Judge Stone

Academy Award winning actress Viola Davis and the world's #1 bestselling author James Patterson's Judge Stone "delivers first-class courtroom drama, small-town excitement, and strong characters all wrapped in a moral dilemma. Tense, readable, and relevant." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"Talk about a power combo! ... With Davis's razor-sharp emotional insight and Patterson's mastery of rocket-fuel pacing, this is the dream team to deliver an up-all-night read that will keep the group chat buzzing." --Oprah Daily

"Wonderfully satisfying ... This legal thriller from [a] superstar duo ... demands attention from its opening pages and never lets go." --Booklist, starred review

All rise... for Judge Stone.

The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities sacred: running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom. It's there she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South.

Criminally, it's open-and-shut.

Ethically, there is no middle ground. Essentially, it's a choice between life and death.

No judge can satisfy everyone. It would be dangerous to try. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves.

Author: James Patterson,Viola Davis
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 03/09/2026
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.00w x 1.60d
ISBN: 9780316579834


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2026
Booklist 02/01/2026
Publishers Weekly 03/09/2026

About the Author
Viola Davis is an internationally acclaimed actress, producer, New York Times bestselling author, and EGOT winner--only the fourth person to do so exclusively via performance-based awards. She is the cofounder of JVL Media, a full-service production/media packaging firm and independent publisher.

In 2025, the Golden Globes honored her with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment."

Davis is known for her exceptional performances, such as her Emmy-winning role in television's How to Get Away with Murder; her Academy Award-nominated movies Doubt, The Help, and Fences (for which she received the Oscar); her Screen Actors Guild Award-winning role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; her two Tony Awards (for Fences and King Hedley II); and as a Grammy winner for best audiobook narration and storytelling recording for her bestselling memoir, Finding Me.

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women's Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.


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