# What's Your Favorite Legal Thriller?



## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

I was speaking to a lawyers' group in Miami this week when someone in the audience asked: "What's your favorite legal thriller?" We soon expanded the question to include books, movies, and plays:

Here's my quick list. Please feel free to add or subtract from it:

*"Witness for the Prosecution," * play by Agatha Christie, movie directed by Billy Wilder

*"Anatomy of a Murder," * book by Robert Traver (pen name for Attorney and Judge John Voelker), movie directed by Otto Preminger.

*"A Few Good Men," * play by Aaron Sorkin, movie directed by Rob Reiner. (d*mn right I can handle the truth)

*"The Verdict," * book by Barry Reed, movie directed by Sidney Lumet from David Mamet's script

*"Presumed Innocent"* and *"Innocent*" by Scott Turow.

What's your favorite legal thriller?

Paul Levine 
Author of the Jake Lassiter Series


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

Love legal Thrillers if I had to name one probably Richard North Patterson's "Degree of guilt"


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

In terms of films, Twelve Angry Men


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Two others  I  like  are  Phillip  Margolin and  Michael  Connelly.


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

sibelhodge said:


> I agree. That is a classic. Another classic legal film, although not a thriller is To Kill a Mockingbird.
> 
> For books - any of John Grisham's.


Looks like we agree again.

Time to Kill
Pelican Brief

are excellent


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

It's hard to disagree with any of your choices.

*"Twelve Angry Men"* began life as a play, as did *"Witness for the Prosecution"* and *"A Few Good Men."* I've long thought that the courtroom is a sort of stage so that courtroom stories work beautifully in live theater.

Like Misty, I'm a fan of Richard North Patterson...and not just because he also gave my first novel, *"To Speak for the Dead,"* a nice review in the Washington Post.

*"To Kill a Mockingbird"* belongs on so many lists, but because it's more than a courtroom story, I left it off mine. Sort of floats on its own cloud for me.

Paul Levine
Author of the Jake Lassiter Series


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Ryne Douglas Pearson said:


> Hands down, *Presumed Innocent* by Turow.


Same here!


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## cargalmn (Sep 29, 2010)

My favorite series (vs an individual book) is the Ben Kincaid series by William Bernhardt.  I've enjoyed watching the character progress throughout the series, the cases are engaging, and they're fast-paced.  Every now and then he writes one with a little more political slant than I would like, but other than that I've thoroughly enjoyed the series as a whole.

FWIW...


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## Kelly Haven (Jan 20, 2011)

TheRiddler said:


> Looks like we agree again.
> 
> Time to Kill
> Pelican Brief
> ...


I LOVED A Time To Kill.


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

Gotta go with the flow here and gree that Grishams early stuff is hard to top...A Time to Kill and The Runaway Jury were great reads!


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## nmg222 (Sep 14, 2010)

'A Civil Action' by Jonathon Harr.  Easily the best legal thriller I've read.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Another for Presumed Innocent, and honorable mention to Twelve Angry Men and (a stretch I know) To Kill a Mockingbird.


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

Ah...the suggestion of *"A Civil Action"* opens a new category: TRUE legal thrillers.

Here's a favorite of mine, though a fairly obscure one: "No Deadly Drug," John D. MacDonald's account of Carl Coppolino's murder trial in the 1960's. Coppolino was convicted of killing his wife with an injection of succinylcholine, an anesthetic. (I _borrowed _ the method in my first novel, "To Speak for the Dead.")

Paul Levine

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

A Time to Kill and The Firm by Grisham.


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

I love almost all of Grisham's books but Turow's Presumed Innocent is as good or better than any of Grisham's.

How cool is it that Turow is a sometimes member of The Rock Bottom Remainders, Stephen King's band.


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## Margaret Jean (Aug 31, 2010)

Paul Levine said:


> I was speaking to a lawyers' group in Miami this week when someone in the audience asked: "What's your favorite legal thriller?" We soon expanded the question to include books, movies, and plays:
> 
> Here's my quick list. Please feel free to add or subtract from it:
> 
> ...


Grisham gets all the attention but Scott Turow is a better writer, IMHO


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

Dave,
I agree with the sentiments expressed by others that Scott Turow is a more polished writer than John Grisham.  

As for the band, Turow would be the first to agree that his musical abilities do not match his literary abilities.

But yes, he sings in "The Rock Bottom Remainders."  I don't believe he plays an instrument.  The band features  Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Amy Tan, Stephen King and others.  They don't take themselves too seriously and are a barrel of fun.

Paul Levine


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

I should have included John Hart, back-to-back Edgar winner. "The King of Lies." "Down River." The Last Child."

"The King of Lies" may be my second favorite legal thriller ever...behind "Presumed Innocent" by Scott Turow.

Paul Levine

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## RJMcDonnell (Jan 29, 2011)

Paul,

Do "The Rock Bottom Remainders" ever play at book fairs or writer conferences. I'd definitely make another trip to the New England Crime Bake if their band was part of the entertainment.


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

R.J.
The Rock Bottom Remainders always play the Miami Book Fair (November).

They're doing the East Coast in their modestly named "Wordstock Tour" in April.

Details here: http://rockbottomremainders.com/

Keep on rockin'.

Paul Levine

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

nmg222 said:


> 'A Civil Action' by Jonathon Harr. Easily the best legal thriller I've read.


Yeah, for me too. Has the drive and characterization of fiction, but it's fact. A great book.


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

I asked this same question on the U.K. Kindleboards site and was taken to task for not including John Mortimer's "Rumpole" books in my listing.

Shame on me! "Rumpole of the Bailey" is known to television viewers on both sides of the Atlantic. In a reversal of the usual order, the television series preceded the books. Either way, Horace Rumpole, the rumpled British barrister, is one of the great series character in crime fiction.

Now, strictly speaking, there may be too much humor to consider the Rumpole books "thrillers." But they're too good to ignore.

Paul Levine

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

A Time to Kill, John Grisham


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

I'm fond of one called Against the Wind by J.F. Freedman. Sadly not on Kindle.


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## BethCaudill (Mar 22, 2011)

I'll jump on the Grisham bandwagon. But I'll pick _The Rainmaker_. I loved the book. The film version was okay but not great.


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## GBear (Apr 23, 2009)

BethCaudill said:


> I'll jump on the Grisham bandwagon. But I'll pick _The Rainmaker_. I loved the book. The film version was okay but not great.


Okay, I have to confess that I'm not a fan of Grisham's The Firm, or most of the stuff that he produced in its aftermath. For me, it was popular almost in spite of not being very well-written (or plausible) and I lumped it into the same category of phenomenon as Dan Brown (who seems to get a fair amount of bashing here). But I was very pleasantly surprised when they made his earlier writing available and I thoroughly enjoyed both "A Time to Kill" and "Painted House." Still, I read a lot of legal thrillers and I don't even consider Grisham when deciding which one to choose next. Of the popular writers, I much prefer Scott Turow, Michael Connelly, or Joseph Teller.


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## Christine Kersey (Feb 13, 2011)

I love all of Grisham's early stuff, especially The Firm, The Rainmaker, The Client, and The Pelican Brief.


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

Sidney: I remember JF Freedman's "Against the Wind" as a blazing read but a little light on legal verismillitude.

I'm adding *James Grippando' gripping Jack Swyteck * series to my list. His new one, "Afraid of the Dark," which just hit the NYT Bestseller list, received a starred review from Booklist and this description from Publishers Weekly:

_"In Grippando's rousing ninth Jack Swyteck legal thriller (after Born to Run), Jack successfully defends a supposed Somali prisoner in his mid-20s held at Guantánamo. But then the prisoner is identified as an American, Jamal Wakefield, and is transferred to Miami, Fla., where he's charged with the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, McKenna Mays, three years earlier. In his defense, Jamal offers a wild story of kidnapping and covert interrogation. As witnesses who could confirm Jamal's alibi are eliminated, Jack and his dwindling circle of friends, and not always trustworthy allies, must race to uncover a sadistic killer and his bosses before the conspirators can silence everyone who might speak against them. *Working with a cast that includes depraved sexual deviants, corrupt private military contractors, and wannabe jihadis, Grippando transforms what might have been a conventional genre novel in lesser hands into an exciting tale of revenge." * _










Paul Levine


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## Andre Jute (Dec 18, 2010)

Ryne Douglas Pearson said:


> Hands down, *Presumed Innocent* by Turow.


Ditto. He's perhaps not the best writer of those already named, but Presumed Innocent is definitely the best legal thriller of all time.


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## Duane Gundrum (Apr 5, 2011)

The Firm is by far my favorite. I haven't been as excited about the rest of his work, but I love that book. The movie, not so much. But loved the book. And fragmented sentences, obviously.


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## jherrick (Apr 1, 2011)

For me, it's a tie between The Firm and The Runaway Jury.


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

I have been remiss in overlooking female writers and their strong Lady Lawyers.

One of my favorites is Lisa Scottoline.

Going back to the mid 1990's for "Final Appeal," "Legal Tender" and "Mistaken Identity," through the current novels, "Look Again" and "Save Me," Lisa knows her way through both the legal plot and the traditional thriller. She's very very good at character and exploring real, deep emotions.

Add her to my list.

Paul Levine


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

Greg Isles' books are amazing.


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## Andre Jute (Dec 18, 2010)

EGranfors said:


> Greg Isles' books are amazing.


And Iles never repeats himself. I like that. Only last week in the library I went to the "I" shelf to check if they have anything new by him.


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## joanhallhovey (Nov 7, 2010)

I really enjoyed  'The Firm' and most of John Grisham's books.

Joan


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## slpierce (Mar 2, 2011)

My favorite is The Pelican Brief because it was so clever.  I don't want to ruin it for anyone who is planning on reading but I didn't see it coming.  So elaborate but so simple.  I enjoyed the movie as well.


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## nmg222 (Sep 14, 2010)

Andre Jute said:


> And Iles never repeats himself. I like that. Only last week in the library I went to the "I" shelf to check if they have anything new by him.


That's what got me hooked on Iles, there was no specific genre he was writing. Spandau Phoenix, Mortal Fear, Sleep No More, The Quiet Game, 24 Hours...totally different books. Although he is starting to write more of the Penn Cage novels lately. His next manuscript was so large that they are breaking it into two novels.


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## J.L. McPherson (Mar 20, 2011)

A Time to Kill and The Last Juror were two of my favorites.


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## Collin Moshman (Sep 1, 2011)

I love legal thrillers, very much looking forward to checking out some of these recommendations. I'm also reading one right now called Irreparable Harm. It's a fast-paced legal thriller with a great protagonist, a lot of action, and a very well-done courtroom scene that had me laughing out loud.

​


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

"The Quiet Game" by Greg Iles

"Spencerville" by DeMille.

Not quite this genre but a murder and some sleuthing:  "The Dogs of Babel,"  Carolyn Parkhurst


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## FeliciaRicci (Sep 1, 2011)

I adore Lisa Scottoline! Have read Look Again, Save Me, and just started Daddy's Girl. Also just finished her collection of "Chick Wit" columns, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, which is more in the memoir genre, but delightful nevertheless. 

Also! Her website, scottoline.com, features videos of her discussing her writing technique, routine, and other goodies. You should definitely check it out. And on a personal note, she's the mother of a dear friend of mine, and she's a darling woman in person.

Go Lisa!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

**** friendly reminder:  authors, we're in the Book Corner so please refrain from mentioning your own books but, rather, address the question from the point of view of yourself as 'reader'.  You can, of course, address your own approach in the Writer's Cafe.  ****


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

Presumed Innocent. No contest. Turow's other legal thrillers are excellent as well, but the first is the gold standard.

Agree about A Civil Action, in the nonfic category.

As for movies...not sure this qualifies as a straight thriller, but there is menace aplenty and high courtroom drama in Inherit the Wind.


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## Andre Jute (Dec 18, 2010)

+1 for Presumed Innocent
+1 for A Few Good Men
+1 for The Firm


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## J. Tanner (Aug 22, 2011)

I like the Michael Connelly's "The Lincoln Lawyer" and "The Brass Verdict".

Also a fan of Greg Isle's legal thrillers though I can't remember which are which by title--he switches it up from book to book and I read everything he writes and sometimes the same characters appear in non-legal-thriller books.


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## djgross (May 24, 2011)

Loved seeing defense attorney Mickey Haller cross the aisle to serve as a special independent prosecutor on a charged retrial. Detective Harry Bosch (Mickey's half-brother) teams up with Haller as an investigator on the case. Haller and Bosch are a great combo!


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## KTaylor-Green (Aug 24, 2011)

While I have read and loved quite a few books mentioned so far, right now I have to go with The Lincoln Lawyer.


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## CK Kennedy (Sep 2, 2011)

Word of Honor by Nelson DeMille is right up there for me.

Such a great category - I might add that some of those listed here are now going on my to-read list. Thanks!


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