He’s America’s Best Lawyer Until He’s Its #1 Murder Suspect

Can this actually be James Patterson?

It reads to me more like John Grisham.

Excellent.

Stafford Lee Penney is a small-town lawyer with a big-time reputation for winning every case he tries. In his sharp suits and polished Oxford shoes, Penney is Biloxi, Mississippi’s #1 Lawyer and top local celebrity.

Just as Penney notches his latest courtroom victory, his wife is scandalously killed. He spirals into a legal and personal losing streak, damaging his reputation and ruining his career.  …

Perhaps this 2024 novel had a LOT of influence from co-author Nancy Allen.

She practiced law in the Ozarks for fifteen years as Assistant Attorney General and Assistant Prosecutor. She served on the faculty at Missouri State University for sixteen years, teaching law classes.