Lassiter by Paul Levine

Eighteen years ago, Jake Lassiter crossed paths with a teenage runaway who disappeared into South Florida’s sex trade. Now he traces her steps and runs head-on into a conspiracy of Miami’s rich and powerful who would do anything to keep the past as silent as the grave. In this tale of redemption and revenge, Edgar-nominated author Paul Levine delivers his most powerful thriller yet.

Jake Lassiter, second-string linebacker turned low-rent lawyer, is cynical about the law, but if you hire him, he’ll take a punch for you… and maybe a swing at the prosecutor, too.

Amy Larkin—beautiful, angry, and mysterious—accuses Lassiter of involvement in the disappearance of her sister eighteen years earlier. What does Lassiter know about Krista Larkin, the runaway teen turned porn actress? More than he’s saying.

Seeking to atone for his own past, Lassiter follows the cold trail of the missing Krista and butts head with the powerful men who also knew her: a former porn king turned philanthropist, a slick Cuban-born prosecutor, and an aging mobster.

The evidence leads to a long-ago night of kinky sex, designer drugs—and possible murder. But before Lassiter can nail the truth, a gun goes off, a suspect falls dead, and Lassiter has a murder trial to defend. Will the verdict disclose what happened to Krista? The answer, buried under years of deceit and corruption, is revealed in an explosive courtroom finale, proving that rough justice is better than no justice at all.

LASSITER is available from Amazon.

*****

“Jake Lassiter, the toughest lawyer in Miami, is back, fighting for justice and his fees, not always in that order. Paul Levine’s Lassiter is the courtroom drama of the year.”—Harlan Coben

“Paul Levine is one of South Florida’s great writers, and Lassiter is his greatest creation. It’s funny, smart, and compelling.”—Dave Barry

“Jake Lassiter is the lawyer we all want on our side—and on the page.”—Lee Child

“Since Robert Parker is no longer with us, I’m nominating Levine for an award as best writer of dialogue in the grit-lit genre.” – San Jose Mercury News

“A gripping legal thriller, story of self-discovery and a look at corruption set against an insider’s evocative view of South Florida. Levine’s energetic storytelling manages to make his novel serious, witty, and sardonic.” – Miami Herald

“Engaging…a standout job.” – Publishers Weekly

*****

The author of 16 novels, Paul Levine won the John D. MacDonald fiction award and was nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber prizes. A former trial lawyer, he also wrote 21 episodes of the CBS military drama JAG and co-created the Supreme Court drama First Monday, starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. The international bestseller To Speak for the Dead , the first of the Jake Lassiter thrillers, was his debut novel. He is also the author of the Solomon vs. Lord series and the thrillers “Illegal,” “Impact,” “Ballistic,” and “Paydirt.” To learn more about Paul, please visit his website.