Legal Mystery Series

I'm interested in recommendations for good legal/courtroom mystery series.

Two I like are John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series that starts with Dead Irish, and Barbara Parker's Gail Connor series that starts with Suspicion of Innocence.

There are at least a dozen books in the Dismas Hardy series, which is set in San Francisco. I like them because they are meaty stories (usually around 500 pages) with lots of recurring characters. There are even a couple where Dismas Hardy steps aside and other characters take the protagonist role.

The Gail Connor series appeals to me because, although she is a lawyer, the books are not courtroom mysteries. She is more of an amateur detective who happens to be a lawyer, than a lawyer who solves mysteries. Also, her relationship with her hot Cuban boyfriend, Anthony Quintanna, makes for an interesting side story throughout the series.

But I need a new series, since I am almost completely through with these two. Any suggestions?

Have you tried the Lisa Scottoline series? It dovetails nicely with your description of the Barbara Parker series. She has created several series. I have read a couple of the Rosato & Associates titles and enjoyed the characters. The setting is a legal firm that doesn't do criminal law, but the characters are compelled to turn detective when cases they are working on turn deadly. The principals are all females, anchored by the elder who established the firm. The principal sleuths are best described as a modern Nancy and Bess duo, all grown up.

I can also recommend William Bernhardt's Ben Kincaid series. He is a wisecracking lawyer from Oklahoma.

Then there is the William G. Tapply series featuring Brady Coyne, a tough Boston attorney.

All three series have multiple titles and should probably be read in order of appearance.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I have read a couple of Lisa Scottoline's Rosato & Associates series, although I cannot remember the names (I have that problem with mysteries). I liked the first one I read more than the second one, which seemed a little light to me. Of course, without remembering the names, my commentary is useless. But, you are right, they are like Nancy Drew books grown up.

I will look into the second two you mention. I am usually compulsive about starting a series at the beginning, so I will look for a list of all the Ben Kinkaid books and the Brady Coyne books.

Which, come to think of it, maybe why I didn't get into the Scottoline series so much -- I jumped into it in the middle when I found a couple of the books at a library sale.

After I left my post about John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series, I decided it may be helpful to provide the whole list. Here it is, with the most recent on top.

The Motive (2005)
The Second Chair (2004)
The First Law (2003)
The Oath (2002)
The Hearing (2001)
Nothing But The Truth (1999)
The Mercy Rule (1998)
Guilt (1997)
A Certain Justice (1995)
The 13th Juror (1994)
Hard Evidence (1993)
The VIG (1990)
Dead Irish (1989)

His latest book, Hunt Club, looks like it is the start of an entirely new series.

I'm more of a cop/detective mystery person, but I've read some of Linda Fairstein's books featuring Alex...something or other. They aren't the strongest of plots, but the character's relationships to each other are pretty interesting as are her descriptions of NYC and Martha's Vinyard.

Bah...the touchstone doesn't work.

I like D.W. Buffa's legal series. The touchstone doesn't work. There are less than 10 entries for any of his works so I suspect they don't meet the minimum count for the touchstone to work. Go to my library and search for Buffa for a complete set of his novels. I recommend them.

Bookmarque and Bill:

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into both Linda Fairstein and D.W. Buffa.

And, no, I don't know why the touchstones worked now but didn't before. Gremlins.

The Dismus Hardy series becomes a bit disappointing as Lescroart has Dismus appear less and less - only "walk-on" appearances in some titles. Nevertheless, I don't miss new titles as I find them.

Something tells me you did not check your touch stones artisan.

Try clicking on Trouble Shooter in your message, it does not lead to the same book as it does in this message.

I have not yet had enough experience on LT to be able to follow these intricacies. Interesting that my reference source had the title without the hyphen, so I typed it that way, and got the wrong book coming up. You apparently also typed it without the hyphen, and got the right - hyphenated - title to come up. That, I think, calls for more explanation, or a reference to where on LT one finds the necessary "user manual" for such things. (Also, how to put italics and cross-outs into these messages. I have not seen any explanation of that, but regularly see it done.)

To find the correct touchstone for a book look to the left of the editing box,
if the title is ambigiuos (spelling) a suggestion is made and alternatives offered
for example on typing Fire On the left I am offered Harry Potter and the goblet of fire by J.K. Rowling (others) and not wanting that I click on others.
Then find and click on one more suitable for this group.

For the other features such as itallics Standard HTML markers work.
but this subject is better suited to the FAQ group.

Thank you. I had obviously not paid enough attention to what was happening on the screen as I wrote. That's the problem with not being a touch-typist.

Touchstone issues aside -- thanks for the Traver recommendations. I watched the Anatomy of a Murder movie, but so long ago that I don't remember it. So I will track down the book.

My other favorite legal series is that of Perri O'Shaughnessy, sisters Pamela and Mary. Nina Reilly, their main character, battles making a living as an independent attorney, divorced mother raising a son as a single parent. I like the local color, the exploration of the life of the individual, and the ethical issues raised in their stories.

Hi, I'm new here, and after having read the above messages, am adding several titles to my "to read" list.

I hope you don't mind that I do this here, because this isn't exactly a recommendation. But I have read two books from two separate series of books set in San Francisco. Both of the series took place in the early 1900s, and each series had a woman lawyer as the hero, when, of course, women lawyers were not looked upon favorably. Both women did whatever it took, though, to make people take them seriously as lawyers, and both had to do a bit of detecting on the side.

Interestingly enough, both of the books had plots centered around the trolley car system. One had early automakers set against the continuation of the trolley cars, and the other involved a personal injury case against the trolley car company.

Both were very good books, but unfortunately I have forgotten the titles or the author's name for either one. Has anyone seen either of these?

redthaws - Could they have been Sarah Woolson mysteries (by Shirley Tallman)? I haven't read them, but Sarah Woolson is a lawyer in San Franscico in the late 19th century.

YES!, Thank you d2vge. Shirley Tallman is one of the authors. Now I can start to look for the books to buy.

But there is still another unknown author also writing about a woman lawyer in the early 19th century in San Francisco, and I would like to know her name too, if anyone knows.

Thanks again.

You can also try listing it at the "Name That Book" group for suggestions.

Have you tried Paul J. Levine's Jake Lassiter series? It's humorous, but it has good courtroom scenes. Some of the plots are a little out there so I haven't decided whether I'm going to read the entire series, but for a change of pace, give it a try.

For my money the wittiest legal mysteries out there are the Hilary Tamar series by Sarah Caudwell - in order, these are

Thus was Adonis Murdered
The Shortest Way To Hades
The Sirens Sang of Murder
The Sibyl in Her Grave

These don't depend on court-room scenes, they're more the goings-on of a bunch of young London barristers who fancy themselves amateur sleuths. Reminds me of John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey series, so if you liked those give these a try!

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg writes really good legal thrillers.

Somewhat surprised considering the mention of law in your profile. While I have 52 books listed as legal thrillers in my library, I've only read 14 of them. I don't particularly like mixing business with pleasure, it seems.

Erle Stanely Gardner wrote Perry Mason and other lawyer books. Oddly, despite what the television series suggests, most of the Mason books I've read occur outside the courtroom (not entire book, but much more so than suggested by the television series).

And that just leaves John Grisham that I'm willing to recommend from the list of my books tagged Legal Thriller. And he is too famous to believe that you need me to recommend him, and so I assume you are avoiding him.

I do not recommend Brian Haig's newest book (I strongly recommend avoiding his newest book: Man in the Middle), but I do recommend his earlier books (he isn't tagged Legal Thriller). His main character is a JAG lawyer.

I do not see any other legal thriller author in my library (who does or doesn't have books correctly tagged Legal Thriller) that I would recommend. Wait, I don't see Legal Thriller mentioned in your first message. Ok, I can't think of any other fictional legal/courtroom lawyer book series that I would recommend.

British writer Sara Woods has a lengthy series of British mysteries featuring barrister Anthony Maitland, some which of which take place in the courtroom, and some where the cases get resolved before getting to court.

How about Richard North Patterson? He has written 15 legal thrillers/mysteries, most of them best sellers and his first was a Edgar winner.

Definitely, Richard North Patterson... he is EXCELLENT. His latest, “Exile” is outrageously good. D.W. Buffa is very good also.

Several I would recommend:

Scott Turow, Lisa Scottoline, Perry O'Shaughenessy, Brad Meltzer, Steve Martini, Steven Horn and John Grisham. My favorite of the above is Brad Meltzer. I highly recommend First Counsel and The Tenth Justice. Although these books are not strictly courtroom dramas, they are wonderful legal thrillers.

I would have also reommended Brian Haig, as he is an awesome writer, but I felt he was more military and drama than legal. I am curious why MikeBriggs (#26) didn't recommend his latest book Man in the Middle? While it is surely not his best work it was still a great read and took on a tough and sensitive subject. Was it that it was too political or too controversial? I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I did not fully agree with the point he was trying to make.

re 30: It has been awhile now, but it was more plot-holes, and Drummond overlooking some "obvious" points than the Iraq situation that annoyed me enough to recommend not reading it. Read it, if you wish, but try the ones before it.

Yes, more military than legal, but as the character is a lawyer . . . :)

I've only read The Zero Game by Meltzer, and while it was interesting, it didn't draw me in as much as it could have, and I didn't sample another Meltzer book.

I do recommend Richard North Patterson, I had read him before my previous message, but only one book that was more a politcal race book than legal, but now I've read one of his legal books, and so recommend him.

oooo... oooo... I just thought of it. Michael Connelly's book, "The Lincoln Lawyer". It's not part of his Harry Bosch series. Those are very good but this takes a different twist. The court room scenes are excellent. I'm hoping he will write more with these characters.

I just finished The Lincoln Lawyer and had the same thoughts -- I hope it will be a series. I thought it was punchy and clever and moved right along through a satisfying plot.

imho michael connelly is one of the best writers around.

I’m reading D.W. Buffa”s legal thriller “Breach of Trust”. The fifth featuring Joseph Anotonelli. I’m a little over half way through, and I’m liking it. But then, it’s Buffa! What’s not to like.

I really enjoy Kate Wilhelm's legal mysteries featuring attorney (Ms.) Bobby Holloway. The first is Death Qualified.

Also agree on Connelly, I've enjoyed both of his that I've read.

Michael Connelly's "The Overlook" is out. It's the latest in his Harry Bosch series.

Having been "traumatized" in my youth by nearly 10 years of employment in a law firm, I tend to shy away from legal thrillers these days. However, I have read a few of the authors listed above and, of those authors, I have yet to find one that exceeds (or even matches) William Lashner. The first book in Lashner's Victor Carl series is Hostile Witness. Here's the breakdown of the 37 Reviews for that book on Amazon.com:

5 star: (28)
4 star: (7)
3 star: (1)
2 star: (0)
1 star: (1)

Also, David Rosenfelt's Edgar-nominated Open and Shut was an enjoyable read with fairly humorous dialogue; it's the first in a series, too.

I too enjoyed David Rosenfelt’s “Open and Shut”. So much so that I read his next four. All were very entertaining.

And... I agree, Lashner is excellent. I’ve read all of his stuff. I’m looking forward to his latest, “Marked Man”.

I just finished “Retribution” by Jilliane Hoffman. Put it on your list. It’s a real page turner.

jxnhole & ggchickapee - thanks for the recommendation of The Lincoln Lawyer. I took your guys recommendation and read it this week - I just finished it this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised with the ending. Tight, concisely written novel that seemed to fly by. Throughly enjoyed it.

To all those who mentioned D.W. Buffa, I started The Judgment today. I've rad a couple of hundred pages and I like it. Great story teller.

I’m a little over half way through the latest D.W. Buffa novel, “Trial by Fire”. VERY good. I’m sure I’ll be up all night finishing it.

You might want to give Steve Martini he also has a legal series
The first book in the series is call
Compelling Evidence.

I like the Sean Drummond series by Brian Haig. Also like the Mike Daley series by Sheldon Siegel.

Finished Buffa’s “Trial by Fire”. Excellent, as is all of his stuff. I’d forgotten about Steve Martini. I’ve read the first five in his legal series then got off on something else. I’ll have to get back to him. Ah.... so many books... so little time!

Wow! I can’t believe the last posting here was in August! And it was me!!!

I just finished Phillip Margolin’s novel, Heartstone. Excellent. I’ll be reading more of his stuff.

I used to read Margolin, kind of hit or miss. That's probably why I haven't in a while.

Started my ARE copy of Friend of the Devil last night. I've never read a Peter Robinson before.

Oh and what a shock, touchstones not working. gee.

I would not classify the book as a “legal thriller” but Angel of Darkness, Caleb Carr’s sequel to The Alienist, has a great court scene featuring none other than Clarence Darrow.

Oh boy...Oh boy...Oh boy....! Michael Connelly has a new novel coming out. The Brass Verdict will be out in October and it will feature Mickey Haller (of The Lincoln Lawyer) AND Harry Bosch! I can hardly wait.

I'm about half way through John Grisham's novel, The Appeal. VERY VERY good.

I just finished John Grisham’s book, “The Appeal”. Wonderful!!! Quite different from his other lawyer books. It deals with the election of State Supreme Court Justices. I should scare you.

Do Japanese visual novels count?

If so, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a good one... though it might be a bit too silly for some (it doesn't sugarcoat the adult themes, it respects the mystery genre that much).

#53 BOOKLLOVER

I’ve read almost all of Steve Martini’s books. I agree, he is excellent. Another favorite writer of legal thrillers is D.W. Buffa. If you haven’t read his books, do. They’re a series so you’ll want to start with the first....

The Defense
The Prosecution
The Judgment
The Legacy
Star Witness
Breach of Trust
Trial by Fire

I just read his latest -- Betrayal. Very good read.

#55 Catahoula....I'm confused. I've looked all over for Betrayal by Steve Martini and it's not his book. Were you referring to John Lescroart?

I'd go back and read the Perry Mason series by Gardner!

There's a three book legal series by Rebecca Forster I think is very good and also Paul Levine writes a hilarious legal series.

I recommend the series by James Grippando about a lawyer named Jack Swyteck based in Miami. The first book is The Pardon in which Jack attempts to stop the execution of a convicted murderer because he has information identifying a different person as the killer. Unfortunately, Jack learned this from a client and can't reveal his source so the execution goes through. The governor who won't stop the execution is, by the way, Jack's father. There are echos of this execution through the following books of the series. And Jack, the poor schmuck, has lousy luck with women. The books have few scenes actually in the courtroom and lots of action.

Not a mystery thriller, but still a very good legal book is John M. Poswall’s “The Lawyer’s, Class of `69". Then his second book, “The Alter Boys” promises to be a very good thriller. It’s on my TBR list and I’m looking forward to it.

David Rosenfelt’s book, “Play Dead” is a very very enjoyable read, as are all of his books. Treat yourself and read them, but start at the beginning, because they’re a series that you cannot just pop into in the middle. Well, you can, but it’s more fun to start with the characters as they build.
`02 Open & Shut
`03 First Degree
`04 Bury the Lead
`05 Sudden Death
‘06 Dead Center
`07 Play Dead

EXCELLENT!!!! I finished “The Altar Boys” by John M. Poswall and it was one of the best legal thrillers I’ve ever read, and I’ve read quite a few. Legal thrillers are one of my favorite genres. John Lescroart wrote that “.... he sets the new gold standard for courtroom drama”. Even comparing “The Altar Boys” to Scott Turow’s “Presumed Innocent”. It’s real courtroom drama. No Perry Mason kind of stuff. I can’t wait for his next novel.

jxnhole....I also love the legal thrillers. I searched Amazon, and fantastic fiction but I could not find any info on this book "The Alter Boys" or the author you posted. Can tell me where to find this book? Thanks!

>63 lindasbooks: According to WorldCat:

The Altar Boys, John M. Poswall (384 p.)
Sacramento, Calif.: Jullundur Press, ©2008.
ISBN13: 9780972999250
ISBN: 0972999256

Edited to say: It is The Altar Boys. Perhaps a search of that will turn up an edition?

Yes christiguc, Thanks!

lindabooks... sorry for my error. I'm sure you'll find it now! You are SOOO going to enjoy it.