Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Legal
Monthly median sales (top 30)
$6,302
The median book price
$5.49
Bestseller's daily sales
365
50th book's daily sales
13
Average number of pages per book
375
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 8 words:
- Swift Judgment: Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 7
- Degree of Guilt: A Thriller
- Lost Proof: Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 6
- An Innocent Client: A Legal Thriller (Joe Dillard Series Book 1)
- The Judge's List: A Novel
- Indie success
-
0%
- Volatility
- New releases
- KDP Select
100%
5.56%
56.67%
Extract of the best seller list's front page
Front-page bestsellers:
Sparring Partners: Novellas
John Grisham
Degree of Guilt: A Thriller
Richard North Patterson
From one of the premiere thriller writers of our day, in the same league as Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, Nelson Demille, and Michael Connolly, comes Richard North Patterson's engrossing Degree of Guilt.TV journalist Mary Carelli admits that she shot and killed Mark Ransom, one of the world's most famous authors. She claims it was self-defense. She swears he tried to rape her. Now she has to prove it in a court of law—with her former lover acting as her attorney…Christopher Paget is one of the top lawyers in the country. But defending the mother of his son in the trial of the decade, he begins to have doubts. Is Mary telling the truth? Did she invent her story about the rape? What is she hiding? With each shocking revelation, Paget is forced to question his defense, his ethics, and the whole legal system. Because no one, not even the judge, is completely innocent. And guilt is a matter of degree… Read more
Lost Proof: Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 6
Michael Stagg
Attorney Nate Shepherd is back, representing a thief accused of murder. Was it a burglary gone wrong? Or is his client caught in a larger plot? A riveting new legal thriller by Michael Stagg.Nate Shepherd can’t tell if his client is lying.The police say Nate’s client beat a young reporter to death during a break-in. They have the evidence to prove it, from the stolen goods right down to the bloody aluminum bat. A celebrated prosecutor takes over the case, aiming to convict Nate’s client of murdering the reporter while robbing his house.Nate’s client swears he didn’t kill the man. So, helped by a new associate and old friends, Nate dives into the overwhelming evidence in search of a defense. With each new lead, Nate’s suspicions grow that there might be more to this crime.As evidence disappears and people vanish, Nate is forced into a high-stakes trial to prove that his client is no killer. With time running out, Nate discovers that far more than his client’s freedom could be at risk.Lost Proof is the sixth 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
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
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 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
A vicious attack leaves a woman near death. The evidence points to one man. Only Nate Shepherd stands in the way of a conviction.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 on 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, iron-willed characters, and slippery moral quandaries, then you’ll love Michael Stagg’s fierce courtroom drama. 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
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
An innocent client harbors dark secrets… Defense attorney Leland Monroe lost it all: his big-city job, his reputation and, worst of all, his loving wife. Now he’s back in his hometown—Charleston, South Carolina—to hit restart and repair the relationship with his troubled son. But the past is always present in a small town.Leland returns to find his high school sweetheart hasn’t had the easiest of lives—especially now that her son faces a death sentence for murdering his father. Yet what appears to be an open and shut case is anything but. As Leland digs deeper to uncover a truth even his client is determined to keep buried, a tangled web of corruption weaves its way throughout his once tranquil hometown.Leland soon realizes it’s not just his innocent young client’s life that’s at stake—powerful forces surface to threaten the precious few loved ones he has left. Read more
Rich Blood (Jason Rich Book 1)
Robert Bailey
From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Bailey comes a compelling legal thriller about a lawyer who takes on his sister’s case—and confronts small-town secrets and family skeletons.Attorney Jason Rich has made a fortune off other people’s bad luck. His billboard slogan—“In an accident? Get Rich!”—accosts motorists on highways from Alabama to Florida. As ambulance chasers go, he’s exceptional.But after a recent divorce and a stint in rehab, Jason has hit a rough patch. And things only get worse when his sister, Jana, is accused of her husband’s murder. Even though Jason has no experience trying criminal cases, Jana begs him to represent her.Jason has mixed feelings about returning to Lake Guntersville, Alabama—and even more reservations about diving back into his sister’s life. Between the drugs, the affairs, and a tendency to gaslight everyone in her inner circle, Jana has plenty of enemies in town.But did Jana hire someone to kill her husband? Jason isn’t so sure. He heads back to his hometown to unravel the truth and face off against opponents old and new. 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
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 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
"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.***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. 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
A New York Times and Amazon Bestseller.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 the brutal double murder of two fellow lawyers. 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. It doesn't take long for him to discover that in this trial, ambition, friendship, greed, and long-standing grudges will play just as important a role as truth and justice.Brilliantly paced, crackling with energy and suspense, SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES reminds us why we love to hate lawyers -- but can't get enough of courtroom drama when it's done this well.“Outstanding! Siegel’s characters are sharp and witty. Nobody writes dialogue better.” – Robert Dugoni, NY Times and Amazon bestselling author of MY SISTER’S GRAVE.With SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, author Sheldon Siegel burst onto the legal thriller arena exposing the world of big-time law firms and lawyers in a fresh, sharp-witted, wonderfully sardonic page-turner. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES introduces us to criminal defense attorneys and former spouses Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez -- incompatible for marriage, but just right for everything else."A page-turner of the finger-burning kind."-- San Francisco Chronicle"An A+ first novel."-- The Philadelphia Inquirer“With a winning protagonist and a gripping plot, Siegel's debut is sure to make partner at its first-choice firm: the expanding empire of Turow, Grisham, Lescroart, Wilhelm, Margolin and Baldacci.” -- Publisther’s WeeklySPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES is first book in the NY Times and Amazon best selling legal thriller series featuring Mike Daley & Rosie Fernandez. Read more
Small-town lawyer Cass Leary’s latest client just dug up a decades-old, million-dollar mystery hidden under the floorboards of her grandmother’s house.Zoe Paul never had much. Abandoned as an infant, her grandmother Marilyn raised her until a tragic accident left Zoe all alone. Now, sixteen years later, Zoe discovers an unclaimed check worth millions among her grandmother’s things. With no explanation why Marilyn never cashed the check or what it was for, Zoe's curiosity quickly turns to suspicion and she goes to Cass for help.Cass is used to representing small-town clients with big-time troubles, but this newfound windfall may be more curse than blessing. Soon Zoe’s long-lost relatives crawl out of the woodwork with claims to the funds. Cass must face-off with them in a bitter courtroom battle that draws sinister attention.While Cass investigates the check's origins and the events leading up to Marilyn's accident, she exposes a dangerous web of deceit that threatens Zoe's safety as well as her own. The truth could either set Zoe up for life or reveal shocking family secrets worth killing for.Will Cass unravel the mystery or become the next victim of a deadly cover up?Dead Law is the gripping eleventh book in the Cass Leary Legal Thriller Series by Robin James. With sharp dialogue, well-drawn characters, and a twisty plot that will keep you guessing until the very end, this series is a must-read for fans of John Grisham and Michael Connelly. Read more
A missing child. A web of lies. A lone prosecutor must unravel the truth before it’s too late.Smack in the middle of a capital murder trial, small-town Prosecutor Mara Brent gets a cryptic note from the defendant. He wants to cut a deal. His freedom in exchange for information about the kidnapping and murder of a young girl that made national news a decade ago. Is he telling the truth? Or is this just the desperate ploy of a marked man?As Mara tries to delve into the man’s story, she hits roadblocks at every turn. Her boss just wants a conviction at all costs. The town sheriff refuses to reopen the old case or interview Mara’s informant. Even the missing girl’s family takes Mara to court to stop her. But when key witnesses start turning up dead, Mara knows she can’t let this one go, no matter who she has to cross to get to the truth.With her career on the line, what Mara learns will reveal long-buried secrets that could threaten those she loves the most. Web of Justice is the spine-tingling seventh book in the Mara Brent legal thriller series. With page-turning suspense, political intrigue, and a murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end, Robin James’s books are perfect for fans of Grisham, Connelly, Cornwell and Slaughter. Read more