My 2003 debut was marketed as a legal thriller. My Ellie Hatcher series was typically considered procedural. My first standalone was labeled a thriller but was nominated for a romance award. And my last three novels—The Ex, The Wife, and The Better Sister, which I consider to be a thematic trilogy—have largely been marketed as….well, let’s see if you can pick the label.
The Ex is about Olivia Randall, an accomplished criminal defense lawyer who steps in to defend her ex after he’s accused of a mass shooting. The Wife is about Angela Powell, who’s dragged into the spotlight after her high-profile husband is accused of sexual assault. The Better Sister is about two estranged sisters, Chloe and Nicky Taylor, who have to reunite after the man they both married (serially, not simultaneously!) is murdered and the teenager they both love (one as mom, one as stepmom) becomes a suspect.
So what shelf do they belong to? Did you guess domestic suspense? That sounds right.
Did you answer legal thriller? That’s correct, too.
Maybe it’s my own background as a former prosecutor of domestic violence crimes that led me to this lane of legal-fiction-domestic-suspense hybrids, but now that I’m here, I am finding characters, plots, and dialogue that I, at least, find rewarding for storytelling. Some of the toughest moments I saw play out on the job were ones where the often ham-fisted, rules-based legal system could not handle the complicated and nuanced conflicts among family members. On the one hand, when a crime is committed within a family, there’s no reason police and prosecutors shouldn’t respond to the crime as they would any other. On the other, the laws and systems in place don’t always make room for the family ties that animate the underlying offenses.
When a wife supports her husband through his criminal case, for example, is she enabling his crimes or simply abiding by her marital vows to the man she loves? Can’t a parent ask the government for help with a troubled son without necessarily wanting him in prison? I feel almost guilty that I’ve been getting away with this for several books now, mining the ill-fitted connection between family dynamics and the legal system for material.
Here are some of my favorite novels that I also consider to be hybrids between legal fiction and domestic suspense.
Defending Jacob by William Landay
This story of a father who leaves his job as a prosecutor to defend his troubled teenage son accused of murder has all the legal heft and realism of a novel written by a former prosecutor, as Landay is. But it tells a lawyer’s story from an intensely personal perspective. It’s as much about family, loyalty, and community as it is about the American legal system. It’s also a riveting thriller.
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
Yes, I’m going to go there: This quintessential legal thriller is also a novel of domestic suspense. Without spoiling it for those of you who haven’t read it (seriously, go read it. Now.), the plot and characterization work—like, really work—because the reader understands who Rusty Sabich is not only as a lawyer, but also as a husband.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Yes, I’m going to go here, too: The Mother of all the “Girl” domestic suspense novels that followed is also a legal thriller. When the cops and lawyers show up on the page, these scenes aren’t simply adding to the word count or providing necessary exposition, as is too often the case with novels that aren’t actually legal fiction. Collectively, Detectives Boney and Gilpin, defense attorney Tanner Bolt, and former prosecutor turned TV screamer Nancy Grace—I mean, Ellen Abbott—render Nick Dunne vulnerable, churning him through through the system, in a way Amy could never have done on her own. (Added bonus if you doubt 2 and 3 on this list: Read or re-read them back-to-back or side-by-side, then discuss. I am right. You’re welcome.)
A Good Killing by Allison Leotta
Prosecutor Anna Curtis heads back to her hometown to defend her sister, who has been accused of murdering a beloved high school coach. As a former federal prosecutor, Leotta brings serious legal street cred to her work, but A Good Killing is as much a story about sisterly bonds as it is a taut courtroom thriller.
The Advocate’s Daughter by Anthony Franze
Elite appellate lawyer Sean Serrat is at a career highpoint, shortlisted for the Supreme Court, when his daughter, a promising young law student, is found murdered. As an accomplished appellate lawyer himself, Franze brings insider knowledge of SCOTUS, D.C. politics, and intersections between the two, but this legal thriller is also an absorbing story about families and the sacrifices we make for the people we love.
After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
Many of Scottoline’s riveting novels are hybrids between legal thrillers and other sub-genres. In After Anna, the newly remarried Maggie Ippoliti is overjoyed to reconnect with Anna, the daughter she thought she’d lost forever. The happy blended family story ends when Anna is killed and Maggie’s husband, Noah, is arrested. Alternating between courtroom scenes and Maggie’s story, Scottoline proves she’s a pro who can deliver the goods no matter what kind of story she decides to tell.
