Legal English

Examining murder from an insider’s perspective, Matt Murphy—a former senior deputy district attorney and current ABC News legal analyst—discusses cases from his career, how they strained his personal life, and how he found peace seeking justice for victims and their families. Part taxonomy of murder, part prosecutor’s handbook, and part personal memoir, The Book of Murder goes through a dozen cases and his recollections of his 26 years in the Orange County DA’s office (17 in the Homicide Unit).

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A tremendously entertaining legal thriller, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have won John Grisham acclaim as “an absolute master” (The Washington Post). After leaving a fast-track legal career and going on a serious...

When two security guards are gunned down during a brazen cannabis cash heist, all signs point to the third man on the job—Chip Bowman, a former soldier and employee of Hardshell Security. With millions stolen and the city on edge, Bowman turns to Brad Madison for help. But this case won't be won in the courtroom alone. Hardshell moves cash and product for California's booming legal weed industry—an industry forced to run off the books due to federal law.

Meet Mike Daley. Ex-priest. Ex-public defender. And as of yesterday, ex-partner in one of San Francisco's most prominent law firms. Today he's out on his own, setting up practice on the wrong side of town. Then his best friend and former colleague is charged with a brutal double murder, and Daley is instantly catapulted into a high-profile investigation involving the prestigious law firm that just booted him. As he prepares his case, Daley uncovers the firm's dirtiest secrets.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A father’s sudden death leaves one of his sons holding a dangerous secret in this masterful thriller from “a legal literary legend” (USA Today). “A pleasure to read . . . a good yarn.”—The Washington Post A pillar of the community who towered over...

When private investigator Lana Parker follows a dangerous biker into an underground sex club, James Hunter is the last man she expects to see. But there he is, all dark looks and chiseled charms, ready to break her heart all over again. Danger is the name of the game for an undercover cop. And the last thing James wants is for the fiery beauty to come anywhere near the notorious biker gang he's trying to take down.

Sam Jordan’s dreams of legal stardom are long dead. Fired from his three previous law firms, he now spends his days handling fender benders and his nights drowning his frustrations in video games. When his wife announces she needs “space,” Sam hits a new low. Then Gina—the woman who’s haunted his thoughts since college—unexpectantly reappears in his life, reigniting a passion Sam thought he’d buried. A romantic dinner rekindles his long-suppressed desires, and sparks a dangerous fantasy, a future with Gina, no matter the cost. .

“Patterson and Lupica make a great team” (Carl Hiaasen) who get “deep into the lives of strong women” (Louise Penny) and Jane Smith is their greatest creation—a badass lawyer with a year to live. “Jane Smith is the best character we’ve ever created. Bar none.” —James Patterson...

Cass is a force in the courtroom. Determined to keep the innocent out of jail, the unyielding defense attorney dominates her opponents to balance the scales of justice. But in a terrible twist of fate, she’s forced to testify against the man she loves when he’s accused of killing his estranged wife.

Cam Crewell can barely keep his head above water in his first year of law school. His struggles intensify when his younger brother and sister are suddenly left with no place to live. Without other options, they move in with Cam and his five eclectic roommates in their overcrowded and barely code-compliant house. Although the new home offers a sense of belonging and support, their world is thrown into turmoil when Child Welfare discovers the kids are living without a true legal guardian.

When former prosecutor Penn Cage returns to his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, he doesn't find the peace he desperately craves. He finds that his own father is being blackmailed by a corrupt ex-cop. And when Penn investigates, he uncovers a murderous secret and the small town's violent...

3J and Pascale are back and file bankruptcy cases for six Kansas City jazz clubs that have somehow managed to survive the COVID pandemic. Now they must battle an unknown enemy who runs an anonymous disinformation campaign on social media to try to put the clubs out of business. Will they be able to stop the campaign in time to save the clubs and keep jazz alive in the city?

Suspicious deaths. Broken bonds. Lives in peril. Redemption. Past-haunted emergency physician Zack Winston and case-hardened defense attorney Bridget Larsen battle a malicious malpractice suit. They uncover a medical conspiracy trading in drugs and murder. As they peel back layers of truth, past relationships and current alliances destabilize-threatening both their lives. A new bond ignites between them.

At first glance, Heather Gordon's death looks like suicide. But a single clue points to something far darker—and it leads straight to her ex-boyfriend, Dwayne Fogle. With a history of controlling behavior and jealous outbursts, even Dwayne's own mother doubts his innocence. Still, she turns to criminal defense attorney Brad Madison to give her son a fighting chance.

The New York Times bestseller: a revelatory inside story of the trial and final days of New England Patriots superstar Aaron Hernandez, by his attorney and New York Times bestselling author Jose Baez. When renowned defense attorney Jose Baez received a request for representation from Aaron...

Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! "Great book. Great series. Best yet" (Morning Joe). Undefeated criminal defense attorney Jane Smith—known as the Hamptons Lawyer—never fails to make her case. The Hamptons on Long Island is known for its beautiful beaches, its luxury lifestyle—and its...

The Summons Once Judge Atlee was a powerful figure in Clanton, Mississippi–a pillar of the community who towered over local law and politics for forty years. Now the judge is a shadow of his former self, a sick, lonely old man who has withdrawn to his sprawling ancestral home. Knowing the end...

Marko Bauer and Allee Smith thought defending James Innis on a simple charge would be straightforward. But when he confesses to a murder, it’s clear that this case will be anything but easy. Bound by the law, they can't expose him, even when he leads them to the body. Desperate to escape the ethical trap they've fallen into, Marko and Allee search for a loophole to report him, weighing the options of dropping the case or outright defying the rules.

There’s a hurricane brewing over Beaufort, South Carolina. And in the calm before the storm, big-city lawyer Dean Lincoln finds himself defending Haley Finch, a beautiful young woman accused of murdering her older boyfriend. Her supposed motive? He’d just won big on the lottery—and then changed his will in her favor. In the South, with Haley’s estranged husband suspiciously missing for the past two years and their marital funds dwindling fast, that’s motive enough.

Defense lawyer Cass Leary believes wholeheartedly in justice for all. So, when her deadbeat dad suddenly reappears begging for help, she throws her better judgment out the window. But Cass’s family drama takes a back seat when a new client’s desperate search for her birth parents flips from happy to horrifying. The adoption investigation hits a dead end, so Cass gives her client a simple at-home DNA kit.