The Lincoln Lawyer: What Book Is Season 2 Based On?

Imagine being set up for murder and meeting your defense attorney only to find out the person in charge of keeping you out of prison works out of his car and is a former addict. This is the story behind Netflix's "The Lincoln Lawyer," starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo ("6 Underground," "The Magnificent Seven") as Mickey Haller. If you are a fan of the book series starring the same character by famed author Michael Connelly, you'll be happy to know that Season 2 of the series will center around book four in the franchise, "The Fifth Witness." 

If you've read the book, you know Haller operates his entire practice out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, one of the bigger separations from the novels. Showrunner Ted Humphrey explained why fans didn't see that particular vehicle in Season 1 in an interview with Tudem. "The books date back to 2005, and in fact, Lincoln no longer makes Town Cars. They've replaced all their sedans pretty much with SUVs, as so many carmakers have, so we went with the 2020s version, which is a Navigator. As for the classic Continental, he doesn't have that car in the books. We have an origin story for how and why he has one — you saw his dad had the same keychain he has in Episode 106."

The unconventional attorney returns in Season 2 on the streaming giant and, despite the success he found in Season 1, is still working out of the luxurious leather backseat of his Lincoln vehicle. 

The series kicks off its first season with the story of the second book in the franchise. "The Brass Verdict" sees Mickey Haller return to the courtroom after a long absence. He suffered a vicious accident and a stint in rehab that has his confidence shaken. But when the murder of prominent LA attorney Jerry Vincent lands all of his cases in Haller's lap, he has to return to the courtroom and get his mojo back.

One of the aspects that makes the series compelling is the presence of two of Haller's ex-wives, one as a prosecutor, Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell), often working with the criminal attorney, and one as his assistant, Lorna Crane (Becki Newton). Manuel Garcia-Rulfo told Coming Soon that he really enjoyed the dynamic, saying, "I think it's so cool. Mickey Haller, he sees the best in people, you know what I mean? He simplifies things instead of going into the drama," He continued. "To have two ex-wives and, you know, dealing with them at the same time, and one is like a motor for him, for his work, and the other one makes him be a good man and makes him grounded."

Haller and company face multiple cases on different fronts throughout the season, but the case of Trevor Elliot (Christopher Gorham) takes center stage, with the murder of Jerry and the corruption of a judge also becoming big storylines. And, of course, let's not forget the slave labor case against Angelo Soto (Reggie Lee). At the end of the season, we see Haller having returned to his old self, victorious both in court and in life.

Season 2 is based on the fourth book in the series, "The Fifth Witness," which sees Mickey Haller defending Lisa Trammel for the murder of a wealthy bank owner who ended up having ties to organized crime. Much like the other books in the series, the plot focuses on Haller's fear that he wouldn't see true innocence if it was staring him in the face, making him question whether or not his client is actually guilty.

In Season 2, Trammel is played by Lana Parrilla ("Once Upon a Time," "Why Women Kill") and is charged with the murder of a wealthy business owner while she fights against gentrification. When we pick up with Heller, he has a new confidence and booming practice that comes with the success of his last case. Garcia-Rulfo tells Tudem, "He's got this mojo back and his confidence back and all that, but I think that success brings a lot of bad stuff as well if you don't know how to handle it — and I think he wasn't ready for it."

If the series stays true to the book, we can expect more conflict within Haller in deciphering whether or not his client is innocent. This will set up a big decision in the season of whether to stop associating with people such as Trammel and instead run for District Attorney. If that happens, Season 3 could see him cross the aisles of justice and start putting guilty parties away instead of setting them free. And, you never know, we may just get an appearance from his half-brother — another famous Michael Connelly character — Detective Harry Bosch.