brass Verdict, book two in the series.
SEASON TWO of the Lincoln Lawyer (2023) is based on The Fifth Witness, book four in the series.
SEASON THREE of the Lincoln Lawyer (2024) is based on The Gods of Guilt, book five in the series.
The Lincoln Lawyer Series by Michael Connelly in Order:
I’ve been a fan of Michael Connelly since the 90s. Have you read all these?
The Lincoln Lawyer (2005)
The Brass Verdict (2008)
Reversal (2010)
The Fifth Witness (2011)
The Gods of Guilt (2013)
The Law of Innocence (2020)
Resurrection Walk (2023)
The Proving Ground (2025)
Plot Summary of The Lincoln Lawyer Movie (2011)
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) movie, starring Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei and Ryan Phillippe, is based on the first book in the series and follows the plot fairly closely, though it cuts out a few minor sublplots.
- Mickey Haller is summoned by a bail bondsman who tells him that a man under arrest has asked for Haller’s help. Louis Roulet, the son of a wealthy real estate agent, has been accused of assaulting a young woman he met in a bar.
- Surprised but eager to have a client able to pay his bills, Haller meets with Roulet, his new client, who says he read about Haller in a newspaper article. Roulet also insists he is being set up and has never been in trouble with the law aside from a few speeding tickets.
- Haller discusses with Frank Levin (Raul Levin in the movie) the possibility that Roulet could actually be innocent. Mickey is haunted by an old case in which a client swore his innocence but was convicted. The client, Jesus Martinez (Menendez in the book) pleaded with Haller to help him, but was still in prison.
- As Haller investigates the case, he learns the victim, Reggie Campos, was a sex worker who soliticted Roulet and invited him to her home after she finished up with another client. Roulet continues to insist that Reggie is an opportunist shaking him down for money.
Is Louis Roulet innocent or is he lying?
- The DA refuses to make a deal, to Haller’s surprise, but Haller is unhappy when Roulet continues not to be straight with him, including the fact that a bloody knife with Roulet’s initials on it was found at the scene. Still, Roulet refuses to consider taking a plea bargain.
- Haller’s ex-wife, Maggie McPherson is a DA who was assigned to the Roulet case but had to recuse herself with Haller was hired. Maggie accidentally lets it slip that a jailhouse snitch named Dwayne Corliss was insisting that Roulet confessed his guilt to him.
- When Haller is looking at police files containing photos of Reggie’s face, bruised and bloody on only one side, he is shaken. The photos remind him of another crime: the murder of Donna Rentaria (Martha Renteria in the book) that was allegedly committed by Jesus Martinez, his former client. In addition, Donna and Reggie Campos look enough alike to be sisters and the knife that killed Donna is identical to Roulet’s knife.
- Haller goes to visit Jesus Martinez at San Quentin. Martinez is a changed man. Haller shows him a photo of Roulet, whom he clearly recognizes.
- Haller is devastated. Not only did he fail to save an innocent man from conviction, the fact that Roulet is his client means that he now has to defend a man who is most certainly guilty of multiple crimes.
- Roulet breaks into Haller’s house and is waiting when Haller gets home. Haller realizes that Roulet hired him to tie his hands. Roulet threatens Hayley, Haller’s young daughter.
- Haller is even more distraught when Frank Levin is murdered and certain that Roulet is to blame. Roulet isn’t just guilty, he’s evil.
- Haller finds a message on his answering machine (lol) from Frank, saying the he found Martinez’s ticket out of prison. The police tell Haller that Frank was shot with a Colt Woodsman, stolen from Haller.
- Roulet’s case goes to trial. The DA presents his case against Roulet but does not rest, saying he’d like to have the opportunity to call a rebuttal witness.
- Haller presents his case, but also asks a former client to give Dwayne Corliss, the jailhouse snitch, a message. When the prosecution calls Corliss, Haller pretends to object.
- Corliss testifies that Roulet admitted to attacking Reggie Campos and killing another woman, one with a snake tattoo (in the book, the victim dances in a snake pit). When Haller proves that Corliss is a known liar and snitch, the judge is furious and the DA drops the charges.
- Roulet is released, but immediately arrested again by the officer in charge of the Donna Rentaria murder. Haller put that officer on his witness list so he’d be in the courtroom and figure out that Roulet was Donna’s killer.
- Before Roulet is taken away, Haller whispers that it’s time for him to find a new lawyer. Haller has also figured out what Frank discovered before he was murdered: that Roulet got a parking ticket right outside Donna’s apartment on the night he murdered her.
Frank’s killer is unmasked
- Roulet gets out on bail and Haller gets a former client and his motorcycle gang to beat Roulet up. Then Roulet’s mother comes to see Haller and admits she’s the one who killed Frank. She shoots Haller and he shoots her.
- In the book Melendez (the innocent client) sues Haller, but in the movie, Haller is released from the hospital and drives off into the LA traffic.
How is the Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix Different from the 2011 Movie?
- I was worried that the Netflix version of The Lincoln Lawyer would just be a remake of the 2011 movie, which I’d already seen (and liked!)
- But I was happy to discover that the new Netflix show adapted book two in the Lincoln Lawyer series, The Brass Verdict.
- If you want the backstory to the Netflix show, watch the first movie if you want (or just read my summary above!)
I do have one concern. But I will tell you about that in the next section!
How Do the Lincoln Lawyer books fit into the Bosch Universe?
I’m so glad you asked! (I am Michael Connelly fan from WAY back. Like way back.)
Hieronymous “Harry” Bosch and Mickey Haller are half-brothers. They share a father, lawyer Michael Haller.
Bosch is older. His mother was a sex worker. She was murdered and he was put into foster care, so he didn’t know who his father was until much later.
Bosch served in Vietnam (he’s a gulf war veteran in the Bosch Amazon series), joined the LAPD, and fathered a child, Maddie, with Eleanor Wish, a poker playing FBI agent.
In The Brass Verdict, the book that the Netflix show is based on, Mickey has taken over the cases of a lawyer who got murdered, and Harry is working the lawyer’s murder as a detective. In the opening scenes of the book, they seem warily aware of each other, but don’t have a relationship (yet!)
Jack McEvoy, the protagonist from The Poet (one of my favorite Connelly books!) also makes an appearance in The Brass Verdict (book.) He’s not in the Netflix series.
Is Harry Bosch in the Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix?
I am disappointed to say NO, he is not.
If you want more Bosch, have you watched his series on Amazon Prime? If not, I recommend it! There’s also a new series Bosch Legacy, that is streaming on Freevee.
The Lincoln Lawyer Season One on Netflix: Summary and Review
Quick Spoiler Free Summary of The Brass Verdict, the book that inspired Season One!
After the events in The Lincoln Lawyer book one (above) Mickey Haller became addicted to Oxycontin and had to go to rehab, straining his relationship with Maggie.
Haller is summoned by a judge who tells him that another lawyer, who was recently murdered, left Haller in charge of his legal practice. Haller agrees to take on the cases. The biggest case, about to go to trial, is of a rich Hollywood producer accused of killing his wife and her lover. Just like in book one, this client insists he is innocent and wants a speedy trial.
Haller discovers that his new client’s original lawyer thought he had found a “magic bullet” that could win him the case. But what could it be? Can Haller find it in time? In addition, is the murder of the other lawyer related to one of his cases, and could that danger also transfer to Haller?
My Thoughts on The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix Casting
It’s interesting to read The Brass Verdict, as it’s when Mickey and Bosch get to know one another. Mickey has a hustler personality and is more extroverted and charming, while Bosch is more serious, more tortured, and more than a little prickly.
in the 2011 movie, Matthew McConaughey was playing Mickey at the top of his game. I feel like it’s possible that Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is playing Mickey as more subdued because he’s recently out of rehab and has not been practicing law for nearly a year. I’m curious to see how Garcia-Rulfo shows us Mickey growing in confidence. We’ll see.
I am loving Becki Newton as Lorna. She nails the part!
Here’s a great article on the cast of the Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix!
Main Differences Between the Lincoln Lawyer Books and The Netflix Series
I will try to list these changes from major to minor. These are mostly spoiler-free!
Bosch is NOT in the Lincoln Lawyer series on Netflix
As stated above, Harry Bosch is not a character in season one of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. I understand cutting him out. Maybe if Bosch (the show) weren’t on Amazon Prime this could happen.
Detective Griggs stands in for Bosch in the Netflix series.
Mickey was injured in a surfing accident in the Netflix version
As explained above, at the end of The Lincoln Lawyer, book one of the series, Mickey is shot and injured. The Brass Verdict begins around a year later, with Mickey having taken time off to recover from his injuries and subsequent Oxy addiction.
In the Netflix version of The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey was in a surfing accident instead. It seems like this new detail was inspired by Patrick Henson, who is a client of Mickey’s in The Brass Verdict (book). He was a surfer who had a drug problem and stole a necklace, which takes us to…
Mickey has a new driver in the Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix
Patrick Henson in the book is now Izzy Letts, an aspiring dancer who got hooked on Oxy, then heroin after a back injury. Izzy is a bit of a composite of two characters from The Brass Verdict: Patrick (mentioned above) and Lanie, another client of Mickey’s.
In the book, Mickey mentors Patrick, but in The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Izzy and Mickey support each other in their determination to stay sober. I really love this change! Izzy is a great character and I love her relationship with Mickey. It almost makes up for the lack of Bosch.
Walter Elliott is now Trevor Elliott, a video game designer, in the Netflix show
In The Brass Verdict, Elliott is a movie producer who seemed like he was in his 50s or 60s. In The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Trevor Elliott is a late-30s to early 40s video game producer who likes to shoot free throws on the roof of his building and play with his drone. Nocturna, his most famous video game characters, is modeled after his wife Lara (Mitzi in the book).
Trevor has a slightly different ending to his story in the Netflix version, one that you can sort of see coming.
In addition, Trevor’s wife gets more of a backstory of her own, which is nice. She was the brains behind Trevor’s video game empire.
Mickey’s daughter Hayley has been aged up to a teenager in the Netflix show
In the first two books, she’s pretty young but in the Netflix series she looks maybe fourteen to fifteen? She doesn’t seem old enough to drive yet.
Jan Rilz is now an amorous yoga instructor
In the book, Rilz is an interior designer. In the Netflix series, he’s a yoga instructor who seems to have scammed his wealthy yogi clients out of money.
Maggie McPherson has a bigger role in the Netflix series
In The Brass Verdict, Maggie is mostly on the sidelines, but there’s a subplot in the Netflix series that has her working on a trafficking case. It’s a good addition that puts her into conflict with Mickey and makes her more of a part of things.
The Jesus Menendez Case Carries over to The Netflix Series
This got confusing. As explained above, this is the case that haunted Mickey in book one. Mickey assumes all his clients are guilty but he fears Jesus is innocent (and in prison). In the first Lincoln Lawyer book, Mickey represented the person who was guilty of the crime that Jesus Menendez (Martinez in the book) was sent to prison for.
In The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Mickey is still haunted by the case, and the show suggests his brooding about it is part of what led to his drug abuse. He makes it a priority to get Jesus out of prison BUT unlike in the book, the real killer is still out there. With a tattoo. (In the books, it’s the victim who has a snake tattoo.)
Mickey listens to jazz, not rap, in the car in the Netflix series
In The Lincoln Lawyer book, Mickey’s driver Earl listens to Three Six Mafia and Tupac Shakur. In The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Mickey listens to jazz. While minor, I thought this was an interesting change because it does bring a little bit of Bosch into the story.
Celebrity Cameos in The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix
Okay, am I crazy or did I see Kat von D playing poker with Mickey’s jury consultant? *rubs eyes*
My husband informs me that Elliott Gould made a brief appearance as Mickey’s dad’s former associate, Legal Segal. (If he’s wrong, don’t blame me!)
What is a Brass Verdict, Anyway?
(This is a bit of a spoiler.) Bosch is the one who explains it in the book, and Griggs does it in the series. It’s street justice, or someone rendering a verdict outside the court system.
PLEASE leave a comment if you’ve watched the show or read the book!
Do you love adaptations of popular books? Check these out!
Page to Screen: Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
Page to Screen: Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
Please leave a comment!
I remember watching the film made me want to read the books because we all know the books are always better and there were things in the film I wanted to know more about that didn’t get chance to be explained. I didn’t realise there was a TV show coming out though! And I didn’t realise that it was linked to Bosch. I’m going to end up reading all of these books aren’t I? I always intended to watch Bosch on Amazon Prime but it’s one of those things I never got to, even with the pandemic.
lol there are SOOOO many Connelly books. He has been writing at least one a year since the 90s. Bosch is Michael Connelly’s main series, and he has what I think are standalones with at least one character that crosses over, plus the Lincoln Lawyer series, plus a newer series with a female detective, Renee Ballard. It’s a LOT.
I’m going to add more thoughts to this post as i have a LOT of them. The Bosch show on Amazon combines books for each season, which is kind of trippy but actually worked. Now there’s a Bosch spin-off with Bosch and his 20-something daughter. And now this Lincoln Lawyer series.
I’ll have to look this up on Netflix. It sounds like something I would enjoy.
I hope you try it, Mary! (And I really hope it’s good!!)
The new series Lincoln Lawyer. Garcia- Ruffo is completely miscast.
Heller is a very complex character, who Connelly created. He and Bosch also have complicated connections. In the new series none of these are realized. Shame on you Mr.Connelly. I have been your fan all through your writing. I am so disappointed in your new series.
I still remain a Bosch fan. The whole Bosch team is mostly intact, thank goodness.
Hi and thanks for sharing your opinion!
I love Bosch and if I did a quiz called “Are you a Bosch or a Haller?” (maybe I should do this!) I’d be a Bosch.
I am disappointed not to have Bosch in this series. The relationship between the two half-brothers was by far my favorite part of The Brass Verdict. I can understand that this might have been a tough decision based on competing series and the confusion of having two characters played by different actors on different platforms.
I am a Connelly super-fan and am reserving judgment on the casting. At first I thought Garcia-Ruffo was too closed-off and missing all Mickey’s charm, but in this installment Mickey is pretty beaten-down and needs to get his mojo back. By the end of the series, I was on board!
I also was VERY skeptical about Titus Welliver cast as Harry Bosch (my husband will tell you how bitterly I complained) and then in the end, I came to see Welliver as Bosch. It did take some time!
Loved the Netflex series. COULDNT STOP WATCHING IT ALL NIGHT. IM REFERRING TO THE LINCOLN LAWYER. YES it makes me want to read the books . I like this better than the movie . I thought McChoughy was too, too much it good to be self assured but he goes over the top
I saw that there is going to be a season two so I am happy!!!