Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Legal
Monthly median sales (top 30)
$3,857
The median book price
$5.99
Bestseller's daily sales
84
50th book's daily sales
12
Average number of pages per book
394
Monopoly/Olygopoly detected
Yes
Performance tracking
Competitiveness
Volume sales
Book price
Volatility
New releases
Self published
Matching KDP categories
fiction > thrillers > suspense
61.24%
fiction > thrillers > legal
40.82%
fiction > romance > suspense
40.82%
fiction > christian > suspense
40.82%
Keyword requirement
thriller, mystery, suspense
Best selling keywords
Median title & subtitle length is 9 words:
- Swift Judgment: Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 7
- An Innocent Client: A Legal Thriller (Joe Dillard Series Book 1)
- Burden of Truth (Cass Leary Legal Thriller Series Book 1)
- The Professor (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers Book 1)
- In Good Faith: A Legal Thriller (Joe Dillard Series Book 2)
- Indie success
-
5%
- Volatility
- New releases
- KDP Select
100%
5.26%
60%
Extract of the best seller list's front page
Front-page bestsellers:
Book title | Author | Publisher | Absolute rank | Monthly sales volume | Price | Amazon stars | Amazon reviews | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The 7th Canon | Robert Dugoni | Self published | N/A | $69 | $2.49 | 28,897 | |
2 | Sparring Partners: Novellas | John Grisham | N/A | 1,023 | $46,310 | $19.69 | 36,617 | |
3 | Swift Judgment: Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 7 | Michael Stagg | Podium Audio | 1,367 | N/A | $-1.00 | 1,867 | |
4 | The Judge's List: A Novel | John Grisham | Random House Audio | 1,677 | N/A | $-1.00 | 85,816 | |
5 | The Whistler | John Grisham | Random House Audio | 1,774 | N/A | $-1.00 | 107,361 | |
6 | The Firm | John Grisham | Random House Audio | 2,015 | N/A | $-1.00 | 19,735 | |
7 | An Innocent Client: A Legal Thriller (Joe Dillard Series Book 1) | Scott Pratt | Smart and sophisticated, with a plot twist that will leave you shaking your head in wonder, | 3,396 | $8,053 | $7.99 | 75,235 | |
8 | Rich Waters (Jason Rich Book 2) | Robert Bailey | (starred review) | 3,567 | $2,846 | $2.99 | 8,608 | |
9 | Burden of Truth (Cass Leary Legal Thriller Series Book 1) | Robin James | Robin James Books | 4,076 | $3,912 | $4.99 | 10,719 | |
10 | The Professor (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers Book 1) | Robert Bailey | Thomas & Mercer | 4,214 | $4,150 | $5.49 | 28,707 | |
11 | In Good Faith: A Legal Thriller (Joe Dillard Series Book 2) | Scott Pratt | A family of four is slaughtered in rural Tennessee. | 4,551 | $5,369 | $7.99 | 27,349 | |
12 | Swift Judgment (The Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series Book 7) | Michael Stagg | (November 22, 2023) | 5,311 | $3,018 | $5.99 | 1,987 | |
13 | Reasonable Fear: A Legal Thriller (Joe Dillard Series Book 4) | Scott Pratt | Phoenix Flying, LLC | 5,315 | $4,026 | $7.99 | 18,172 | |
14 | Burden of Proof (A Rain City Legal Thriller Book 1) | Stephen Penner | Inkubator Books | 5,349 | $1,423 | $2.99 | 3,848 | |
15 | Lethal Defense (The Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series Book 1) | Michael Stagg | (March 23, 2020) | 5,780 | $2,515 | $5.99 | 13,604 |
The 7th Canon
Robert Dugoni
Sparring Partners: Novellas
John Grisham
None
Attorney Nate Shepherd returns to represent a city councilman accused of murder. His client is unlikeable, abrasive, and rude. But is he a killer?Nate Shepherd must try a murder case. Fast.When a powerful politician is arrested for killing a local business owner, he hires Nate on one condition—Nate must try the case within ninety days. He has a rock-solid alibi and wants to prove his innocence before his opponents can destroy his career.Working with his fiery associate and his two oldest friends, Nate scrambles to pull the case together. But once the trial date is set, Nate's strategy falls apart as new witnesses and damning facts emerge, evidence that Nate's client curiously forgets to mention every single time.Battered by a collapsing case and an ungrateful client, Nate barrels ahead. But on the eve of trial, an unexpected shock in Nate's family threatens to derail it all. Fighting through doubt of his client—and worse, of himself—Nate enters a trial he must not lose.Swift Judgment is the seventh book in the gripping Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller series. If you like razor-sharp dialogue, captivating characters, and riveting trials, you'll love this fierce courtroom drama by Michael Stagg. Read more
The Judge's List: A Novel
John Grisham
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER Investigator Lacy Stoltz follows the trail of a serial killer, and closes in on a shocking suspect—a sitting judge—in “one of the best crime reads of the year.... Bristling with high-tech detail and shivering with suspense.... Worth staying up all night to finish” (Wall Street Journal).In The Whistler, Lacy Stoltz investigated a corrupt judge who was taking millions in bribes from a crime syndicate. She put the criminals away, but only after being attacked and nearly killed. Three years later, and approaching forty, she is tired of her work for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct and ready for a change.Then she meets a mysterious woman who is so frightened she uses a number of aliases. Jeri Crosby’s father was murdered twenty years earlier in a case that remains unsolved and that has grown stone cold. But Jeri has a suspect whom she has become obsessed with and has stalked for two decades. Along the way, she has discovered other victims.Suspicions are easy enough, but proof seems impossible. The man is brilliant, patient, and always one step ahead of law enforcement. He is the most cunning of all serial killers. He knows forensics, police procedure, and most important: he knows the law.He is a judge, in Florida—under Lacy’s jurisdiction.He has a list, with the names of his victims and targets, all unsuspecting people unlucky enough to have crossed his path and wronged him in some way. How can Lacy pursue him, without becoming the next name on his list?The Judge’s List is by any measure John Grisham’s most surprising, chilling novel yet. Read more
The Whistler
John Grisham
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER A high-stakes thrill ride through the darkest corners of the Sunshine State, from the author hailed as “the best thriller writer alive” by Ken Follett We expect our judges to be honest and wise. Their integrity and impartiality are the bedrock of the entire judicial system. We trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all litigants, to punish those who do wrong, and to oversee the orderly and efficient flow of justice. But what happens when a judge bends the law or takes a bribe? It’s rare, but it happens. Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. She is a lawyer, not a cop, and it is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption. But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business with a new identity. He now goes by the name Greg Myers, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined. And not just crooked judges in Florida. All judges, from all states, and throughout U.S. history. What’s the source of the ill-gotten gains? It seems the judge was secretly involved with the construction of a large casino on Native American land. The Coast Mafia financed the casino and is now helping itself to a sizable skim of each month’s cash. The judge is getting a cut and looking the other way. It’s a sweet deal: Everyone is making money. But now Greg wants to put a stop to it. His only client is a person who knows the truth and wants to blow the whistle and collect millions under Florida law. Greg files a complaint with the Board on Judicial Conduct, and the case is assigned to Lacy Stoltz, who immediately suspects that this one could be dangerous. Dangerous is one thing. Deadly is something else. Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM! Read more
The Firm
John Grisham
At the top of his class at Harvard Law, he had his choice of the best in America. He made a deadly mistake. When Mitch McDeere signed on with Bendini, Lambert & Locke of Memphis, he thought he and his beautiful wife, Abby, were on their way. The firm leased him a BMW, paid off his school loans, arranged a mortgage and hired him a decorator. Mitch McDeere should have remembered what his brother Ray -- doing fifteen years in a Tennessee jail -- already knew. You never get nothing for nothing. Now the FBI has the lowdown on Mitch's firm and needs his help. Mitch is caught between a rock and a hard place, with no choice -- if he wants to live. Read more
Chosen by Bookbub readers as one of the Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time.A preacher is found brutally murdered in a Tennessee motel room.A beautiful, mysterious young girl is accused.In this bestselling debut, criminal defense lawyer Joe Dillard has become jaded over the years as he's tried to balance his career against his conscience. Savvy but cynical, Dillard wants to quit doing criminal defense, but he can't resist the chance to represent someone who might actually be innocent. His drug-addicted sister has just been released from prison and his mother is succumbing to Alzheimer's, but Dillard's commitment to the case never wavers despite the personal troubles and professional demands that threaten to destroy him."Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a facade of vulnerability in this brilliantly executed debut." -- Publisher's WeeklySmart and sophisticated, with a plot twist that will leave you shaking your head in wonder, An Innocent Client -- the first in the acclaimed Joe Dillard series -- will also leave you begging for more."It's Scott Turow and Grisham... The opening chapter is maybe the most compelling I've read in a decade." - Ken Bruen, bestselling author of The Guards"Pratt knows what he's doing and it shows." - Alafair Burke, acclaimed author of The Wife Read more
Rich Waters (Jason Rich Book 2)
Robert Bailey
A Wall Street Journal bestseller.From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Bailey comes a haunting legal thriller about the price of redemption for a billboard lawyer who takes a case he can’t win in a town he can’t forget.Now that attorney Jason Rich has returned home to Guntersville, Alabama, the “In an accident? Get rich!” lawyer is anxious to leave his checkered past behind. Jason hopes this next chapter in his life will be a chance to confront his personal troubles while making amends with his family.But when a former high school football star stands accused of killing a police officer, Jason is unwillingly thrust into the chaos. The local meth king blackmails Jason into defending the alleged murderer, and Jason knows he can’t refuse. With the lives of his family and closest friends on the line, he takes the obviously unwinnable case.As Jason dives into the investigation, he vows to dismantle the meth empire gripping his hometown. But as he confronts alternative suspects and follows new leads, Jason realizes that everyone has secrets to hide and interests to protect—at any cost. Read more
When a former mob lawyer returns home to her small Michigan town, she finds herself at the center of a shocking murder trial.Cass Leary thought she’d escaped her hometown for good. But after the big life she’s built in Chicago crumbles, she’s forced to revisit her troubled past and come back home. No sooner has she hung her shingle before someone murders the beloved high school basketball coach. When Cass steps in to defend the girl accused of the crime, she doesn’t expect the death threats that follow…Confronting the town that shunned her as a child, she unearths secrets that some would kill to keep buried. And after her client confesses to the crime, Cass detects a widespread cover-up. If she doesn’t get to the bottom of it soon, the next casualties may be the ones she loves…To defend her client, she must dig up a town’s darkest secrets.Burden of Truth is the first book in series of high-stakes legal thrillers. If you like blood-pumping action, compelling characters, and twisted crime conspiracies, then you’ll love Robin James’s dark mystery. Read more
Law professor Thomas Jackson McMurtrie literally wrote the book on evidence in the state of Alabama. But when a power-hungry colleague uses a recent run-in between McMurtrie and headstrong student Rick Drake to end his career, he is left unsure what to do next.Meanwhile, a devastating trucking accident in Henshaw, Alabama, leaves a young family dead. Drake, now a fledgling lawyer, takes the case against the freight carrier and soon begins to uncover the truth behind the tragedy that is buried in a tangled web of arson, bribery, and greed. On the eve of the trial and with his case unraveling in the midst of a dangerous cover-up that threatens to silence his star witnesses, Drake realizes that only his estranged mentor, Professor McMurtrie, can help him now.With everything to lose and only justice to gain, will McMurtrie and Drake overcome bad blood to defeat a ruthless adversary? Can the Professor turn back the clock and recover all that he’s lost?Revised edition: This edition of The Professor includes editorial revisions. Read more
"Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a facade of vulnerability." -- Publisher's WeeklyA family of four is slaughtered in rural Tennessee.Two weeks later, a retired high school principal and his wife are brutally slain.Two Satan-worshipping teens stand accused.It's up to prosecutor Joe Dillard to convict them. A former defense attorney who spent way too much time defending people he knew were guilty, Joe is determined to win this case to atone for his past. But an evil young woman named Natasha is responsible for the slayings and Joe knows it. Natasha is walking around free because the two boys who have been arrested are too terrified to implicate her. Now Joe must risk everything -- including his family's safety and his own life -- to bring an evil murderer to justice. Read more
Attorney Nate Shepherd returns to represent a city councilman accused of murder. His client is unlikeable, abrasive, and rude. But is he a killer?A riveting new legal thriller by Michael Stagg.Nate Shepherd must try a murder case. Fast.When a powerful politician is arrested for killing a local business owner, he hires Nate on one condition—Nate must try the case within ninety days. He has a rock-solid alibi and wants to prove his innocence before his opponents can destroy his career.Working with his fiery associate and his two oldest friends, Nate scrambles to pull the case together. But once the trial date is set, Nate’s strategy falls apart as new witnesses and damning facts emerge, evidence which Nate’s client curiously forgets to mention every single time.Battered by a collapsing case and an ungrateful client, Nate barrels ahead. But on the eve of trial, an unexpected shock in Nate’s family threatens to derail it all. Fighting through doubt of his client, and worse, of himself, Nate enters a trial he must not lose. Swift Judgment is the seventh book in the gripping Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller series. If you like razor-sharp dialogue, captivating characters, and riveting trials, you’ll love this fierce courtroom drama by Michael Stagg.Since Michael Stagg broke onto the legal thriller scene, readers have been enthralled by his courtroom dramas, keeping his books on Amazon bestseller lists for months at a time. Known for authentic dialogue and compelling courtroom scenes, Michael Stagg breathes humor and realism into legal thrillers that are populated with characters that readers can’t wait to return to again and again. Read more
"Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a facade of vulnerability."-- Publisher's WeeklyThree young women are found floating in a lake.The suspect is one of the richest and most powerful men in Tennessee.In the fourth installment of the bestselling Joe Dillard series, Dillard has become the district attorney in Northeast Tennessee. He becomes heavily involved in the investigation with Sheriff Leon Bates and soon realizes that he is up against an enemy that he has never before encountered -- someone so rich and so powerful that the course of justice could be altered by money and political influence. But when bodies start showing up in his driveway and his family is threatened with termination, Dillard must ask himself a previously unthinkable question. His life, and the lives of his family, depend on the answer. Read more
Burden of Proof (A Rain City Legal Thriller Book 1)
Stephen Penner
Some people would kill for a fresh start. Seattle attorney Daniel Raine is going through some tough life changes; he's getting divorced, and his law partner is leaving him to become a judge. If Raine can’t find a way to stay afloat, he'll be practicing law out of his car.Then, the perfect opportunity - a rich socialite called Abigail Willoughby arrives at his door, wanting to divorce her even richer husband.Raine is thrilled to take the case but gets more than he bargained for when he is forced into an unlikely alliance with high-powered realtor Rebecca Sommers who has her own motives for wanting to get close to his rich client.What seems like a straightforward case quickly turns to chaos when Abigail threatens her husband Jeremy in front of dozens of witnesses. That same night, Jeremy is discovered murdered in their home.All the evidence points to Abigail as the murderer. But she swears she is innocent and Raine believes her. Together with Sommers, he races to find out who really killed Jeremy and to save his client from serving a lifetime behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit.Burden of Proof is a spellbinding tale of murder and intrigue that will grip readers till the very end.What readers are saying about Burden of Proof:“… it was SO good! … I was totally hooked from the very beginning. Seriously, you won't be able to put it down!” -Booksprout Reviewer“… did not disappoint. I enjoyed this author's writing style. It was crisp, to the point, and flowed nicely without any extra "fluff" to pull me away from the storyline and action.” -Netgalley Reviewer“I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a nice balance between the legal side of the story, and more personal stuff… held my interest throughout.” -Booksprout Reviewer“A great, short legal thriller, fast paced and entertaining. Highly recommend.” -Netgalley Reviewer“The characters are well defined and the writing is excellent— especially the dialogue… is recommended for all readers who enjoy this genre…” -Netgalley Reviewer“Very interesting read and I found myself gripped, this book had everything as well as some twists and turns.” -Netgalley Reviewer Read more
A client savagely kills a man to protect a friend. A lawyer with secrets must prove it was justified.A riveting legal thriller from Michael Stagg.Attorney Nate Shepherd sees nothing but opportunity when an out-of-town lawyer wants to hire him as local counsel on a high-profile murder case. Nate joins the defense team, even though his family worries that the case hits too close to home.When circumstances force Nate to take on a bigger role, he ignores his family’s fears and throws himself into his client’s defense. But as he digs deeper, every aspect of the case raises memories of a terrible event that Nate has tried his best to bury.Battling an aggressive prosecutor in court and a dogged reporter outside it, Nate fights to prove that his client’s brutal, bloody slaying of an evil victim was right. But when Nate’s own story is exposed, it threatens his client’s freedom … and Nate’s carefully constructed life.Can Nate fend off his own demons long enough to save his client?Lethal Defense is the first book in the gripping Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller series. If you like razor-sharp dialogue, captivating characters, and riveting trials, you’ll love this fierce courtroom drama by Michael Stagg.Since Michael Stagg broke onto the legal thriller scene, readers have been enthralled by his courtroom dramas, keeping his books on Amazon bestseller lists for months at a time. Known for authentic dialogue and compelling courtroom scenes, Michael Stagg breathes humor and realism into legal thrillers that are populated with characters that readers can’t wait to return to again and again. Read more
"Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a facade of vulnerability."-- Publisher's Weekly* * * NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: "Blood Money" is an extensive rewrite of a book I wrote a few years ago called "Russo's Gold." While I was satisfied with most of "Russo's Gold," there were parts of it that I wanted to improve. I also wanted to incorporate it into the Joe Dillard series, and that is what I've done. I hope you enjoy it. -- Scott PrattA secret buried deep in the past is on the verge of coming to light.Its discovery triggers malevolent forces that have lain in wait for decades.In the sixth volume of the best-selling Joe Dillard series, Dillard does something he has never done before -- he hires a young associate. Her name is Charleston Story, she is bright and beautiful, and in her very first case, she winds up inheriting an item so valuable that it threatens to destroy her and everything she cares about. As Dillard tries to help and advise his young protege, he finds himself dragged into a web of danger and intrigue, a web so thick that he may never be able to extract himself. Read more
"Pratt knows what he's doing and it shows." -- Alafair Burke, bestselling author of The WifeA criminal court judge is found hanging from a tree.A young employee of the district attorney's office goes missing.In the third book of the bestselling Joe Dillard series, Dillard finds himself in the middle of two volatile mysteries. The primary suspect in the judge's murder is Dillard's son's best friend, and Dillard's wife may have destroyed evidence. Meanwhile, the missing girl turns out to be a mystery far deeper than anyone imagined...***Each Joe Dillard novel can be read as a standalone. There is no need to have read previous books in the series in order to enjoy this story."Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable." - Publisher's Weekly"It's Scott Turow and Grisham..." - Ken Bruen Read more
One brother stands accused of a horrific crime. The other chases a golden future.A riveting legal thriller by Michael Stagg. Fresh off his latest case, attorney Nate Shepherd takes in some local high school football, hoping that a Friday night under the lights will give him a chance to relax with his family. It does—until the quarterback’s brother is arrested in the middle of the game.Nate jumps in to represent the brother, who stands accused of a crime far worse than anyone imagined. As the Internet rains fury down on his new client and a merciless prosecutor maneuvers to put the young man away, Nate scrambles to find out what happened and why. But no one, anywhere, seems to be telling him the whole truth.Nate struggles to build a defense, unwinding a spool of facts that threatens to spill over into his own family’s lives. And with each revelation, the conflict grows until a new danger arises:Will their secrets tear the brothers apart?False Oath is the fourth book in the gripping Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller series. If you like razor-sharp dialogue, captivating characters, and riveting trials, you’ll love this fierce courtroom drama by Michael Stagg.Since Michael Stagg broke onto the legal thriller scene, readers have been enthralled by his courtroom dramas, keeping his books on Amazon bestseller lists for months at a time. Known for authentic dialogue and compelling courtroom scenes, Michael Stagg breathes humor and realism into legal thrillers that are populated with characters that readers can’t wait to return to again and again. Read more
A vicious attack leaves a woman near death. The evidence points to one man. Only Nate Shepherd stands in the way of a conviction.A riveting legal thriller by Michael Stagg.Attorney Nate Shepherd doesn’t want to take on an attempted murder case. But when people he trusts ask him to get involved, Nate agrees to represent the hard-working farmer who’s been accused of trying to kill his brother’s fiancée. By the time Nate steps in, law enforcement has already gathered a mass of evidence to bury his client. With the help of a diligent associate, a dogged investigator, and a dangerous bail bondsman, Nate unearths a web of money and motives that only raises more questions. But while Nate digs deeper to prove his client’s innocence, a zealous prosecutor steamrolls toward a conviction, relentlessly building a case to put Nate’s client away for life.As Nate fights for his client, a family fractures, friends are endangered, and a farm-tough victim struggles to recover. And all the while, a hard truth gnaws at Nate:If his client didn’t do it, then who did?Blind Conviction is the third book in the gripping Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller series. If you like razor-sharp dialogue, captivating characters, and riveting trials, you’ll love this fierce courtroom drama by Michael Stagg.Since Michael Stagg broke onto the legal thriller scene, readers have been enthralled by his courtroom dramas, keeping his books on Amazon bestseller lists for months at a time. Known for authentic dialogue and compelling courtroom scenes, Michael Stagg breathes humor and realism into legal thrillers that are populated with characters that readers can’t wait to return to again and again. Read more
A riveting story of suspense from John Grisham’s #1 New York Times bestseller, Ford County—now available as a standalone eBook short Wheelchair-bound Inez Graney and her two older sons, Leon and Butch, take a bizarre road trip through the Mississippi Delta to visit the youngest Graney brother, Raymond, who’s been locked away on death row for eleven years . . . and it could well be their last visit. Going back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill, Grisham brings the Graneys and their world to vivid and colorful life, making it abundantly clear why he is our most popular storyteller. Includes an excerpt from John Grisham’s classic thriller, A Time to KillDon’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM! Read more