Landon J Napoleon

"Affectingly honest... A provocative memoir, refreshingly candid and thoughtful."-Kirkus ReviewsBy age 7 "Danny" Bolen knew he was different.This was a perilous reality in the post-war years of 1950s America. Although a time of widespread economic prosperity and great technological advances, it was also an era of silent oppression, racial segregation, and real danger for anyone who fell outside of society's legally allowed norms.Dan married a girl in white go-go boots, dropped out of college to become a Jehovah's Witness minister, and discovered he had a gift for employment recruiting that would make him a millionaire before turning 30 (something his Grandma Vera accurately predicted).Lovingly told, with stark transparency and dry wit and humor, The Courage To Be Courageous is an important book about confronting our struggles, finding our success, and most importantly, stepping into our truth and embracing who we are each meant to be.DAN BOLEN was born in 1947, in Spokane, Washington, and grew up in Boise, Idaho, and in several places in Alaska. After marrying a girl in white go-go boots and dropping out of college to become a Jehovah's Witness minister, he discovered he had a gift for employment recruiting, a passion that would propel him to great professional and financial success. From 1967 until 2019 he helmed the nationally recognized executive search firms Management Recruiters of Boise and Dan Bolen and Associates. This is his first book.LANDON J. NAPOLEON is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of fiction and nonfiction books that have been translated into multiple foreign editions. He is a previous Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" finalist and a Kirkus Reviews "Best of 2021" recipient. His debut novel ZigZag was adapted into a film, and his nonfiction biography Burning Shield: The Jason Schechterle Story was an "Arizona Republic Recommends" selection. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Arizona State University and a master's degree in creative writing from University of Glasgow in Scotland. He lives in Arizona.

"A riveting legal tale..."-Kirkus Reviews It's 1983. And a wrongful death case looks like murder. When the police discover a federal bank examiner dead on a deserted city street on Christmas Eve 1983, there's no evidence, no leads, and no suspects. Street-smart lawyer Connor J. Devlin, now a decade-plus into his outside-the-lines career, reluctantly takes up the case - prodded by his unconventional mentor Phil Goldberg, aka Goldie, a sexist, cigar-chomping, foul-mouthed legal genius. To find answers, Devlin enlists the scary-smart and tenacious Sloane Monae, a former college volleyball player and an ex-cop turned private detective. As the new duo start pulling the threads of the case, they find themselves equally intrigued with each other. They also unwittingly stumble into the savings-and-loan debacle of the 1980s, one of the biggest financial scams in American history. And those running the far-reaching fraud will stop at nothing to protect their ill-gotten gains. "Utterly compelling, entertaining and stunningly grounded in exacting details, the Devlin series by Landon J. Napoleon ventures through uncharted terrain: a jam-packed journey through the entire career arc of a trial lawyer. Plan on staying up late."-Grant Woods, former Arizona Attorney General "Meticulous... The core of the story is procedure, and on that front Landon J. Napoleon excels. The depth of knowledge regarding legal matters... lend this procedural a refreshing, real-world feel that seasoned mystery readers will appreciate."-Publishers Weekly "Landon J. Napoleon's novel aptly showcases a lawyer's hectic workload... what truly propels the tale are the meticulous steps the lawyer Connor Devlin takes to reach resolutions. The author weaves distinctive characters into myriad legal wranglings. All of these cases generate an unwavering pace... A riveting legal tale that's more true-to-life than melodramatic."-Kirkus Reviews "I loved this book, which is unique in the way it accurately portrays the process of being a trial lawyer outside the courtroom. I read a lot of novels in this genre, and this was right up there with the best. Can't wait for volume 3."-Jeffrey Leon, past president American College of Trial Lawyers "Landon J. Napoleon has nailed it with rapid-fire and intriguing plot development wrapped in crisp dialogue. The book sharply illuminates the truth all actual trial lawyers know universally: justice is won or lost long before the judge ever swears in the jury... won or lost in the dramas and drudgery of indefatigable investigation and preparation with the inevitable set-backs awaiting. A riveting work."-A. Clifford Edwards, president (2019-2021) International Academy of Trial Lawyers

"A harrowing, hysterical and ultimately life-affirming romp through America's dark and desperate underbelly." -David S. Goyer FAST CARS, TALL CASH, A TICKING CLOCK and one of the most compelling women in contemporary fiction. The author of ZigZag-"one of the boldest and most original first novels to appear in a long time" (Carl Hiaasen)-is back with a dizzying thrill ride that reintroduces a character from that acclaimed debut. It's a man's, man's, man's world, and Jenna Jet is a twenty-something femme fatale on the run-literally. Trying to out pace the lingering effects of her troubled past, and desperate for cash, Jenna heads west to play a dangerous game: driving stolen, high-end imports across the nighttime desert from Phoenix to Los Angeles. She's made the run a harrowing nine times, and the big payout-a cool hundred large-is on ice until she delivers car number ten. One last ride before she's out of the game for good. But nothing is ever that simple. And everything is about to go wrong, fast. Along the way Jenna must negotiate highway patrol, police choppers, border checkpoints, and a nasty cop who's more interested in her than in the six-figure coupe she's driving. But the biggest roadblock of all? A family secret that might just slam the brakes on everything. Strap in for this exhilarating road novel and experience a high-octane burst of riveting prose David S. Goyer calls "gritty, jagged and full of passion."

"Briskly told and well-drawn... A fast-paced tale of justice in action and a remarkably accurate portrait of a trial lawyer's daily grind."-Kirkus Reviews IT'S 1970, AND AMERICA HAS A DIRTY SECRET The author of "ZigZag"-"One of the boldest and most original first novels to appear in a long time" (Carl Hiaasen)-reinvents the legal drama popularized by Michael Connelly, John Grisham and Scott Turow. Human beings are being warehoused in substandard nursing homes, neglected and left to die under suspicious circumstances. But this is America in the 1970s, and no one seems to know about it, much less care. Rookie lawyer Connor J. Devlin discovers this secret underworld when he meets One-Armed Lucky, a cagey Vietnam vet and bail bondsman with an uncanny knowledge of the law. Lucky refers Devlin's new client, a heartbroken but tenacious woman who's convinced that neglectful nursing home care killed her mother Ann, a greyhound-racing devotee and Lucky's best friend. But Devlin has a big problem. Taking on a nursing home for wrongful death in the 1970s-one backed by a corporation owned by a hardnosed Texas industrialist-will be almost impossible. Almost. In this Devlin series debut, a "briskly told and well-drawn" (Kirkus Reviews) legal drama, Landon J. Napoleon offers all the thrills of John Grisham and other masters of the genre, while proving that "legal procedure can provide as much action, suspense and whodunit excitement as any shootout or car chase." "The Rules of Action is one of the most compelling and entertaining books I have ever read on the strategy and gamesmanship of the legal process."-Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods