James Scott Bell

Mike Romeo thought he'd left the violence of the streets behind...Now working as an investigator for his friend, lawyer Ira Rosen, Mike finds himself drawn into the dark underbelly of Los Angeles once again. Ira's newest client, Coby Keaton, is a homeless young man accused of a brutal murder.As Mike digs deeper, his investigation leads him to Reverend Tatum Walker, a man trying to bring hope to the the city's homeless. But a shadow of darkness looms large over L.A.'s streets. Soon, Mike uncovers a deadly plot aimed at Walker-and himself.With time running out, Mike must face down a network of evil more insidious than he ever imagined-forcing him to confront not only a murderer but also his own demons.Another un-put-downable thriller by "a master of the cliffhanger, creating scene after scene of mounting suspense and revelation . . . Heart-whamming." (Publishers Weekly)

I drove away tired. Tired of the road rage guys, the bar fight guys. There's always more of them. History is about one thing, and has been ever since hunter clubbed gatherer and took his berries. Conquest.It's always been about beating the other guys into submission. From the Greeks and Romans to mobs on a city street. Destroy and dominate.The Spartans understood this better than anybody. From age seven the boys were trained to fight. It was fight or be conquered. There was no sitting it out. After a battle you came back with your shield, or on it. I still had my shield.The tragic suicide of a college student catapults Romeo into a web of deception unlike anything he's encountered before. Driven by an unshakable commitment to unearth the truth for a heartbroken Catholic mother, Romeo must navigate the enigmatic Roethke Spiritual Center-where self-realization, Norse mythology, and "bliss" form the core curriculum-and a seemingly tranquil small town that doesn't want to give up its secrets. Hovering over everything is the rush for "white gold"-lithium-raging along California's Salton Sea.Running afoul of motorcycle-riding enforcers, a formidable energy magnate guarding an empire, and a sheriff hell-bent on locking him up, Romeo must find a way to satisfy justice-without losing his life in the process.Another heart-pounding thriller in the International Thriller Writers Award-winning series.

They tried to kill Romeo, but didn't finish the job. Now his rage is about to rain down...Mike Romeo is helping a reformed gang member protect a girl rescued from a sex trafficking ring. When the girl is kidnapped, Romeo sets out to find her-and plunges into a heart of darkness unlike anything he's fought before.The layers of this evil run deep in L.A., stretching from Skid Row to Malibu, from Little Guatemala to Beverly Hills. When the cops tell Romeo to back off, he only goes further in. Because Romeo has rules, the most important being: Always protect the children.Now he is a man alone against all the forces of power, money, and influence in the city, forces able to kill anyone who gets in the way.Until they meet Romeo.Another pulse-pounding thriller in the hit series that is "sharp as a switchblade." (Meg Gardiner)

L.A. is Romeo's town. Keep off the grass. When 16-year-old Clint Cunningham is arrested for selling drugs at an elite private school, his mother hires lawyer Ira Rosen and Mike Romeo. It should be a simple case. But nothing is simple in lockdown Los Angeles-especially when people want you dead. As Romeo digs deeper, the mystery grows darker. Who is pulling Clint Cunningham's strings? Why won't he talk? And who wants Romeo eliminated for good? Layer by layer and corner by corner, Romeo fights his way toward the answers-and a shattering revelation that turns his world upside down. International Thriller Writers Award winner James Scott Bell delivers another knockout in the hit series that is "sharp as a switchblade" (Meg Gardiner)

From International Thriller Writers Award winner James Scott Bell Lawyer Steve Conroy has one last chance to overcome the past that has haunted him for twenty-five years. But he'll learn that the present can be darker than any nightmare he's ever had.At the age of five, Steve Conroy saw his seven-year-old brother kidnapped from the bedroom they shared. His brother was never found. And the guilt of his silence that night has all but destroyed Steve's life.Now thirty years old with a failing law practice, Steve agrees to represent a convicted criminal, Johnny LaSalle, who has ties to a notorious family-and some information that threatens to blow Steve's world apart.Desperate for his final shot at professional success, Steve will do anything to find the truth. But Johnny knows far more than he's telling, and the secrets he keeps have deadly consequences. Now Steve must depend on an inexperienced law student whose faith seems to be his last chance at redemption from a corrupt world where one wrong move may be his last. (This book was originally titled The Whole Truth when it was published in 2008) "James Scott Bell takes this intriguing what-if concept and weaves it into yet another page-turning, redemptive thriller." -- TitleTrakk.com"The gritty tale will have readers cheering for Steve as he desperately tries to put the pieces of his life back together. The scenes and characters jump off the page to create a startling, emotionally stirring story that's deliciously suspenseful." -- Romantic Times

What will take your fiction from good to great? From decent to dazzling? From lackluster to blockbuster?Characters who "jump off the page."Of course plot matters. So does conflict, and scenes, and every other aspect of the fiction craft. But without unforgettable characters, your books will always be less than they could be.Don't let that happen.In WRITING UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS you'll learn: -How to lay the foundation for a memorable character-How to bond the reader with the main character from the start-The super power of unpredictability-The secrets of grit, wit, and moxie-How to bring your character to life on the page-How and when to reveal backstory-All about arcs and what they truly mean-The key to unforgettable villains-How to make minor characters memorable, too-How to create a great series character And more, PLUS the powerful exercises James Scott Bell has taught in his sold-out writing workshops. No more flat stories Give your readers what will turn them into career-long fans-characters who jump off the page.

We were an hour from Vegas when the plane began to shake.Something is rotten in the little town of Dillard, NV. And Mike Romeo is right in the middle of it.After the plane he's on has to land in the desert, Romeo tries to check on the woman who was sitting next to him. But the hospital gives him a strange runaround. A local tough tries to lean on him. Then he runs afoul of the sheriff.That's when things turn ugly.Which is the wrong way to turn things on Mike Romeo. Because when he's pushed, he takes a stand. And that means some very bad people are going to have to take a fall.Another entry in the International Thriller Writers Award-winning series that is "sharp as a switchblade." (Meg Gardiner).

His face did not twitch. In fact, its normally ruddy tones had disappeared. Now there was a dull grayness to the skin. His lips were the color of old plums.Which was when the first chill winds of disquiet blew inside her. "Pinky?"Nothing.She grabbed his jaw. His face was cold to the touch. She turned his head from side to side. And then Keely Delmonico-the former Rachel Fisk of Bismarck, North Dakota-backed away from the bed and tried to catch her breath.For call girl Keely Delmonico, having a client die was a new one. Now she has to avoid the cops and all their nasty questions. She manages to get out of the fancy hotel free and clear. But lurking in the shadows is another danger, a deadly one-a killer who is determined to make Keely's next step her last call. From "one of the top authors in the crowded suspense genre" comes a taut novel of murder and mystery set in Los Angeles and the bright lights of pre-pandemic Las Vegas.Rated PG-13: The material in the book would have been acceptable in a 1960s cop show like Mannix or Mod Squad or Hawaii Five-O.

"Help My plot drags, sags, and has no heart "This looks like a job for Plotman Yes, solving your plot problems is why the superhero of story came to Earth. His mission? To give practical, easy-to-apply answers to the most vexing plot questions writers face, such as: - How do I plan a plot if I'm not a plot planner?- Does my plot need a prologue?- What if I hit a plot wall?- What if my plot is getting away from me?- Why ins't my plot more gripping at the start?- Why is my overall plot dull?- What should I do if my plot is implausible?- Do I really need to think about plot structure?- How do I deepen the emotional impact of my plot?- What's the best way to plug a plot hole?- How do I keep my plot from ending with a thud?And more With bonus material on how to find and utilize beta readers; and several plot generating methods you can put to use at any time. Whether used as a reference guide or refresher course, this book will strengthen your storytelling muscles and help you elevate every novel you write. Because Plotman, along with his faithful sidekick Subplot Boy, has sworn to uphold plot, story, and the bestselling way.

Justice. It's what's for dinner. What's worse than killing a cop? Eating him afterwards. Which is exactly what happened to a Los Angeles County sheriff in the office of one noted Los Angeles lawyer. Now Mallory Caine, zombie at law, faces the toughest trial of her life - her own - since she's the prime suspect. Ironically, Mallory's been suppressing her undead desires in a 12-step zombie recovery group. It's her human desires that scare her. He's one hot werewolf named Steve Ravener, and he's Mallory's latest client. His ex-wife wants to keep him from seeing his kids. He needs a lawyer whose bite is worse than his bark. Needless to say, family law has never been this hairy. And with a murder charge hanging over her head, a snake goddess charming her mother, and all kinds of hell-spawn taking over L.A., Mallory's plate is full. And she's dying to take a bite.

Hungry for justice . . . and brains Meet Mallory Caine. Attorney at law. Zombie at large. She's not like those "Living Dead" losers you see in the movies. She doesn't slobber, drool, or lurch. She's smart, stylish, and sexy. Sure, she's a zombie and a lawyer but, hey, a girl's got to eat. When Mallory's not in the courtroom, going head to head with her ex-boyfriend, prosecutor Aaron Argula, she's in the seedy streets of Hollywood, hunting brain after brain. That is, until some psycho starts hunting zombie after zombie...The undead are decapitated, a letter "Z" carved in their flesh. Mallory doesn't want to lose her head, but she's worried. Like many lawyers in L.A., she doesn't have a soul, a side effect of being a zombie, not a defense attorney. If Mallory dies before she gets her soul back, she goes straight to hell. No appeals. Objection overruled. If the killer isn't stopped, it's case closed for zombies everywhere. But Mallory is an undying champion of justice, and she won't go down without a bite...The book that invented the zombie legal thriller is back. Originally published under the pen name K. Bennett, the Mallory Caine, Zombie-at-Law books are the work of James Scott Bell, winner of the International Thriller Writers Award and a former trial lawyer living (really and truly) in Los Angeles.

The dead shall rise ... and approach the bench As a lawyer, Mallory Caine considers it her duty to defend the innocent. As a flesh-eating zombie, she knows how to take a bit out of crime. So when a scared ten-year-old boy asks for her help-claiming that his mother wants to eat him-Mallory rises to the occasion. Unfortunately, the occasion is a Satanic ritual, the mom is a monster, and the boy is a sacrifice.Before you can say, "The devil made me do it," Mallory is caught dead center between a family of freaks, fire-breathing demons, and the final battle of good versus evil. If she doesn't have enough on her plate, the brain-chomping lawyer has to defend her zombie-hunting father in court. And, oh yeah: her flesh-eating secret is about to be exposed by a sexy LAPD detective who's good enough to eat. What's a zombie girl to do?

"So you're Mike Romeo. You don't look so tough."All Romeo wanted was to chill by the pool and talk to Zane Donahue, the man who'd summoned him. But trouble walked up to ruin a good day. When Romeo's around somebody's always spoiling for a fight. Dispatching a punk is one thing. Helping an old friend with a murder rap is another. Archie Jennison comes to Romeo when a gruesome and unsolved Hollywood murder is connected to him in a bizarre way. As Romeo begins his investigation, things take on a dark and twisted turn. Hidden secrets cast shadows over Archie's case, and an open wound from Romeo's own past threatens to take him down. Suddenly, Romeo is in the fight of his life, and somebody wants to make sure he loses-for good. Another in the International Thriller Writers Award-winning series that's been called "sharp as a switchblade" (Meg Gardiner).

"Everybody has got to die, but I have always believed an exception would be made in my case. Now what?" - Last words of William SaroyanBut there are no exceptions. Now what? James Scott Bell spent a good chunk of 2015 thinking and writing about that. Some famous people died that year. So did others not so famous. It doesn't matter, because each life is a story. And if we look deeply enough they all have something to say.In Some People Are Dead, Bell weaves his musings on the departed into a form of essay combining memoir and reflection, thoughts on how to live and how to die, and an occasional peek inside the mind of a writer. It's a book you don't have to read in one sitting. The entries are short, so it's perfect when you're waiting in line for coffee, or at the doctor's, even in the checkout line at the grocery store. "I advise against reading it in commuter traffic," says Bell. "But on lunch break at the office, perfect."Some People Are Dead is a book full of humor and insight, a bit of ranting, but mostly wonder at the gift of life and how we can live it to the full.

Fifteen years ago their son was taken. Now somebody says they can have him back. Dylan and Erin Reeve have lived with a gaping emotional wound ever since their five-year-old son, Kyle, was kidnapped in broad daylight.And never found.Though the shadow of their loss hangs heavy, Dylan and Erin have managed to get on with their lives, even finding bits of happiness along the way.Until one night when a crayon-scrawled note is slipped under Dylan Reeve's door.All it says is, Your son is alive.Could it be true?Or is it a sick game played by somebody out for money? Or something else?But what?And why now?As clues begin to emerge-both agonizing and expectant in their implications-Dylan and Erin Reeve know they have to play this out to the end. Because it's their last chance-and their only hope-to find the son they lost all those years ago.You'll be blown away by this domestic thriller with twists and turns and the beating heart of parental love.