The Judge's List: A Novel by John Grisham (English) Paperback Book

Description: The Judge's List by John Grisham #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham returns to Florida, where The Whistlers Lacy Stoltz takes on a cold case that reveals a judges darkest secrets. "One of the best crime reads of the year . . . a world-class shocker, worth staying up all night to finish."—The Wall Street JournalIn 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 Crosbys 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.The man Jeri holds responsible for all these deaths 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 Lacys jurisdiction. But the man keeps a record of all his victims and targets, people unlucky enough to have crossed his path and wronged him in some way. Lacy must work to take him down, while somehow keeping her name off his list. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography John Grisham is the author of numerous #1 bestsellers, including The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Innocent Man, The Whistler, The Boys from Biloxi, and many more. His books have been translated into nearly fifty languages. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system. He lives on a farm in central Virginia. Review Praise for the novels of John Grisham "John Grisham is about as good a storyteller as weve got in the United States these days."—The New York Times Book Review "In all of Grishams best books . . . the reader gets good company, a vigorous runaround and . . . a bit of a legal education."—Janet Maslin, The New York Times "Grishams books are smart, imaginative, and funny, populated by complex, interesting people."—The Washington Post "The law, by its nature, creates drama, and a new Grisham promises us an inside look at the dirty machineries of process and power, with plenty of entertainment."—Los Angeles Times "John Grisham owns the legal thriller." —The Denver Post Review Quote One of The Wall Street Journal s Best Mysteries of the Year Excerpt from Book 1 The call came through the office land line, through a system that was at least twenty years old and had fought off all technological advances. It was taken by a tattooed receptionist named Felicity, a new girl who would be gone before she fully understood the phones. They were all leaving, it seemed, especially the clerical help. Turnover was ridiculous. Morale was low. The Board on Judicial Conduct had just seen its budget chopped for the fourth straight year by a legislature that hardly knew it existed. Felicity managed to route the call down the hall to the cluttered desk of Lacy Stoltz. "Theres a call on line three," she announced. "Who is it?" Lacy asked. "She wouldnt say." There were so many ways to respond. At that moment, though, Lacy was bored, and she did not wish to waste the emotional energy necessary to properly chastise the kid and set her straight. Routines and protocols were crumbling. Office discipline was waning as BJC spiraled into a leaderless mess. As a veteran, the veteran, it was important to set an example. "Thanks," she said and punched the blinking light. "Lacy Stoltz." "Good afternoon, Ms. Stoltz. Do you have a moment?" Female, educated, no hint of an accent, mid-forties, give or take three years. Lacy always played the voice game. "And to whom do I have the pleasure?" "My name is Margie for now, but I use other ones." Lacy was amused and almost chuckled. "Well, at least youre up front about it. It normally takes me some time to work through the aliases." Anonymous callers were routine. People with gripes about judges were always cautious and hesitant to come forward and take on the system. Almost all feared retaliation from the powers on high. Margie said, "Id like to talk to you, somewhere private." "My office is private, if youd like." "Oh no," she snapped, apparently frightened at the thought. "That wont work. You know the Siler Building, next door?" "Of course," Lacy said as she stood and looked out her window at the Siler Building, one of several nondescript government addresses in downtown Tallahassee. Margie said, "Theres a coffee bar on the ground floor. Can we meet there?" "I suppose. When?" "Now. Im on my second latte." "Slow down. Give me a few minutes. And youll recognize me?" "Yes. Youre on the website. Im in the rear, left side." Lacys office was indeed private. The one to her left was empty, vacated by an ex-colleague whod moved on to a bigger agency. Across the hall an office had been converted into a makeshift storage closet. She walked toward Felicity and ducked into the office of Darren Trope, a two-year man already prowling for another job. "You busy?" she asked as she interrupted whatever he was doing. "Not really." It didnt matter what he was or was not doing. If Lacy needed anything, Darren belonged to her. "Need a favor. Im stepping over to Siler to meet a stranger who just admitted that she is using a fake name." "Oh, I love the cloak-and-dagger. Sure beats sitting here reading about some judge who made lewd comments to a witness." "How lewd?" "Pretty graphic." "Any photos, videos?" "Not yet." "Let me know if you get them. So, mind stepping over in fifteen minutes and taking a picture?" "Sure. No problem. No idea who she is?" "None whatsoever." Lacy left the building, took her time walking around the block, enjoyed a moment of cool air, and strolled into the lobby of the Siler Building. It was almost 4:00 p.m. and there were no other customers drinking coffee at that hour. Margie was at a small table in the rear, to the left. She waved quickly as though someone might notice and she didnt want to get caught. Lacy smiled and walked toward her. African American, mid-forties, professional, attractive, educated, slacks and heels and dressed nicer than Lacy, though around BJC these days any and all attire was allowed. The old boss wanted coats and ties and hated jeans, but he had retired two years ago and took most of the rules with him. Lacy passed the counter where the barista was loafing with both elbows stuck on the Formica, hands cradling her pink phone that had her thoroughly fascinated. She did not look up, never thought about greeting a customer, and Lacy decided to pass on more caffeine anyway. Without standing, Margie stuck out a hand and said, "Nice to meet you. Would you like some coffee?" Lacy smiled, shook her hand, and sat across the square table. "No thanks. And its Margie, right?" "For now." "Okay, were off to a bad start. Why are you using an alias?" "My story will take hours to tell and Im not sure you want to hear it." "Then why bother?" "Please, Ms. Stoltz." "Lacy." "Please, Lacy. You have no idea the emotional trauma Ive been through trying to get to this point in my life. Im a wreck right now, okay?" She seemed fine, though a bit on edge. Perhaps it was the second latte. Her eyes darted right and left. They were pretty and surrounded by large purple frames. The lenses were probably not needed. The glasses were part of the outfit, a subtle disguise. Lacy said, "Im not sure what to say. Why dont you start talking and maybe well get somewhere?" "Ive read about you." She reached down into a backpack and deftly pulled out a file. "The Indian casino case, not long ago. You caught a judge skimming and put her away. One reporter described it as the largest bribery scandal in the history of American jurisprudence." The file was two inches thick and gave every impression of being immaculately organized. Lacy noted the use of the word "jurisprudence." Odd for a layperson. "It was a big case," she said, feigning modesty. Margie smiled and said, "Big? You broke up a crime syndicate, nailed the judge, and sent a bunch of people to prison. All are still there, I believe." "True, but it was far from a one-girl takedown. The FBI was heavily involved. It was a complicated case and some people were killed." "Including your colleague, Mr. Hugo Hatch." "Yes, including Hugo. Curious. Why all of this research about me?" Margie folded her hands and rested them on top of the file, which she had not opened. Her index fingers were shaking slightly. She looked at the entrance and glanced around again, though no one had entered, no one had left, no one had moved, not even the barista who was lost in the clouds. She took a sip from her straw. If it really was her second latte, it had barely been touched. She had used the word "trauma." Admitted to being a "wreck." Lacy realized the woman was frightened. Margie said, "Oh, Im not sure its research. Just some stuff off the Internet. Everythings out there, you know." Lacy smiled and tried to be patient. "Im not sure were getting anywhere." "Your job is to investigate judges who are accused of wrongdoing, right?" "Thats correct." "And youve been doing it for how long?" "Im sorry. Why is this relevant?" "Please." "Twelve years." Giving that number was like admitting defeat. It sounded so long. "How do you get involved in a case?" Margie asked, bouncing around. Lacy took a deep breath and reminded herself to be patient. People with complaints who got this far were often rattled. She smiled and said, "Well, typically a person with a complaint against a judge will contact us and well have a meeting. If the gripe appears to have some merit, then the person will file a formal complaint, which we keep locked up for forty-five days while we take a look. We call it an assessment. Nine times out of ten thats as far as it gets and the complaint is dismissed. If we find possible wrongdoing, then we notify the judge and he or she has thirty days to respond. Usually, everybody lawyers up. We investigate, have hearings, bring in witnesses, the works." As she spoke, Darren strolled in alone, disturbed the barista by ordering decaf, waited on it while ignoring the two women, then took it to a table on the other side of the room where he opened a laptop and began what appeared to be some serious work. Without giving the slightest hint, he aimed the laptops camera at Lacys back and Margies face, zoomed in for a close shot, and began filming. He took a video and some still shots. If Margie noticed him it was not apparent. She listened intently to Lacy and asked, "How often is a judge removed from office?" Again, why is this relevant? "Not very often, fortunately. We have jurisdiction over one thousand judges and the vast majority are honest, hardworking professionals. Most of the complaints we see are just not that serious. Disgruntled litigants who didnt get what they wanted. A lot of divorce cases. A lot of lawyers mad because they lost. We stay busy, but for the most part the conflicts are resolved." She made the job sound boring, and, after twelve years, it rather felt that way. Margie listened carefully, her fingertips tapping the file. She took a deep breath and asked, "The person who files the complaint, is he or she always identified?" Lacy thought for a second and said, "Eventually, yes. Its quite rare for the complaining party to remain anonymous." Details ISBN0593157834 Author John Grisham Short Title The Judges List Pages 480 Series The Whistler Language English Year 2022 ISBN-10 0593157834 ISBN-13 9780593157831 Publication Date 2022-08-23 Subtitle A Novel Series Number 2 Publisher Random House USA Inc Format Paperback Imprint Vintage Books Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2022-08-23 NZ Release Date 2022-08-23 US Release Date 2022-08-23 UK Release Date 2022-08-23 DEWEY 813.54 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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