Lincoln Lawyer Book vs Movie vs Show

[Whimsy]

Here’s a place to talk about differences between all three versions of Lincoln Lawyer. Spoilers may lay ahead if you’ve not read the books, seen the movie or completed the series. 

[AZChristian]

The book "The Brass Verdict" and this series are so different that - except for some character names and the fact that there is a double murder - they seemed unrelated.  

I understand why Harry Bosch could not be part of the series, but it was quite the omission from that story line in the book.

[Cristofle]

So I was interested to find out that the movie represented the first book versus the show represented the second book, because I did notice some plot similarities and I assumed some plots from the first book had been cannibalized into the series. So the series doesn't really closely follow the book? Because I definitely saw that both the series and the movie had a rich guy who turned out to be guilty of the crime he was accused of, and at the same time Mickey is trying to get old clients of his who have been falsely convicted out of prison. 

[AZChristian]

30 minutes ago, Cristofle said:

So the series doesn't really closely follow the book? 

It does to a point, but there are some MAJOR differences.

Here are a couple:

Spoiler

In the book, Mickey is not just selected randomly by a judge to take over the dead lawyer's cases.  The two lawyers had agreed (and signed contracts) years ago that in the event one of them became incapacitated or died, the other would have first choice to take over any or all of the dead guy's cases.

At the end of the book, the rich guy who was found not guilty of killing his wife and her lover is shot and killed by a member of the wife's lover's family (from Germany).  They killed him and then went back to Germany, so they were never charged in the US.

Edited May 31, 2022 by AZChristian

[Cristofle]

I wasn't left with the impression that Mickey had randomly been assigned the cases in the show, but rather that Holder had basically willed him the practice ten days before he died (an indication he may have known something was going to him). Which is still pretty different in that Mickey was unaware it had happened in the show, it sounds like. 

[roughing it]

In each book, Mickey has a different driver.  I like Izzy and hope she stays, but that's not true to the books. (Also, in the book, Izzy was a guy, can't remember his name though.)

[AZChristian]

49 minutes ago, roughing it said:

In each book, Mickey has a different driver.  I like Izzy and hope she stays, but that's not true to the books. (Also, in the book, Izzy was a guy, can't remember his name though.)

Patrick. A surfer whom Haller defended. He was working off his debt.

[slowpoked]

18 hours ago, AZChristian said:

It does to a point, but there are some MAJOR differences.

Here are a couple:

  Hide contents

In the book, Mickey is not just selected randomly by a judge to take over the dead lawyer's cases.  The two lawyers had agreed (and signed contracts) years ago that in the event one of them became incapacitated or died, the other would have first choice to take over any or all of the dead guy's cases.

At the end of the book, the rich guy who was found not guilty of killing his wife and her lover is shot and killed by a member of the wife's lover's family (from Germany).  They killed him and then went back to Germany, so they were never charged in the US.

I guess I have to watch the first episode again, but I thought Jerry Vincent put it in his will that his clients will go to Haller when he dies. Judge Holder was just executing (ahem) Jerry’s will as it’s stated. 

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, slowpoked said:

I guess I have to watch the first episode again, but I thought Jerry Vincent put it in his will that his clients will go to Haller when he dies. Judge Holder was just executing (ahem) Jerry’s will as it’s stated. 

Just pulled it up while waiting for my coffee to brew.

When Judge Holder called Mickey into her chambers to tell him he was getting Jerry's cases she said, "He left you his practice.  Mr. Vincent filed a motion with the court 10 days ago that allowed for the transfer of his entire practice to you, should he become incapacitated or deceased."

Which begs the question(s):

• Did Vincent, in fact file a motion, or
• Did Holder - knowing that Jerry was going to stop going along with the fake juror, etc., and thinking that Mickey would be rusty and/or malleable due to his recent year-long absence - lie about the motion to keep her payoff going?

Regardless, this is just one of the examples of how the book varies from the series.  In the book, it definitely WAS a reciprocal contract between the two attorneys.

[AZChristian]

Another difference between the movie and the series.

In the movie, he was Mickey Hal-er.

In the series, he's Mickey Hall-er.

[sugarbaker design]

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

In the series, he's Mickey Hall-er.

I thought so!  I always pronounced Haller as if it rhymed with valor.

Edited June 1, 2022 by sugarbaker design

[Cristofle]

I read the first book while on vacation this past weekend. The plot seems to fairly closely follow the plot of the movie, but I agree that McConaughey's portrayal, while I liked it, isn't really how I see the character in the books. I think the show Mickey is a little closer. Also, it doesn't seem that book Mickey made any deal with the biker gang to rough up Roulet? 

I started the second novel, but I haven't gotten far yet. I can tell that the Bosch thing is definitely going to be a major divergence. Also, it seems Mickey got addicted to pain killers after being shot in the first book, which the series decided to just side-step. 

[roughing it]

5 hours ago, Cristofle said:

Mickey got addicted to pain killers after being shot in the first book, which the series decided to just side-step. 

Not really side-stepped.  He was sober, and Izzy was trying to help keep him that way, encouraging him to go to meetings, etc.

[Cristofle]

8 hours ago, roughing it said:

Not really side-stepped.  He was sober, and Izzy was trying to help keep him that way, encouraging him to go to meetings, etc.

Oh, sorry, I was not clear at all reading that back! They definitely focused that he was a recovering addict, but they said it was a surfing accident rather than go into how he'd been injured in the first book. 

I'm trying to figure out what they're planning for Jesus Menendez. Because in the books, certainly, Roulet killed the woman, same as the movie. Are they bringing him in another way? Or are they not going to touch on him, and have the killer with the tattoo be someone else?

[AZChristian]

One of my favorite situations in the books that hasn't (yet) appeared in the show.

Michael Connelly acknowledges the movie based on "The Lincoln Lawyer" and mentions it - and Matthew McConaughey - once in a while in the subsequent books.  In one of the books, Mickey comes out of the courthouse and finds about 4 Lincolns lined up, as other lawyers are copying him, realizing that working out of a car has a lot of conveniences, given how much traveling an attorney has to do between courthouses and clients.  Mickey also mentions at one time that he was on his phone (distracted) and actually got into the wrong Lincoln.

What's even funnier is that one of the other lawyers claims that HE had a mobile office in a Lincoln before Mickey, and Mickey stole the idea from him.

[AZChristian]

I'm re-reading The Fifth Witness while watching the second season of the show.  There are some characters who are different from the person written about in the book.

In the book, "Izzy" is "Rojas."  I'm just hoping that she doesn't do on the show what he did in the book.

Won't know until the last half of the season drops.

[AZChristian]

Izzy didn't do what Rojas did in the book.  Thank goodness!!!

But Lisa DID do in the book what she didn't do in the show.  

[roughing it]

I kept wondering, when are they going to bring up the balloons? The series ending was inferior and didn’t make much sense. I prefer the book version.

[AZChristian]

51 minutes ago, roughing it said:

I kept wondering, when are they going to bring up the balloons? The series ending was inferior and didn’t make much sense. I prefer the book version.

I re-read the book between the first half of the season and the second half.  I almost wanted to go back to see if there were any scenes in Lisa's garage that showed a helium balloon tank.