The Lincoln Lawyer 4 Review: Never A Dull Moment

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo delivers his best performance yet in The Lincoln Lawyer 4, applauds Deepa Gahlot.

Mickey Haller is one of Michael Connelly's most endearing characters. He's called the Lincoln Lawyer because earlier on in the series of books -- later turned into a Netflix series -- his office had been torched by gangsters, so he functioned out of his Lincoln town car, driven by one of his clients, who paid off her fees this way.

It's a pity that his half brother Detective Harry Bosch can't appear in the show because he has his own series on the rival OTT channel, Prime Video, which is also home to another superb Connelly character, Renee Ballard.

The fourth season of The Lincoln Lawyer is based on the book, The Law Of Innocence, that was hinted on at the end of the last season, when Haller's car was pulled up by a cop. In the boot was the corpse of a former client.

Haller was arrested for murder and he has to fight the toughest case of his life, to defend himself against false charges, when all evidence goes against him.

How The Lincoln Lawyer 4 starts

When the series opens, Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is in prison uniform, wearing an untidy beard. The always nattily-dressed iconoclastic, ne'er-say-die lawyer has his back against the wall. His office, run by his ex-wife Lorna (Becki Newton) and former client Izzy (Jazz Reycole), is losing work because who'd want a murderer to defend them? /p>

Lorna is now married to Cisco (Angus Sampson), Haller's loyal investigator, the kind of friend anybody would like in his corner.

Coming to his defence is Maggie McPerson, (Neve Campbell) his first wife and mother of his teenage daughter, a defence lawyer so efficient in court that she is nicknamed McFierce. The ex-wives get along with each other and with Haller, which is a nice touch.

In the court of the stern but fair judge (Scott Lawrence) prosecuting Haller is a woman, equally ferocious, nicknamed Death Row Dana (Constance Zimmmer). She has lost so often to Haller in court that her relish in seeing him as the accused is almost palpable.

The courtroom drama is interspersed with the team trying to figure out who framed Haller and why. Of course, members of organised crime are involved, trying to protect their turf. The Feds are portrayed as villains because they are willing to wreck Haller's life to save one of their operations.

The twists in The Lincoln Lawyer

The plot has multiple twists, and Haller is almost being killed. There's never a dull moment, and the glow of warmth and support from family and friends adds an emotional touch to the crime thriller.

Haller's usual swagger is replaced by desperation to clear his name.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo delivers his best performance yet. The title of the book refers to the fact that being proved not guilty in court is not the same thing as being innocent. Haller is adamant that his reputation be restored too, just walking out of jail is not enough.

Coming up, in The Lincoln Lawyer 5

​The season, created by David E Kelley, and scripted and directed by different people, ends on a high note. It sets the stage for Season 5, which adapts Connelly's latest Mickey Haller book, Resurrection Walk. His own terrifying experience on the other side of the law has mellowed the maverick lawyer.

There is much to look forward to in the next season, as Haller defends a hopeless case.

The Lincoln Lawyer 4 is streaming on Netflix.

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