Wages of Sin by Nancy Allen

It’s always a pleasure to share with you when I know an intriguing new book is about to hit the bookstores.

Today I want to highlight THE WAGES OF SIN by Nancy Allen, published by Witness Impulse. While this book became available in eBook (ISBN: 978-0062438751) yesterday, the print format (ISBN: 978-0062438768) doesn’t release until June 14. This is the third installment in Nancy’s Ozarks Mysteries series.

THE WAGES OF SIN is another suspenseful legal thriller set in the Ozark hills starring prosecutor Elsie Arnold, who’s ready to deliver justice for a pregnant woman who was killed--with the only witness her young daughter--but, arguing for capital punishment in a small town, Elsie’s in for more than she bargained.

Here's a brief synopsis of the book …

In rural McCown County, Missouri, a young pregnant woman is found beaten to death in a trailer park. The only witness to the murder is Ivy, her six-year-old daughter, who points to her mom’s boyfriend—father of the unborn child. County prosecutor Madeleine Thompson promises the community justice, and in the Ozarks, that can only mean one thing: a death sentence.

When Madeleine’s first choice for co-counsel declines to try a death penalty case, she is forced to turn to assistant prosecutor Elsie Arnold. Elsie is reluctant to join forces with her frosty boss, but the road to conviction seems smooth—until unexpected facts about the victim arise, and the testimony of the lone eyewitness Ivy becomes increasingly crucial. Against Elsie’s advice, Madeleine brings in the state attorney general’s office to assist them, while cutthroat trial attorney Claire O’Hara joins the defense.

Elsie will not let the power of prosecution—of seeking justice—be wrested from her without a fight. She wants to win the case, and to avenge the death of the mother and her unborn child. But as the trial nears, Elsie begins to harbor doubts about the death penalty itself. Meanwhile, the child Ivy is in greater danger than anyone knows.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author Nancy Allen

Nancy Allen practiced law for 15 years as Assistant Missouri Attorney General and Assistant Prosecutor in her native Ozarks. She tried over 30 jury trials, including murder and sexual offenses, and is now a law instructor at Missouri State University.

For more on Nancy and her writing, visit her at Goodreads.

Other books in the Ozarks Mysteries series included: THE CODE OF THE HILLS (Book #1) and A KILLING AT THE CREEK (Book #2).

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope I’ve enticed you to be on the lookout for this fascinating book. Have you read the earlier books in this series? Does it matter if the prosecutor is male or female in the stories you read?

Dead Peasants On Tour & A Giveaway

It’s my pleasure today to be a part of author Larry D. Thompson’s Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tour for his legal thriller, DEAD PEASANTS.

As part of the tour, I’d like to share my review of the book with you, give a brief bio of the author and provide an excerpt from his book to entice you even more. Thanks to the author and the great folks at Partners in Crime Tours, I have a print copy of DEAD PEASANTS to giveaway.  Please see the end of the post for the guidelines.

DEAD PEASANTS by Larry Thompson

If you were ever up against a big business in a legal battle, attorney Jack Bryant is the man you would want handling your case.

Bryant comes from a background that doesn’t quite stand up to his colleagues, but he’s a fair man that works hard for his clients. By doing so, Bryant has made a nice little nest egg for himself and decides to retire to Fort Worth where he can relax and watch his son play football at TCU.

Boredom sets in and Bryant opens a pro bono office out of his RV. When an elderly widow knocks on his door, Bryant doesn’t realize how dangerous the case will be. The widow has a life insurance check on her deceased husband, but it’s payable to his former employer. Bryant files a civil suit to collect the benefits and soon discovers a string of serial killings.

Bryant and his new lady friend become targets in a murder for hire scheme. They have to uncover the mystery before someone is collecting insurance money on them.

Author Larry D. Thompson has created realistic, well-developed characters. The dialogue flows smoothly and draws you in. He has given his protagonist Jack Bryant strength and courage, with enough flaws to be real. Bryant is the type of character you can’t help but like and want to visit again and again.

The story is plausible with an eerie ‘what if’ feel. There are twists and turns to keep you in suspense and on the edge of your seat. The courtroom scenes are well developed with the author’s own lawyer background coming through. He places you in the midst of the action and holds you spellbound until the end.

DEAD PEASANTS is a page-turner that you won’t be able to put down until the last paragraph is read.

Author Larry D. Thompson’s website is http://www.larrydthompson.com/

Dead Peasants by Larry D. Thompson, St. Martin’s Press, @2012, ISBN: 978-1250009494. Hardcover, 304 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book as part of the author’s virtual book tour. A digital copy was sent to me by the tour promoter in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Larry D. Thompson is a veteran trial lawyer and has drawn on decades of experience in the courtroom to produce riveting legal thrillers. DEAD PEASANTS is his third novel.

After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, Thompson founded the Houston trial firm where he still serves as managing partner. The proud father of three grown children, he lives and works in Texas but spends his summers in Colorado, where he crafts his novels and hikes the mountains surrounding Vail. 

His greatest inspiration came from Thomas Thompson, his brother, who wrote many best-selling true-crime books and novels.

If you’d like to see more of Thompson’s tour, please visit the tour hosts found on his Partners in Crime Tour Page.  
 
Here’s an excerpt from DEAD PEASANTS to entice you a bit more:

    The knock at the door of the RV was so soft that at first Jack thought it must have been the wind. It came again. He rose from his chair and opened the door. An elderly black lady who he recognized as June Davis stood at the bottom of the steps. 
    “Mrs. Davis, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you at first. Please come in. It’s chilly out there for early May.” Jack went down a step and extended his hand to assist his visitor, then offered her something to drink. 
    June perched on the edge of the cushioned bench that circled the table. “Water would be nice,” she said in a soft voice. 
    Jack went to the refrigerator and returned with a bottle. He twisted the cap a half a turn and handed it to her. She twisted the cap the rest of the way, took a small sip, replaced the cap and set it on the table. 
    “How are you doing, Mrs. Davis? I mean since your husband died have you been managing okay?” 
    “I’m fine, Mr. Bryant. My house is paid for and I get a little social security check. Besides, my kids look after me.” She reached into her purse and retrieved an envelope which she slid across the table to Jack. “This came in the mail, addressed to me. I, I wasn’t sure what to do with it; so, I called Miss Colby. She said I should take it to you.” 
     Jack picked up the envelope. The return address was the United States Postal Service. He opened it and found another envelope, this one torn and mangled with the addressee illegible. The letter from the postal service read, Dear Mrs. Davis: One of our sorting machines jammed and mangled this letter. We apologize for the problem. Your name was the only one we could make out on the letter, and we were able to get your address. Please handle as you see fit. Very truly yours. 
    Jack looked at the mangled letter. It was from Euro Life Insurance Company, based on the Isle of Gibraltar. It stated that Euro had determined that one William Davis was married to June Davis. Under the terms of the policy, since it paid double indemnity in the event of an accidental death, the benefit was $400,000, payable to Allison Southwest. Jack looked through the documents a second time before he looked up. 
    “Did you know that they had insured Willie for $400,000?” 
    “Lawdy, no, Mr. Bryant. Willie only made $20,000 a year. Why would anyone insure him for that kind of money? Besides, he retired from Allison fifteen years ago.” 
    “Good question. Let me keep these papers and the check. I’ll get back to you in a couple of days.”

Now for the giveaway. To enter, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win Dead Peasants.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. And, just so you know, I don’t share this information with anyone other than the publisher nor use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of DEAD PEASANTS is 8 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, April 28.

DEAD PEASANTS is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads. 

Thanks for stopping by today. What is your favorite part of a legal thriller?

The Tortoise Shell Code On Tour

 
It’s my pleasure to welcome V. Frank Asaro, author of THE TORTOISE SHELL CODE, here today as he tours blogdom on his first Pump Up Your Book virtual book tour.

Frank is a lawyer, musician/composer, inventor and author/philosopher who began developing the theory of co-opetition not long after he was selected out of law school as lawyer-clerk to the California Courts of Appeal. He went on to receive the highest-category law career peer review, Martindale Hubbell rating, and appeared in Who’s Who in American Law, 98-99 and Who’s Who in the World 2000.

He joins us today to talk about his legal thriller and has graciously answered some questions for me. First, a brief synopsis of THE TORTOISE SHELL CODE:

Off the coast of Southern California, the Sea Diva, a tuna boat, sinks. Members of the crew are missing and what happened remains a mystery. Anthony Darren, a renowned and wealthy lawyer at the top of his game, knows the boat’s owner and soon becomes involved in the case. As the case goes to trial, a missing crew member is believed to be at fault, but new evidence comes to light and the finger of guilt points in a completely unanticipated direction.

Now Anthony must pull together all his resources to find the truth in what has happened and free a wrongly accused man — as well as untangle himself. Fighting despair, he finds that the recent events have called much larger issues into question. As he struggles to right this terrible wrong, Anthony makes new and enlightening discoveries in his own life-long battle for personal and global justice.

Mason - Have you always wanted to write or was there an event that lead you to writing?

Frank - As a lawyer involved in constant heavy litigation, I really needed to get into another zone for relief from the combat every once in a while. I’d awake in the middle of the night and write scraps of fiction, often not remembering the next day what I’d scribbled. My secretary would type up my notes and I let them pile up in a drawer. After some time I realized that I had developed manuscripts of more than a few books  - often very long ones.

Mason - Do you jump right into a story or do you plan and outline before you begin?

Frank - I definitely know where I am going to go before I begin telling a story. I don’t outline it. The outline is in my head. 

Mason - What research did you do for this book? Was it a process you enjoy or just find necessary for the end result?

Frank - THE TORTOISE SHELL CODE? They say write what you know. I have hundreds of stories from my years in practice. I did maritime law. This is a high-seas crime/legal drama with romance revolution and some philosophy. Mixing facts and circumstances to capture good fiction is the idea, but never telling the true story, which is often more intriguing. I am mindful of the privacy of the client or the confidentiality of a witness. My non-fiction UNIVERSAL CO-OPETITION concept, that I often like to weave through a plot, I do to provoke thought and critical analysis. THE TORTOISE SHELL CODE is totally fiction, but is plausible.

Mason - Do you have average writing days with favorite places to write, a favorite time and such?

Frank - I wish I had all day to write. I love to sculpt a phrase, and to find a rhythm, and build to a crescendo – like a musical theme. But it is only to get into another realm and to become one or another of my characters that I write.

Mason - What was the most difficult task in writing this story?

Frank - When the publisher said I had to cut the book to a reasonable size, I had a hard time eliminating some of my favorite material. THE TORTOISE SHELL CODE was originally over 800 pages! It ended up at about 400. I justified the slashes by telling myself that I will someday produce the unabridged version and make happy again those who read through the original manuscript.

Mason - What can readers look forward to next from you?

Frank - I have two manuscripts of  past life regressions, one in Italy/California, another set in Alaska/CA. The former is a movie musical -  I was a professional musician while attending law school.

Frank, thanks so much for joining us today and answering these questions. I can’t image having to trim down a manuscript in half. That must have been hard.

To find out more about Frank and his writing, join him on his virtual book tour this week at the following sites:
Tuesday, Dec. 4 - guest blogging at My Life, One Story At A Time
Wednesday, Dec. 5 - interviewed at American Chronicle
Thursday, Dec. 6 - guest blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Friday, Dec. 7 - interviewed at Divine Caroline

Thanks everyone for stopping by today. Do you enjoy mysteries that have legal elements blended in?

Writing Urban Fiction Legal Thriller Novels: Author Chris Shella

I always enjoy finding new authors and am delighted when I can introduce them to y’all as well. Today I’d like to welcome author Chris Shella, who’s latest release - REASONABLE FACSIMILE - is a legal thriller.

Here’s a brief description of REASONABLE FACSIMILE: Can Jasper Davis pull himself from his life of loose women, liquor, and general debauchery in enough time to win a murder case and possibly save his own hide? 

Jasper Davis is a criminal trial lawyer in Baltimore who has slowly but surely become like the drug dealers and lowlifes he represents. He spends more time with hookers than clients and more time drinking Jack Daniels than studying the law books. Simply put. he is a shade of his former self. 

In REASONABLE FACSIMILE, Jasper is in the middle of a first degree murder trial when he becomes the suspect in the murder of a DEA agent who was set to testify against his client. Jasper is so far gone on women and liquor he sees his trial skills deteriorate right before his eyes. Jasper is confronted by the situation is he gonna continue to be a reasonable facsimile of a human being or is he gonna become the man he once was.

Chris joins us to talk about writing urban fiction legal thriller novels.

There are a few keys to writing this type of book.

First and foremost, your book must be true to contemporary urban culture. If your characters are offensive and unrealistic you will offend your reader and they won’t buy your book. IF you are talking about music and you reference hot new music as say the Fat Boys, readers will not buy your book. You have to respect your readers. 

Urban fiction readers buy scads of books, but if you insult them you will never take part in the prosperity that writing has bought to several authors in this genre. Know your audience and respect their culture and tastes.

The second key to writing an urban fiction legal thriller is that you have to know something about the legal system and put that in your book. I cannot tell you how many books, by some of the most famous authors in the world I have thrown down in disgust because they are so wrong on the law and how the criminal justice system works. Legal thrillers work only when they have a basis in reality and how the law operates. 

Now you don’t have to be a lawyer for this to be in your story. All you have to do is to sit in a courtroom anywhere in the country and watch cases (pleas and trials)for about a month and you will be surprised how much legal jargon and how much of the legal process you will pick up that way. 

DO NOT,I repeat DO NOT watch movies like “The Firm” or “Legal Eagles”. They are Hollywood’s idea of trial work. If you want Hollywood’s idea of trial work you might as well make the Judge an elf and the prosecutor a demon. It will have just as much of a basis in reality as that stuff does. 

So if you truly want to write a legal thriller, you have to have more than a protagonist who is a lawyer. You have to insert legal work into the book, which should be easy since you have spent a month in a courthouse observing how lawyers work. People are always curious about the lawyers and law and if you put that element in your book you already have quite a few readers hooked.

Lastly, the most important key to writing an Urban Fiction Legal thriller is sitting your butt in a chair and actually writing. You can read all the books in the world about how to be a writer but you will never be one until you are one. Sit at a computer or put pen to paper but you just have to do it.

Writing isn’t easy and can be very daunting. But just realize no one is going to shoot you or put you in jail if they don’t like your writing, but no one will ever like your work if you never create it. Pull the trigger.

Chris, thanks for guest blogging. The law is fascinating and anyone who has ever been around a courtroom can definitely spot an author who hasn’t done their research.

Now for a little background on Chris. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Texas Law School and started his legal career in Long Island, New York at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. He is admitted to the practice of law in New York, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and North Carolina. 

Chris is also admitted to the federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Middle District of North Carolina, U.S. District of Columbia, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eastern District of New York, and the Southern District of New York. He is also admitted to the Bar Of The United States Supreme Court. 

Chris and his cases have been covered on Court TV, CNN, and in the New York Times, and other media outlets across the globe. He has represented everyone from lawyers to major drug traffickers to a serial killer in Baltimore. His two most famous case are the Vegan Baby Case and his defense of the Duke Lacrosse Case accuser for the alleged murder of her boyfriend.

Chris now resides in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife and son. For more on Christ and his writing, visit his website at www.reasonablefacs.com. He can also find him on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

REASONABLE FACSIMILE is available at Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Lulu, and Borders.

Here’s the book trailer for REASONABLE FACSIMILE and more, click here.

Do you enjoy legal thrillers? When reading legal thrillers do you want a good bit of the law included or had you rather the author skim over it? Thanks so much for stopping by.