Books – Page 3 – Paul Levine

False Dawn

Jake Lassiter doesn’t know much about art, but what he knows can get him killed.

Jake’s used to clients who lie – but it’s usually to deny their guilt. When his old friend Francisco Crespo admits to brutally killing a fellow warehouse worker with a forklift truck, Jake is suspicious. With medical evidence suggesting that Crespo was unconscious at the time of the Russian worker’s death, why is Crespo saying he did it?

Refusing to accept Crespo’s improbable guilty plea, Jake embarks on a quest for the truth that takes him to Havana in search of priceless Fabergé eggs and an international theft ring that involves the CIA, Fidel Castro and the Russian Government.

Twisted revelations, deadly double crosses, bizarre murders…

Soon realizing that nothing is as it seems, the ex-Miami Dolphins linebacker has a lot to contend with in this gritty thriller that sees him taking on a dangerous international conspiracy.

Praise

“Realistic, gritty, fun.” – New York Times Book Review

“Enough twists and turns to satisfy Robert Ludlum fans.” – Publishers Weekly

“A highly entertaining yarn filled with wry humor.”– Detroit Free Press

“Mystery writing at its very, very best.” – Larry King, USA TODAY

Night Vision

“Catch me if you can.”

That’s the tantalizing lipsticked message left on the bathroom mirror by the cold-blooded killer of a woman in Night Vision, a gripping legal thriller that sees linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter navigating a tangled web of lies and corruption.

Sexual mysteries abound as Jake takes on the role of special prosecutor and discovers that the dead woman’s computer contains clues pointing to the high-tech Compu-Mate network, where lonely people spend solitary nights in steamy talk that can sometimes lead to a rendezvous…or murder.

Is a bizarre modem operandi, the only thing linking the dead bodies?

The list of suspects includes an alcoholic English professor, a macho forest ranger, a lonely homicide detective and a Vietnam veteran who may be hiding a secret behind his medals. But who is the killer?

With the help of a brilliant female psychiatrist with a dark secret in her past, Lassiter follows a twisted path to the streets of London, where Jack the Ripper once roamed.

Read what others have said about Night Vision, the second novel in the Jake Lassiter series.

Praise

“Levine’s fiendish ability to create 20 patterns from the same set of clues will have you waiting impatiently for his next novel.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Sparkles with wit and subtlety.” – Toronto Star

“Breathlessly exciting.” – Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Jake Lassiter is my new favorite person in fiction.” – Larry King, USA TODAY

“A hip, casual writing style, full character development, and a non-stop sense of humor make Levine a writer to keep an eye on.” – Arkansas Gazette

“Gripping…edge-of-the-seat page turning.” – Naples Daily News

“Paul Levine is one of Florida’s great writers, and Jake Lassiter is his greatest creation.” – Dave Barry

To Speak for the Dead – The First Lassiter Mystery

“They don’t call us sharks for our ability to swim.”
–Jake Lassiter

The first mystery in Paul Levine’s best-selling series, To Speak for the Dead, introduces trial lawyer and ex-Miami Dolphins linebacker Jake Lassiter, who has an uncanny knack for digging up the truth – and the danger that comes with it.

Malpractice…or Murder?

Lassiter must defend orthopedic surgeon and enigmatic womanizer Dr. Roger Salisbury against a charge of medical malpractice following the death of the wealthy Philip Corrigan. It seems a routine case, but things take a sinister turn when Corrigan’s daughter Susan points the finger at her sexy stepmother Melanie. She claims Melanie and Salisbury conspired to kill her father, and she wants Lassiter to prove it.

The Mystery: Will the dead man himself give Jake the clues he needs?

While he’d like to help the lovely and willful Susan, Jake can’t build a case for Salisbury being the murderer at the same time as defending him for malpractice. So Jake turns to his old friend, a retired coroner, for help in seeking clues from none other than the dead man himself.

The search for answers finds Jake hunting for evidence on Florida’s steamy streets and tropical waterways, embroiled in murder, missing persons, grave robbery and kinky sex on the trail of a cold-blooded killer. In the words of CNN’s Larry King, “Move over Scott Turow. To Speak for the Dead is courtroom drama at its best.”

To Speak for the Dead was adapted into an NBC movie under the title Lassiter: Justice on the Bayou. Here’s what the critics have said about Jake Lassiter’s exciting debut mystery.

Praise for the First Jake Lassiter Mystery

“Twice as good as Scott Turow and John Grisham, and four times the fun.” – Armchair Detective

“Just the remedy for those who can’t get enough Spenser and miss Travis McGee terribly.” – St. Petersburg Times

“Cracking good action mystery…funny, sardonic, and fast paced.” – Detroit Free Press

“Genuinely chilling…Jake Lassiter is Travis McGee with trial experience.” – Washington Post Book World

“A blend of raucous humor and high adventure…wildly entertaining.” – St. Louis Post Dispatch

“A finely tuned plot from first novelist Levine, who orchestrates his tense courtroom and medical scenes with expert panache, fluid prose, and sly humor.” – Library Journal

“Levine’s writing sparkles.” – The (London) Times

Download a free excerpt of the first Jake Lassiter mystery or buy the ebook at Amazon Kindle.

Impact

A catastrophic jetliner crash. A billion-dollar lawsuit. The defense? Kill anyone, even a Supreme Court Justice, to win the case.

Was negligence or terrorism responsible for the horrific Everglades jetliner crash at the center of Impact? That’s what a billion-dollar lawsuit must decide in this thriller from bestselling crime author Paul Levine.

As the lawsuit winds its way through the federal courts, law professor Sam Truitt ascends to the Supreme Court. Truitt’s high ideals and lofty intentions hide a troubled marriage. At his side is Lisa Fremont, his stunning and brilliant law clerk, who has a dark secret in her past.

Will this be the case that costs them their lives?

If Lisa fails to secure Sam’s vote in this high-stakes lawsuit, she’ll lose her life – and so will he. He’s always lived by the rules; she never has. But in this gripping tale of seduction and betrayal, the two must join forces to battle those who live by no law at all.

Impact was the inspiration for television drama First Monday, starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. Now available as an ebook and trade paperback, it was originally published as a hardcover titled 9 Scorpions. Read what others have said about Paul Levine’s thrilling novel.

Praise

“A relentlessly entertaining summer read.” – New York Daily News

“A breakout book, highly readable and fun with an irresistible momentum, helped along by Levine’s knowledge of the Supreme Court and how it works.” – USA TODAY

“A big brash blend of violence, sex, and the Supreme Court.” – Miami Herald

“There’s a first-rate chase scene in the Everglades that helps puts the “thrill” in this thriller.” – The Mystery Reader

“Sizzles the Supreme Court as it has never been sizzled before, even by Grisham.” – F. Lee Bailey

“A master storyteller. The Supreme Court was never as dangerous or sexy.” – Stephen J. Cannell

“A masterfully written thriller, coiled spring tight. The plot is relentless. I loved it!” – Michael Palmer

Ballistic

A nuclear missile…
A cult of terrorists…
And only two people who can prevent Armageddon.

Do a lowly sergeant and a female psychiatrist have what it takes to prevent a nuclear holocaust? You’re about to find out in this gripping thriller from bestselling crime writer Paul Levine.

In Ballistic, the future of the world is at stake when a doomsday cult hell-bent on bringing about Armageddon captures an ailing U.S. Air Force missile base. Ballistic is set against the real-world findings of the Air Force that an alarming number of missile launch officers are suffering from boredom, burnout, and some are even cheating on routine preparedness exams.

The greatest disaster in the history of mankind is imminent.

With morale and discipline suffering as a nuclear arms treaty forces the disbandment of the base’s missile squadrons, a home-grown horde of heavily armed religious commandos led by Brother David moves in. His mission: to realize Armageddon as prophesied by the Book of Revelations.

Sergeant Jack Jericho is haunted by an act of cowardice in his past. Dr Susan Burns is a psychiatrist trapped in the launch control capsule during routine missile crew tests. Will the pair be able to work together and battle their own demons to defeat these religious terrorists once and for all?

Praise

“Ballistic” is ‘Die Hard’ in a missile silo. Terrific!”

– Stephen J. Cannell

“Imagine Paul Levine channeling Tom Clancy but with a sense of humor and far, far better writing.”

– Kindle Nation Daily

“It’s easy to compare Levine to Tom Clancy but I think he’s better for two simple reasons—he’s a better storyteller and his characters are more believable, good guys and bad guys alike.”

– Ed Gorman, author of Blood Moon