Legal Fiction Thrillers

Tessa Ensler loves her job. She’s worked her way up to being a top criminal defense barrister against all the odds, and fights to defend those pleading not guilty. Tessa believes in the law, believes in the system. Her quick-witted cross-examinations and intelligence in the courtroom see her clocking up win after win—including securing freedom for men accused of rape and sexual assault. Innocence until proven guilty is, after all, the bedrock of a civilized society.

Attorney Ken McClain has nothing to live for. Nine years after the accident that claimed the life of his wife and two sons, he's finally given up. Alone in his empty house, it seems suicide is his only escape. Now the question of death by pills or by bullet? Then suddenly the phone rings, and it turns out to be a case he can't refuse. A case for the life of accused killer Peter Thomason, and a case for his own soul.

When a young woman dies in a late-night restaurant fire, the owner, Bobby Carter, is charged with arson and murder. The evidence is stacked against him, but something doesn’t add up. And his only chance for justice rests on the shoulders of small-town lawyer Leland Munroe… Leland is convinced someone’s out to frame his client. But as the trial heats up, he realizes that he's facing more than just a legal battle.

Alex Cross has never been on the wrong side of the law - until now. Charged with gunning down followers of his nemesis Gary Soneji in cold blood, Cross is being turned into the poster child for trigger-happy cops who think they're above the law. Cross knows it was self-defense. But will a jury see it that way? As Cross fights for his professional life and his freedom, his former partner, John Sampson, brings him a gruesome, titillating video tied to the mysterious disappearances of several young girls.

Eric’s wife, Anne, has followed the advice of handsome lawyer Mark Fenham and invested a small fortune in a merchant bank also involved in underwriting marine insurance. Now her company must pay out a vast insurance claim for the Sea Dawn, a ship sunk in Spanish waters. Eric Ward smells fraud. His wife could lose everything. And then, one by one, people connected to the Sea Dawn start to die. The murderous trail takes Ward to sunny Spain—where he comes face-to-face with his arch enemy. Will Ward uncover the truth about the sinking of the Sea Dawn?

Deal Coin is dead. So is Tyson Gore—the crypto company's rockstar CEO. Homeless addict Reggie Jones stands accused of his murder during a botched robbery in the heart of Salesforce Park. San Francisco Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez race against time to uncover the truth for Reggie.

A terrible fire in a wealthy suburban home leaves a married couple dead and Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich Conklin searching for clues. And after California's golden boy, Michael Campion has been missing for a month, there finally seems to be a lead in his case--a very devastating lead. As fire after fire consume couples in wealthy, comfortable homes, Lindsay and the Murder Club must race to find the arsonists responsible and get to the bottom of Michael Campion's disappearance.

Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter has run the Tara Foundation—the dog rescue organization named after his beloved golden retriever—for years. It's always been his calling, even as Andy's pulled into representing clients in court. His investigator, Marcus Clark, has been at Andy's side for a long time. Even though they've known each other for years, Marcus keeps his personal life a mystery. So it’s a shock when Marcus arrives at the Tara Foundation with two strangers in tow.

Horace Rumpole, the irreverent, iconoclastic, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister at law, is among the most beloved characters of English crime literature. He is not a particularly gifted attorney, nor is he particularly fond of the law by courts if it comes to that, but he’d rather be swinging at a case than bowing to his wife Hilda, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

David Sloane is the best wrongful death attorney in San Francisco. He's a lawyer who can make juries do anything. But despite his professional success, he's plagued by a nightmare of a childhood he cannot consciously remember. When he receives a package from a White House confidant who then turns up dead by apparent suicide, the contents reveal a history he never could have imagined.

Vengence will be theirs! The Bergman-Deketomis Law Firm built their powerhouse legal team fully understanding that their opponents rarely play by the rules, but the gruesome murder of one of their senior partners has placed them on a playing field where there are no rules. They are caught up in a way that has to be won outside of a courtroom. One of America's largest weapons manufacturers has them in its crosshairs, and a negotiated settlement is not an option. Sometimes the pursuit of justice isn't enough. Sometimes the law of vengeance is the only path.

The legal profession itself is put on the stand in this collection of courtroom mysteries by some of today's finest mystery writers. From an unusual lawyer with unusual methods, to a conniving attorney who gets the fate he so richly deserves, the halls of justice ring with these stories of intrigue and suspense.

Amid the pulsating beats of an upscale strip club in San Francisco's historic North Beach, a chilling crime unfolds. Ex-cop César Ochoa stands accused of brutally stabbing the club's star dancer, Chloe Carson. The evidence is damning, but César maintains his innocence. In a desperate bid for justice, César turns to Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez.

For the members of SEAL Team Six, it was a rare mission ordered by the president, monitored in real time from the Situation Room. Houthi rebels in Yemen had captured an American journalist and a member of the Saudi royal family. Their executions were scheduled for Easter Sunday. The SEAL team were to break them out. But when the mission results in spectacular failure, the finger-pointing goes all the way to the top. Paige Chambers, a determined young lawyer, has a very personal reason for wanting to know the answer.

A prestigious job at a top law firm, a beautiful home, and a gorgeous wife all made for an ideal life - but then life gets in the way. For Mac McRyan, a family tragedy meant forgoing a lucrative legal career for one in the family business - the St. Paul Police Department. After four years as a cop, Mac crosses the crime scene tape for the first time as a homicide detective. The back alley murder of a young trial lawyer from a high profile law firm doesn't add up.

Whether dueling with new forensics or the local old boys' network, irreverent defense attorney Andy Carpenter always leaves them awed with his biting wit and winning fourth-quarter game plan. But the fun stops the day Andy's dad, Paterson, New Jersey's legendary ex-DA, drops dead in front of him at a game in Yankee Stadium.

Detective Alex Cross returns in his most harrowing case yet - one that risks the life of his closest friend and partner, John Sampson. Cross and Sampson go deep behind military lines to confront the most ruthless killers they have ever encountered - and their even more threatening controller. Discovering the identity of this lethal genius will prove to be Cross' most terrifying challenge ever.

Detective Lindsay Boxer's long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a badly injured teenage girl is left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminals - but that the victim may be keeping secrets as well.

When a killer starts murdering lawyers in a prestigious law firm, and every lead takes them to a dead end, Detective Chief Inspector Whitney Walker finds herself grappling for a motive. What links these deaths, and why use a lethal injection? Alongside forensic psychologist, Dr. Georgina Cavendish, they close in on the killer, while all the while trying to not let their personal lives get in the way of the investigation.

After three tours in Afghanistan, homeless and hooked on painkillers, Lenny was working to pull his life together. He gave Annie the last of his oxy pills to ease the pain from her shoulder injury. But when she was found dead in her tent the next morning, Lenny wound up in jail accused of killing her with fentanyl. After a year behind bars, Lenny was finally about to get his day in court. But the uncertainty of the coronavirus threatened to delay his justice further. The evidence is compelling: a bottle with Lenny’s name, fingerprints, and DNA is found in the tent of the decedent.