Books in series
#0.5
Last Chance Lassiter
2012
"If your cause is just, no case is impossible." -
Jake Lassiter
This time, the linebacker-turned-lawyer faces overwhelming odds. Lassiter represents Cadillac Johnson, an aging rhythm and blues musician who claims his greatest song was stolen by a top-of-the-charts hip-hop artist.
Lassiter's personal life is in chaos. He loses his job at a deep-carpet law firm and moves to a dumpy office in a Miami Beach parking garage. Then his lawyer-girlfriend, the ambitious Kim Coates, dumps him for not being "partnership material." Not only that, he faces disbarment after punching out his own client.
Only a few years out of law school, Lassiter is already developing his iconoclastic rules. "I will live by no code but my own." This time, that code could leave him disbarred or bankrupt...or worse.
Author's Note: A 25,000 word novella, "Last Chance Lassiter" is the brand-new prequel to "To Speak for the Dead."
#1
To Speak for the Dead
1990
A doctor in love with his patient's wife...
A fatal mistake during surgery...
Accident? Malpractice? Or murder?
Defending a surgeon in a malpractice case, Jake Lassiter begins to suspect that his client is innocent of negligence...but guilty of murder. Add a sexy widow, a deadly drug, and a grave robbery to the stew, and you have the recipe for Miami's trial of the century.
"To Speak for the Dead" introduced the world to Jake Lassiter, the linebacker-turned-lawyer with a hard bark and a tender heart. An international bestseller, Paul Levine's debut novel was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the best mysteries of the year.
If you enjoy the suspense and thrills of John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Carl Hiaasen, and James Patterson, you'll love "To Speak for the Dead" from Paul Levine.
#2
Night Vision
1991
The murder of one of the computer dating service Compu-Mate's clients sends Miami trial lawyer Jake Lassiter and retired coroner Dr. Charlie Riggs on the trail of a killer that leads them to a London insane asylum. Reprint.
#3
False Dawn
1993
Bestselling Legal Thriller from Edgar Nominee Paul Levine
The client admits he killed a man...
His lawyer doesn't believe him...
The truth is buried beneath a conspiracy of theft and murder.
Linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter heads to Havana and untangles a deadly plot involving the CIA, Fidel Castro, and the Russian government.
"Realistic, gritty, fun."— New York Times Book Review
#4
Mortal Sin
1994
Jake Lassiter has a dangerous conflict of interest. He's sleeping with Nicky Florio's wife...and defending the mob-connected millionaire in court. Florio has hatched a scheme deep in the Florida Everglades that oozes corruption, blood, and money. One false move, and Jake will be gator bait.
#5
Riptide
1995
NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER FROM EDGAR NOMINEE PAUL LEVINE
"One part John Grisham, two parts Carl Hiaasen." -
Tulsa World
"A thriller as fast as the wind." -
Tampa Tribune
Jake Lassiter chases a beautiful woman and stolen bonds from Miami to Maui, where in an explosive finale, he learns lessons never taught on the football field or in the courtroom. If you enjoy John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Carl Hiaasen, and James Patterson, you'll love "Riptide" from Paul Levine, winner of the John D. MacDonald fiction award. Levine has also been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber prizes. A former trial lawyer, he wrote more than 20 episodes of the CBS military drama "JAG."
WHAT'S THE VERDICT ON THE JAKE LASSITER THRILLERS?
"Genuinely clever, great fun." -
New York Times Book Review
"Mystery writing at its very, very best." -
Larry King, USA TODAY
"Just the remedy for those who can't get enough Spenser and miss Travis McGee terribly." -
St. Petersburg Times
"Jake Lassiter is attractive, funny, savvy, and brave." -
Chicago Tribune
"Cracking good action-mystery...funny, sardonic, and fast-paced." -
Detroit Free Press
MORE JAKE LASSITER THRILLERS
TO SPEAK FOR THE DEAD: Jake begins to believe that his surgeon client is innocent of malpractice...but guilty of murder.
NIGHT VISION: Someone is murdering women on an Internet sex chat site, and Jake becomes a special prosecutor to hunt down the serial killer.
FALSE DAWN: After his client confesses to a murder he didn't commit, Jake follows a bloody trail from Miami to Havana to discover the truth.
MORTAL SIN: Talk about conflicts of interest. Jake is sleeping with Gina Florio and defending her mob-connected husband in court.
FOOL ME TWICE: To clear his name in a murder investigation, Jake follows a trail of evidence that leads from Miami to buried treasure in the abandoned silver mines of Aspen, Colorado.
FLESH AND BONES: Jake falls for his beautiful client even though he doubts her story. She claims to have recovered "repressed memories" of abuse...just before gunning down her father.
LASSITER: Jake retraces the steps of a model who went missing 18 years earlier...after his one-night stand with her.
More info at paul-levine.com
#6
Fool Me Twice
1996
"WILDLY ENTERTAINING" LEGAL THRILLER!
It's a routine fraud trial in Miami, until...
A witness is murdered...
And Jake Lassiter is the prime suspect.
The mystery leads Lassiter and his wisecracking delinquent nephew to an abandoned silver mine deep beneath the Aspen ski slopes. The evidence that can clear the lawyer—or bury him—is revealed in an explosive finale.
"Twice as good as Turow and Grisham, and four times the fun." - Armchair Detective
#7
Flesh and Bones
1997
SPELLBINDING THRILLER FROM EDGAR NOMINEE PAUL LEVINE
"I was sitting at the end of the bar sipping single-malt Scotch when I spotted the tall blond woman with the large green eyes and the small gray gun."
The next thing Jake Lassiter knows, the woman pumps three bullets into the man on the next bar stool. Lassiter, the linebacker-turned-lawyer, has a new client. She's a stunning South Beach model; the dead man is her wealthy father; and the murder case is a slam dunk for the prosecution. Or is it?
#8
Lassiter
2011
"Take John Grisham's courtroom skills, add a dash of James Patterson's action and a pinch of Harlan Coben's humanity...and you've got LASSITER."
Eighteen years ago, Jake Lassiter crossed paths with a teenage runaway who disappeared into South Florida's sex trade. Now he traces her steps and runs head-on into a conspiracy of Miami's rich and powerful who would do anything to keep the past as silent as the grave. In this tale of redemption and revenge, Edgar-nominated author Paul Levine delivers his most powerful thriller yet.
Jake Lassiter, second-string linebacker turned low-rent lawyer, is cynical about the law, but if you hire him, he'll take a punch for you . . . and maybe a swing at the prosecutor, too.
Amy Larkin—beautiful, angry, and mysterious—accuses Lassiter of involvement in the disappearance of her sister eighteen years earlier. What does Lassiter know about Krista Larkin, the runaway teen turned porn actress? More than he's saying.
Seeking to atone for his own past, Lassiter follows the cold trail of the missing Krista and butts head with the powerful men who also knew her: a former porn king turned philanthropist, a slick Cuban-born prosecutor, and an aging mobster.
The evidence leads to a long-ago night of kinky sex, designer drugs—and possible murder. But before Lassiter can nail the truth, a gun goes off, a suspect falls dead, and Lassiter has a murder trial to defend. Will the verdict disclose what happened to Krista? The answer, buried under years of deceit and corruption, is revealed in an explosive courtroom finale, proving that rough justice is better than no justice at all.
#9
State vs. Lassiter
2013
Life is great for Jake at the start of “State vs. Lassiter,” the newest tale in Paul Levine’s award-winning series.
Jake’s law practice is booming...
He’s crazy about the new woman in his life...
His one-time delinquent nephew Kip is getting A’s in school...
What can go wrong?
Oh...how about a charge of first degree murder?
When money goes missing from client trust accounts, Jake confronts his banker, Pamela Baylins...who also happens to be his lover. She accuses Jake of skimming client funds; he accuses her of dipping into the till. She threatens to report him to the State Attorney...and within hours is killed.
All the evidence points to Jake, who is charged with murder. Is this the end of the linebacker-turned-lawyer?
#10
Bum Rap
2015
BUM RAP
Miami lawyer Jake Lassiter has had it with shifty clients, dirty prosecutors, and a legal system out of whack. It’s enough to make a man want to leave Florida and never look back...until he gets a call from Victoria Lord, the better half of hot local legal team Solomon & Lord. Her partner in life and law has been arrested for murder. What’s worse: the only person who can clear him has fled the city. Now it’s up to Jake and Victoria to track down the witness—a stunning “Bar girl”—before she’s roped in by the feds…or eliminated by the Russian mob.
Jake knows that if he doesn’t get to the witness first, his client’s case is lost. Luckily, he’s got some good advice from his college football coach: “Buckle your chin strap and hit somebody.” And sometimes, the only way to win a tough case is to do just that.
#11
Bum Luck
2017
"Thirty seconds after the jury announced its verdict, I decided to kill my client." - Jake Lassiter
Lassiter believes that NFL superstar Thunder Thurston, murdered his wife. But the jury said "not guilty." A lawyer is supposed to let it go. Not Lassiter, who vows to become a vigilante.
His pals, squabbling law partners Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord, fear that all those concussions playing football caused the brain damage known as CTE. Can they stop Lassiter from becoming a murderer?
Will Dr. Melissa Gold, a neuropathologist, be able to halt his decline?
Or...is it game over for Lassiter's career and life?
NOTE: The Jake Lassiter books are all stand-alones that may be enjoyed in any order.
#12
Bum Deal
2018
AN IMPOSSIBLE CASE? CALL JAKE LASSITER
No witness? No evidence? No body?
Big problem for new prosecutor Jake Lassiter.
Appointed to prosecute a high-profile murder case, Lassiter vows to take down a prominent surgeon accused of killing his wife. Problem is...there's not a scrap of forensic evidence, and the defense lawyers are the crafty team of Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord.
Lassiter's symptoms of the brain disease CTE are threatening to disable him. Even as Melissa Gold, his doctor and lover, performs experimental treatments, Lassiter could lose the case—and his life—in court.
"BUM DEAL is the real deal. Jake Lassiter at his smart-talking, fast-thinking best. A funny, compelling and canny courtroom thriller." —Scott Turow, #1 New York Times bestselling author
NOTE: The Lassiter novels are all stand-alones and may be enjoyed in any order.
#13
Cheater's Game
2020
JAKE LASSITER TACKLES THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL
Rich parents will pay anything to get their kids into college...
Kip Lassiter can get you a perfect score on any test...
And Kip's heartbroken uncle Jake must defend an unwinnable case.
CHEATER'S GAME dives deep into the true-to-life college admissions scandal with an explosive federal trial that rocks the courthouse.
Suffering brain damage from his days as a football player, Miami lawyer Jake Lassiter says goodbye to the courtroom...until his nephew Kip desperately needs his help. Kip has been working with millionaire Max Ringle in a shady scheme to help rich, entitled kids gain admission to elite universities.
The mastermind of the fraud, Ringle cops a plea to save his own hide and shifts the blame to Kip who's charged with multiple federal crimes. Dr. Melissa Gold, a famed neurologist and Lassiter's fiancée, supervises experimental treatments intended to keep the ailing lawyer strong enough for a grueling trial. As a fiery showdown with Ringle brings the courtroom to a fever pitch, Lassiter risks everything - including his own life - to fight for his nephew's freedom.
"Lassiter is the lawyer we all want on our side and on the page." - Lee Child
#14
Early Grave
2023
When his godson suffers a catastrophic injury in a high school football game, lawyer Jake Lassiter sues to abolish the sport and becomes Public Enemy Number One. At the same time, the former NFL linebacker battles CTE, the fatal brain disease caused by repetitive head injuries. Complicating Lassiter’s lawsuit and his health, his personal life hits a rocky patch. He’s in couple’s therapy with fiancée Dr. Melissa Gold and vows to live long enough to fix his relationship and achieve justice for his godson.
Amazon #1 Bestselling Author Paul Levine builds tension with a furious pace, leading to the “seismic courtroom battles and pyrotechnics” (Booklist) for which he is known.
THE LAST LASSITER: Early Grave is the final novel of the series that began with the international bestseller To Speak for the Dead in 1990. All the "Lassiters" are stand-alones that may be enjoyed in any order, and all are Kindle Unlimited titles.
Author
Paul Levine
Author · 28 books
NEW: Jake Lassiter tackles high school football and becomes the most hated man in Miami in EARLY GRAVE, Paul Levine's new legal thriller. "An extraordinary hero stars in a legal tale as believable as it is riveting." - Kirkus Reviews "Levine scores with this complex and witty legal thriller. This winner works even for those new to the series." - Publishers Weekly (★starred review★) When his godson suffers a catastrophic injury in a high school football game, lawyer Jake Lassiter sues to abolish the sport and becomes Public Enemy Number One. The former NFL linebacker also battles CTE, the fatal brain disease caused by repetitive head injuries. His personal life, too, hits a rocky patch. He's in couple's therapy with fiancée Dr. Melissa Gold and vows to live long enough to fix his relationship and achieve justice for his godson. "Grounded in reality, EARLY GRAVE is a novel with heartfelt emotion, flashes of humor, and high-octane excitement." - Franco Harris, NFL Hall of Fame Running Back STILL GOING STRONG: CHEATER’S GAME is a stand-alone entry in the Jake Lassiter series. "Clever, funny and seriously on point when it comes to the inequities of society and the justice system, CHEATER'S GAME is top-notch stuff from Paul Levine. His Jake Lassiter is my kind of lawyer!" - Michael Connelly You may ORDER HERE. ALSO AVAILABLE: BUM DEAL. “Fascinating, fully developed characters and smart, well-paced dialogue keep the pages turning. Levine manipulates the expectations of the reader as skillfully as Jake manipulates the expectations of the jury” — Publishers Weekly (★starred review★) "Drop everything...Read it now...BUM DEAL is fantastic." - Lee Child “BUM DEAL is the real deal. A funny, compelling and canny courtroom thriller, seasoned with a little melancholy and a lot of inside knowledge.” — Scott Turow Defense lawyer Jake Lassiter switches teams and prosecutes a surgeon accused of killing his wife. There’s just one problem…or maybe three: no evidence, no witness, and no body. But Lassiter’s used to fighting impossible battles on the gridiron and in court. After all, he’s not totally burned-out—just a little scorched. BUM DEAL is a stand-alone entry in the Jake Lassiter series and available for ORDER HERE. Available now: BUM LUCK "Thirty seconds after the jury announced its verdict, I decided to kill my client." That's the opening line of BUM LUCK, which brings together Miami's offbeat lawyers Jake Lassiter, Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord. What's behind Lassiter's bizarre behavior. Solomon and Lord think that one-too-many concussions on the football field have left their pal with C.T.E., the fatal brain disease. Is it lights out for Lassiter? “The pages fly by and the laughs keep coming in this irresistible Florida romp. A delicious mix of thriller and comic crime novel.” – Booklist (★starred review★) The author of 23 novels, Paul Levine won the John D. MacDonald fiction award and was nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber awards. More information on Paul Levine’s
