Summary
- The Gods of Guilt, the book The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 will likely be based on, offers some of the biggest surprises and twists in the series, guaranteeing an exciting new outing.
- Mickey Haller's failed run for district attorney and his daughter's disdain for his work contribute to a rough patch in their relationship, leading to a long period without .
- Mickey's investigation into his former client's murder connects to a previous case. This leads him to question the involvement of a DEA agent and ultimately uncover the real killer in a shocking courtroom twist.
ending of The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 confirms the season will adapt the book The Gods Of Guilt.
Compared to the plots of the last two seasons, The Gods Of Guilt is a far more personal story for Mickey Haller. After experiencing a dip in his law career, Mickey is called to defend Julian Lacosse (named Andre La Cosse in the book) after Lacosse is accused of murder. As it turns out, the victim Lacosse is accused of killing is one of Mickey’s former clients: Gloria Dayton (aka Glory Days). While The Lincoln Lawyer is no stranger to big twists and reveals, The Gods Of Guilt has some of the biggest surprises of the series, ensuring season 3 will be an exciting one.
10 Mickey Has A Failed Run For District Attorney After Lisa Trammel’s Trial
At the end of the Lincoln Lawyer book The Fifth Witness, Mickey declares his intention to switch from defense to prosecution and run for district attorney. This decision is largely inspired by the Lisa Trammel case. Her ability to manipulate him leaves Mickey feeling jaded about defense work. Although his new career aspirations suggest a new direction for The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey’s desire to become district attorney does not come to in The Gods Of Guilt.
The Gods Of Guilt opens with Mickey in a courtroom doing defense work once again, revealing that Mickey’s district attorney run was unsuccessful. Later on, Mickey explains that his career change failed because of bad press he got when one of his former clients killed two people at an intersection. At one point Mickey had been leading the polls in the district attorney race, but the scandal killed his chances of winning, precipitating his return to defense work in The Gods Of Guilt.
9 Mickey & Hayley Go Through A Rough Patch In Their Relationship
Unfortunately, the actions of Mickey’s former client, Sean Gallagher, have consequences for Mickey beyond losing him the district attorney race. As fate would have it, the victims of Gallagher’s accident include a girl that Mickey's daughter, Hayley, went to school with. Hayley places blame on Mickey for helping free Gallagher, and she develops a disdain for the work her father does. As a result, Hayley decides to cut Mickey out of her life, and the two Lincoln Lawyer characters aren’t in for the majority of The Gods Of Guilt.
8 Mickey Connects Glory Days’ Death To A Previous Case
After discovering that the victim of his newest case is one of his former favorite clients, Glory Days, Mickey begins to reconsider past cases. Eventually, he recalls a different case he handled for Glory, during which they cut a deal that led to the arrest of drug dealer Hector Moya. Mickey discovers that Moya is seeking an appeal, and he wonders if Glory’s murder and Moya’s case are connected. This leads him to meet with Moya in prison.
During this meeting, Moya shares his belief that Glory planted a gun in his hotel room, leading to his life sentence. However, Moya doesn’t think that Glory was acting alone. He tells Mickey she planted the gun at the behest of a DEA agent named Marco. Mickey runs with this theory and bases his defense of Lacosse on the connections between Moya’s case and Glory’s murder.
7 Mickey’s Life Is Threatened After A Visit With Moya In Prison
Mickey nearly loses his life after meeting with Moya in prison, suggesting that Moya’s theory about his case has legs. After leaving the prison, Mickey’s Lincoln is rammed into and run off the road. Although Mickey survives the accident, his driver, Earl, is not so lucky. Earl's death serves as a major source of guilt for Mickey throughout the rest of the Lincoln Lawyer book.
Because of The Lincoln Lawyer’s book changes, Earl doesn’t appear as Mickey’s driver in the Netflix adaptation. That raises questions about how The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 will depict this incredibly important plot. Since Mickey's TV show driver, Izzy, resigns at the end of season 2, it's possible Earl will be introduced as her replacement. This would allow the crash to play out the way it does in The Gods of Guilt. However, Izzy is remaining at Mickey's practice part-time, so the incident could still kill Izzy instead. This would be one of the show's most shocking twists, and it would have a devastating impact on Mickey.
6 Mickey’s Key Witness Detective Lankford Reveals Who Glory’s Real Killer Is
Mickey’s belief in Lacosse's innocence is proven correct when his key witness reveals Glory’s real killer. The connections Mickey draws between Glory’s and Moya’s cases allow him to call a former LAPD detective named Lankford to the witness stand. As Mickey probes Lankford about the events leading up to Glory's murder, the detective comes clean about his involvement. He implicates himself and Agent Marco in the crime.
While on the witness stand, Lankford reveals that he followed Glory home the night of her murder. He did so at Marco's behest, then texted the other man her address. Lankford shares his belief Glory's killer was not Lacosse but Marco. Lankford’s testimony ends in tragedy, as he pulls out a secret gun and commits suicide on the stand. This twist brings a shocking end to the trial.
5 Lacosse & Moya Are Set Free After The Trial
Lacosse’s trial ends in tragedy for Lankford’s, but it spawns positive outcomes for Lacosse and Moya. Lacosse’s trial is declared a mistrial. Since it seems “likely” that Lacosse is innocent, all the charges against him are dropped. The case fosters a level of trust between Lacosse and Mickey, and Lacosse allows Mickey to represent him in a civil case against the county for his wrongful arrest and incarceration.
Moya’s story has a more bittersweet ending. After Lacosse’s trial, Moya’s appeal on his life sentence is successful, resulting in the sentence being vacated. Unfortunately, Moya is taken into custody again soon after his release from prison, this time by immigration. This leads to Moya’s deportation from the United States. Although Mickey doesn’t officially know what happened to Moya after his deportation, the end of The Gods Of Guilt offer some hints about Moya’s whereabouts.
4 Marco Gets ‘Punished’ For His Involvement In Glory Days’ & Moya’s Cases
Marco’s disappearance after the mistrial makes it impossible for him to be tried for Glory’s murder. Still, Mickey receives shocking proof that Marco is punished for what he did to Glory and Moya. After his disappearance, it's believed that Marco escaped to southern Mexico, aided by the cartel leaders who corrupted him. This isn’t confirmed until Mickey receives an anonymous email (which he believes is from Moya) with a video of a dead man attached. Mickey believes that this dead man is Marco and that the Mexican cartel got their revenge on the former DEA agent.
3 Glory Days’ Case Is Technically Still Unsolved
A few good things come out of the Lacosse trial, but justice for Glory Days is not one of them. Because Lacosse’s case is declared a mistrial and not reopened due to Marco’s disappearance, Glory's murder remains unsolved in the eyes of the government. That's something that weighs heavily on Mickey’s mind at the end of The Gods Of Guilt.
2 Mickey & Hayley Reconnect After The Trial
In addition to freeing two men, the Lacosse trial has a positive impact on Mickey’s personal life. After an influx of positive press, Hayley begins to change her mind about Mickey’s work. As a result, she tentatively reopens the channels of communication with her father. While their relationship isn’t fully healed by the end of The Gods Of Guilt, Mickey reveals that they text a few times a week and that he travels to watch Hayley’s equestrian competitions.
1 Mickey Gets Investigated By The California Bar After The Trial
One downside of all the press Mickey receives is that the titular “Lincoln Lawyer” ends up being investigated by the California Bar Association. During the trial, Mickey visits Lacosse in the hospital and has him sign a waiver of appearance. Ethical quandaries are raised when it’s alleged that Lacosse couldn’t have been conscious at the time of g. Despite this, Lacosse states he was aware of what he was doing at the time. Although the bar investigation is ongoing at the end of the novel, Mickey says he’s not worried about its outcome. This means his story can continue beyond The Lincoln Lawyer season 3.