The Local

Description

BIG BUSINESS James Euchre lives an easy life as a local attorney in a small Texan town, making plenty of money from patent infringement cases. BAD BLOOD But when his mentor is killed and one of his clients is arrested for murder, Jimmy is forced to take on his first criminal case - defending the man who allegedly killed his friend. BETRAYAL As Jimmy and his team search for the truth, they uncover some deadly secrets. And the deeper he goes, the more Jimmy fears that he'll fail to save an innocent client's life - or worse - wind up freeing a guilty man. . . '[Joey Hartstone] writes with verve and affection about the things that divide and connect the characters in Marshall's insular criminal-justice community. The characters are vivid and worth rooting for, and the plot is just complicated enough to be interesting without being overwhelming... terrific' - New York Times

Joey Hartstone is a film and television writer who often wishes he was a lawyer. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and UCLA, where he received his master's degree in screenwriting. He has written two feature films, LBJ and Shock and Awe, both directed by Rob Reiner. Joey has also worked as a television writer and producer on The Good Fight and Showtime's legal thriller Your Honor. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

'[Joey Hartstone] writes with verve and affection about the things that divide and connect the characters in Marshall's insular criminal-justice community. The characters are vivid and worth rooting for, and the plot is just complicated enough to be interesting without being overwhelming... terrific' - New York Times 'The Local is everything a legal thriller should be. A cunningly crafted courtroom drama, with a top drawer cast of characters that drag you headfirst into the action. I finished it in twenty-four hours, and quite literally couldn't put it down. For me, this was reminiscent of the likes of John Grisham at his finest' - Rob Scragg, author of What Falls Between the Cracks 'The surprising twists are rendered plausible by Hartstone's mastery of conveying detailed trial strategies. Scott Turow readers should take a look' - Publishers Weekly 'A sizzling, fast-paced read that drew me in and kept me turning pages right to the end. Joey Hartstone paints a vivid picture of a small-town Texas court where old feuds and allegiances mean anything can happen' - William Landay, author of Defending Jacob 'A courtroom thriller with a dazzling cinematic quality, which is not surprising as Hartstone is an accomplished film and television writer... This is an extremely promising debut, and readers will want more of Hartstone's razor-edge style. A natural for fans of Grisham and Turow' - Booklist 'The Local has everything I love in a book. It's a thriller, a whodunit, and a sexy courtroom drama. It's a real page-turner with fascinating characters that takes place in my home state of Texas. Enjoy!' - Woody Harrelson 'Unraveling a fraught legal system page-by-gripping-page, The Local is an extraordinary and unforgettable powerhouse of a debut. Hartstone's masterful storytelling and switchblade-sharp wit make for a piercing and wildly entertaining thriller about the fragility of power - and the feverish and cruel desperation of those who wield it. An absolute must-read' - P.J. Vernon, author of Bath Haus 'A spectacular courtroom thriller that kept me turning pages like the best of Grisham or Turow. I loved everything about The Local except for the hours of lost sleep when I couldn't put it down. Let's hope that Joey Hartstone is working on a sequel, because I can't get enough of these characters' - Michelle King, co-creator of The Good Wife and The Good Fight 'A compelling and fast-moving novel dealing with the conflict between friendship, family loyalty and duty to the law. Hartstone kept me guessing right till the end' - Lisa Ballantyne, author of The Guilty Ones 'Joey Hartstone is a consummate storyteller. In The Local, he crafts a razor-sharp thriller reminiscent of the best of Grisham. Filled with simmering tensions, abiding rivalries and the heady atmosphere of small-town Southern America, it's slick, smart and - to my delight - undeniably sexy' - Kia Abdullah, author of Next of Kin 'Hartstone ... controls the pace of the novel with assurance, with his main character at times reminiscent of Michael Connelly's Lincoln lawyer Mickey Haller and many of John Grisham's determined and sometimes naive lawyers battling the odds. A compelling read with all the necessary complement of plot twists and shock revelations fed to the reader at all the right moments.' - Crime Time