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Detecting Lawyers
April 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm
in the Garden Room
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What is the difference between a legal suspense novel and a legal mystery? Sometimes it is difficult to draw a line between the two. The lawyers in legal mysteries have a desire to solve the crime, regardless of who the proprietor is. It is this desire that sometimes finds them defending someone who turns out to be guilty of the crime. In these novels, the lawyer is sometimes more of a private investigator.
Legal thrillers became prominent in the 1990s when Scott Turow, Steve Martini, and John Grisham began writing. In a legal thriller, the attorney's job is to keep himself and others clear of any danger. In these cases, (as with Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, the thrill of the chase is the primary focus, rather than solving the mystery.
The following is a list of authors who fit this category. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Please let us know if there is an author or title that you feel should be included here. Please read one or more of these authors / titles and come prepared to discuss them with the group. |
AUTHOR | PROTAGONIST | TITLE / YEAR |
| Arnold, Catherine | (Karen Perry-Mondoori) | Due Process (1996)
Imperfect Death (1997)
Blind Justice (1997)
Wrongful Death (1999) |
| Bernhardt, William | (Ben Kincaid / Travis Byrne) | Primary Justice (1991)
Blind Justice (1992)
Deadly Justice (1993)
Perfect Justice (1993)
Cruel Justice (1996)
Naked Justice (1997)
Extreme Justice (1998)
Dark Justice (1999)
Silent Justice (2000)
Murder One (2001)
Criminal Intent (2002)
Death Row (2003)
Hate Crime (2004)
Capitol Murder (2006)
Capitol Threat (2007)
Capitol Conspiracy (2008)
Double Jeopardy (1995)
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| Biehl, Michael | (Karen Hayes) | Doctored Evidence (2002)
Lawyered to Death (2003) |
| Blum, Bill | (John Solomon)
(Peter Harrigan)
(David Nova) | Prejudicial Error (1995)
The Last Appeal (1997)
The Face of Justice (1998) |
| Brandon, Jay | (Raymond Boudro)
(Jordan Marshall)
(Kelsey Thatch)
(Chris Sinclair)
(Mark Blackwell) | Fade the Heat (1990)
Rules of Evidence (1992)
Loose Among the Lambs (1993)
Local Rules (1995)
Defiance Country (1996)
Angel of Death (1998)
Afterimage (2000)
Silver Moon (2003)
Grudge Match (2004)
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| Brown, Sandra | (Kendall Deaton) | The Witness (1995) |
| Buckley, Christopher | (Bruce "Shameless" Baylor) | No Way to Treat a First Lady (2002) |
| Buffa, D.W. | (Joseph Antonelli) | The Defense (1997)
The Prosecution (1999)
The Judgment (2001)
The Legacy (2002)
Star Witness (2003)
Breach of Trust (2004)
Trial by Fire (2005) |
| Burke, James Lee | (Billy Bob Holland) | Cimarron Rose (1997)
Heartwood (1999)
Bitterroot (2001)
In the Moon of Red Ponies (2004) |
| Caudwell, Sarah | (Julia Larwood) | Thus Was Adonis Murdered (1981) |
| Connors, Rose | (Martha "Marty" Nickerson) | Absolute Certainty (2002)
Temporary Sanity (2003)
Maximum Security (2004) |
| Cooper, Natasha | (Trish Maguire) | Creeping Ivy (1998)
Fault Lines (2000)
Prey to All (2000)
Out of the Dark (2002)
A Place of Safety (2003)
Keep Me Alive (2005)
Gagged and Bound (2005)
Elvis is Done (2007) |
| Coughlin, William J. | (Charley Sloan)
(Kathleen Talbot)
(Jake Martin)
(Paul Murray) | Her Honor (1987)
Shadow of Doubt (1991)
Death Penalty (1992)
In the Presence of Enemies (1993)
The Heart of Justice (1995)
The Judgment (1997)
The Stalking Man (1998)
The Court (1999)
Proof of Intent (2002)
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| Dershowitz, Alan M. | (Abe Ringel) | The Advocate's Devil (1994)
Just Revenge (1999)
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| Diehl, William | (Martin Vail) | Primal Fear (1993)
Show of Evil (1996)
Reign in Hell (1997)
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| Dunbar, Anthony "Tony" P. | (Tubby Dubonnet) | Crooked Man (1994)
City of Beads (1995)
Trick Question (1996)
Shelter from the Storm (1997)
The Crime Czar (1998)
Lucky Man (1999)
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| Eberhardt, Michael C. | (Dan Carrier)
(Sean Barrett)
(Hunter Dobbs) | Against the Law (1995)
Body of a Crime (1998)
Witness for the Defense (1998)
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| Fairstein, Linda | (Alexandra Cooper) | Final Jeopardy (1996)
Likely to Die (1997)
Cold Hit (1999)
The Deadhouse (2001)
The Bone Vault (2003)
The Kills (2004)
Entombed (2005)
Death Dance (2006)
Bad Blood (2007)
Killer Heat (2008) |
| Forster, R.A. | (Amanda Cross)
(Kathleen Cotter)
(Lauren Kingsley)
(Tara Linley) | Beyond Malice (1997)
Character Witness (1997)
The Mentor (1998)
Keeping Council (1996) |
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