The #1 Lawyer: A Thriller

Biloxi's best criminal defense attorney has never lost a case--then his client's beautiful wife is murdered, and America's #1 lawyer suddenly becomes its #1 suspect in this thriller from the world's #1 bestselling author.

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.

That's when Penney makes a bold decision. He stops trading on his power-lawyer identity and creates a new one: lawyer lifeguard. Moonlighting at the beach, showing up to court in flip-flops, mentoring a law student, the new Penney is at first unrecognizable.

It's said that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. But when Penney is accused of murder, the #1 Lawyer will find a way to triumph.

Author: James Patterson,Nancy Allen
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 12/16/2025
Pages: 464
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.50w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781538753125

About the Author
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women's Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

​Nancy Allen practiced law for fifteen years in her native Ozarks and served as a law instructor at Missouri State University for sixteen years. She is also the author of the Ozarks Mystery series.