Legal Thrillers

September 3, 2010

Brown, Sandra. SMASH CUT: A Novel. Pocket Books. August '10. $9.99. "THE PRINCIPALS: Paul Wheeler. CEO of the Wheeler Enterprises empire. At age fifty-two, he's a pillar of Atlanta society and a brilliant businessman. But Paul is out of the picture even before the opening credits - shot dead during an armed robbery. Julie Rutledge. A savvy, cultured, and attractive Southern woman, seasoned by a stint of study and romance in Paris. She owns the city's most successful and sophisticated art gallery on Peachtree Street. She was also Paul Wheeler's weekly companion at the hotel where he was murdered and was hand in hand with him at the time of his death. Derek Mitchell. A defense lawyer of renown. Successful, handsome, and despised by the Atlanta PD for his courtroom victories, he goes to the mat to make a case for every client - and headlines for himself. A guilty verdict is not an option. Yet he's not entirely without a conscience, as proven when his life takes a terrible turn toward the cinematic. Creighton Wheeler. The prodigal nephew of Paul. With movie-star looks and guileless blue eyes, the twenty-eight-year-old playboy has a penchant for call girls, fast cars, and designer clothes. But his passion is movies. He studies them, quotes them...and lives them. Even those closest to Creighton can't be sure when he exits reality and enters the fantasy world of films. STORYBOARD: The murder of Paul Wheeler has all the elements of a blockbuster: family rivalries, incalculable wealth, and a prominent man dying in the arms of his beautiful mistress. It's a case that could earn Derek Mitchell even greater star power. When the Wheeler family approaches him about defending Creighton for his uncle's murder - even before he's charged - he jumps at the chance. But Derek soon discovers that Julie will stop at nothing to secure justice for Paul - and that includes preventing Derek from defending Creighton. Infuriated, Derek realizes that his hands have been tied in a way that could not only cost him the case, but ruin his entire career. Although Creighton has a rock-solid alibi, Julie is convinced that he is responsible for Paul's murder. But the homicide detectives have another theory. Caught in several lies, and keeping secrets from Derek and the police, Julie is suspected of casting blame on Creighton to cover her own crime. Meanwhile, Derek fears he's once again being duped...yet he burns with jealousy when he thinks of Julie with her late lover. But the more Derek learns about Creighton and his darker side, the more he doubts the young man's innocence. And hiding in a squalid motel under an assumed name is the one man, a career criminal, a killer, who knows the truth. The clock ticks down toward a shocking ending as Derek and Julie seek to learn whether Creighton's fascination with movie murders is merely a bizarre hobby or depravity. Has he begun reenacting cinema's goriest scenes...and, if so, who will be his unwitting costars? They won't know until the final SMASH CUT."

Champion, David. BOMBER BOMBS. Knoll. November '10. "Bombastic trial lawyer Bomber and his amiable son Ted are comfortable in their respective roles as a never-lose-a-case attorney and a behind-scenes investigator who would rather be composing music. But when a popular college football team is accused of rape after a spring break party, their booster Dixie desperately wants them to hire Bomber, who is less than enthused about the prospect. Bomber says football is barbaric and wants nothing to do with the team. Tod is pressed into service against his wishes when misfortune strikes the indomitable Bomber. Why is this exotic dancer crying rape? Why can't Tod get any straight answers from the team of ten accused? Circumstances in the courtroom allow Tod to reluctantly gain trial experience in the shadow of his mighty father. But is it enough to win the case? In this eagerly awaited ninth installment of the Bomber Hanson Mystery series, fans won't be disappointed in what is sure to be Tod's best performance yet."

Fairstein, Linda. HELL GATE. Dutton. April '10. $26.95. "Head of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney's office in Manhattan for decades, Linda Fairstein is America's most visible legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence - which is why she writes some of the most compelling crime thrillers of our time and why her Alexandra Cooper series has been topping bestseller list for more than a decade. Fans turn to Fairstein for ripped-from-the-headline crimes, cutting-edge investigations, and vindication for victims. Linda Fairstein brings readers inside a world of which they can't get enough, but one they hope to never see in real life. And for her twelfth novel, Fairstein takes Alexandra Cooper inside a world she'd rather not see. New York City politics have always been filled with intrigue and behind-the-scenes deals. In HELL GATE, Alex finds her attention torn between investigating a shipwreck that has contraband cargo - human cargo - and the political sex scandal of a promising New York congressman now fallen from grace. When Alex discovers that a woman from the wreck and the congressman's lover have the same rose tattoo - the brand of a 'snakehead,' a master of a human trafficking operation - it dawns on her that these cases aren't as unrelated as they seem and that the entire political landscape of New York City could hang in the balance of her investigation. As Alex looks on at the nameless victims in the morgue, she realizes she's looking at the present - day face of New York's long, dark tradition of human trafficking - a tradition that began hundreds of years ago with slave trade from Africa, now a multimillion-dollar industry that will stop at no cost, even if that cost is Alex's life."

Fairstein, Linda. LETHAL LEGACY. Anchor Books. December '09. $7.99. "In Linda Fairstein's outstanding new novel, the New York Public Library houses dazzling treasures - and deadly secrets. When Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper is summoned to Tina Barr's apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, she finds a neighbor convinced that the young woman was assaulted. But the terrified victim, a conservator of rare books and maps, refuses to cooperate with investigators. Then another woman is found murdered in that same apartment with an extremely valuable book, believed to have been stolen. As Alex pursues the murderer, she is drawn into the strange and privileged world of the Hunt family, major benefactors of the New York Public Library and passionate rare book collectors. Eventually Alex connects their internal family rivalries to a priceless edition of Alice in Wonderland, which also contains the world's oldest map. Would one of the well-bred Hunts be willing to kill for the treasures? The search for the answer takes Alex and her team on a breathtaking chase from Manhattan's grandest apartments to the secret tunnels and chambers of the New York Public Library, and finally to a nineteenth-century underground vault. There, in the pitch-black darkness, Alex comes face-to-face with the killer who values money more than life. Featuring a cast of elite, erudite, and downright eccentric characters, and a complex trail of clues that will have you guessing until the final pages, LETHAL LEGACY is Linda Fairstein's most beguiling thriller yet."

Grisham, John. THE ASSOCIATE. Dell Books. November '09. $9.99. "Kyle McAvoy possesses an outstanding legal mind. Good-looking and affable, he has a glittering future. He also has a dark secret that could destroy his dreams, his career, even his life. One night that secret catches up with him. The men who accost Kyle have a compromising video they'll use to ruin him - unless he does exactly what they say. What they offer Kyle is something any ambitious young lawyer would kill for: a job in Manhattan as an associate at the world's largest law firm. If Kyle accepts, he'll be on the fast track to partnership and a fortune. But there's a catch. Kyle won't be working for the firm but against it in a dispute between two powerful defense contractors worth billions. Now Kyle is caught between the criminal forces manipulating him, the FBI, and his own law firm - in a malignant conspiracy not even Kyle with all his intellect, cunning, and bravery may be able to escape alive."

Lescroart, John. A PLAGUE OF SECRETS. Signet Books. July '10. $9.99. Thirteenth in the series. "Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt return in a compelling and timely legal thriller filled with blackmail, political intrigue, and multiple murder. The first victim is Dylan Vogler, a charming ex-convict who manages the Bay Beans West coffee shop in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. When his body is found, inspectors discover that his knapsack is filled with high-grade marijuana. It soon becomes clear that San Francisco's A-list flocked to Bay Beans West not only for their caffeine fix. But how much did Maya Townshend - the beautiful socialite niece of the city's mayor, and the absentee owner of the shop - know about what was going on inside her business? And how intimate had she really been with Dylan, her old college friend? As another of Maya's acquaintances falls victim to murder, and as the names of the dead men's celebrity, political, and even law- enforcement customers come to light, tabloid-fueled controversy takes the investigation into the realms of conspiracy and cover-up. Prosecutors close in on Maya, who has a deep secret of her own - a secret she needs to protect at all costs during her very public trial, where not only her future but the entire political landscape of San Francisco hangs in the balance, hostage to an explosive secret that Dismas Hardy is privilege-bound to protect."

Maron, Margaret. SAND SHARKS. Grand Central. November '10. $7.99. "When Judge Deborah Knott travels to Wrightsville Beach for a summer conference for North Carolina District Court Judges, she stumbles upon the body of one of her colleagues. Meanwhile, Deborah's husband, Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant, is in Virginia with his son, tying up loose ends left by the death of his first wife. When another judge is found murdered at the conference, it soon becomes evident that Deborah may be the killer's next target. Her relaxing trip to the seaside soon transforms into a harrowing experience, and she must summon all of her strength and investigative expertise to track down the culprit before she becomes the next victim."

Michaels, Fern. DEADLY DEALS. Kensington pbo. December '09. $27.95. Sixteenth in The Sisterhood series. "After years of trying to become pregnant without success, Rachel Dawson and her husband Thomas felt their dreams had finally come true the day they brought home their newly adopted twin babies. Though the lawyer Baron Bell who arranged for the surrogate mother charged a hefty six-figure fee, one glance into the eyes of their precious children told them it was all worth it. Until the birth mother reappeared, first demanding more money, then the twins themselves. Suddenly Baron Bell was nowhere to be found, and the Dawsons were once again childless, heartbroken and nearly destitute. When the case finds its way to the offices of high-profile attorney Lizzie Fox, she can't wait to take down the so-called 'Mr. Wonderful'. And she knows she'll have all the help she needs as it's just the kind of crime that really gets the Sisterhood's adrenalin flowing. Once they get their hands on the perpetrators there will be hell to pay, and it will cost a lot more than cold, hard cash..." Paperback edition. Zebra Books. May '10. $7.99. Available on Audio CD from Brilliance Audio.

Patterson, James & DiLallo, Richard. ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL. Little, Brown and Co. May '10. $14.99. "Separated by time... From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he's written - a novel called Trial. Connected by blood... As a lawyer in turn-of-the-century Washington D.C., Ben Corbett represents the toughest cases. Fighting against oppression and racism, he risks his family and his life in the process. When President Roosevelt asks Ben to return to his home town to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there, he cannot refuse. United by bravery... When he arrives in Eudora, Mississippi, Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross and his beautiful daughter, Moody. Ben enlists their help, and the two Crosses introduce him to the hidden side of the idyllic Southern town. Lynchings have become commonplace and residents of the town's black quarter live in constant fear. Ben aims to break the reign of terror - but the truth of who is really behind it could break his heart. Written in the fearless voice of Detective Alex Cross, ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL is a gripping story of murder, love, and, above all, bravery."

Sansom, C.J. REVELATION. Penguin Books. March '10. $16.00. Fourth in the Matthew Shardlake series. "The year is 1543 an King Henry VIII is wooing Lady Catherine Parr, whom he wants for his sixth wife. But this time the object of his affection is resisting. Archbishop Cranmer and the embattled Protestant faction at court are watching keenly, for Lady Catherine is known to have reformist sympathies. Matthew Shardlake, meanwhile, is working on the case of a teenage boy, a religious maniac who cannot stop praying for forgiveness. The boy has been placed by the king's council in the Bedlam hospital for the insane. Should he be released as his parents want, when his terrifying actions could lead him to being burned as a heretic? When an old friend is horrifically murdered, Shardlake promises his widow, for whom he has long had complicated feelings, to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to connections not only with the boy in Bedlam but also with Cranmer and Parr - and with the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation. As London's Bishop Bonner prepares a purge of Protestants, Shardlake, with his assistant Jack Barak and his friend Guy Maltom, follows the trail of a series of grisly murders that shake them all to the core and which are already igniting frenzied talk of witchcraft and demonic possession - for what else would the Tudor mind make of a serial killer?"

Vaughn, Dennis. THE PRICE OF REVENGE. Synergy Books pbo. May '10. $15.95. "David Fox has a life anyone would envy - a flourishing career as a lawyer, a condo in Denver, and a beautiful girlfriend, Ellen - until he begins investigating a lawsuit against the Denver City Ballet. It seems like a commonplace allegation of misspent funds at first, but soon David finds himself caught in a web of blackmail, betrayal, and dark secrets. To escape, he'll have to answer some uncomfortable questions: Who was responsible for the embezzlement, and how far will they go to cover it up? What precisely is Ellen discussing in those sessions with her psychiatrist? And is telling the truth worth losing everything? THE PRICE OF REVENGE follows David across boundaries both professional and personal as he tries to find his way out of the maze of intrigue into which he has stumbled."

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