Nick Stone

When Terry Flynt gets the chance to defend a millionaire accused of murder he knows that the case could make his career, but the accused man is Flynt's greatest enemy--can he defend a man who ruined his life? Terry Flynt is a struggling legal clerk, desperately trying to get promoted. And then he is given the biggest opportunity of his career: to help defend a millionaire accused of murdering a woman in his hotel suite. The only problem is that the accused man, Vernon James, turns out to be not only someone he knows, but someone he loathes. This case could potentially make Terry's career, but how can he defend a former friend who betrayed him so badly? With the trial date looming, Terry delves deeper into Vernon's life and is forced to confront secrets from their shared past that could have devastating consequences for them both. For years he has wanted to witness Vernon's downfall, but with so much at stake, how can Terry be sure that he is guilty? And what choices must he make to ensure that justice is done?

The definitive British Legal Thriller -- London's answer to John Grisham.

Nick Stone arrives at Little, Brown with a new case for Max Mingus

"A big crime novel. . . . Stone has a grand story to tell, and he does it with panache. It's the story of a city and an era (the Reagan reference isn't gratuitous), at once hilarious and tragic. It's a story filled with characters that range from honorable to morally ambiguous to frighteningly evil. It's filled with voodoo rituals, crooked cops, street life, and wrenching descriptions. . . . Brilliant." -- Booklist (starred review)Nick Stone's first novel, Mr. Clarinet, took the crime fiction world by storm--winning enthusiastic raves ("Exquisite" --South Florida Sun-Sentinel; "A spellbinding thriller of the highest order" --Chicago Tribune) as well as a Macavity and a CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award. In The King of Swords, Stone brings back Detective Max Mingus in a chilling and mesmerizing "prequel" that combines murder, police corruption, and voodoo black magic. The King of Swords blazes with Miami heat--and it earns Nick Stone a permanent spot in the winner's circle alongside the masters James Ellroy, Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, Walter Mosley, and Stephen King.

"A first-class thriller that is equal parts hard-boiled Raymond Chandler mystery and voodoo-powered crime-fiction masterwork. . . . A spellbinding thriller of the highest order." --Chicago Tribune Max Mingus wanted to turn down the case--15 million bucks or not. Three years had passed since Haitian billionaire Allain Carver's five-year-old son was abducted. Sure, Max had been the best detective in Miami once. But that was before he went to jail. Before his wife died. Plus, he'd heard what had happened to the others who'd gone searching for Charlie Carver before him . . . With nothing left to lose--and a lot of money to gain--Max heads to Haiti. He knows about the voodoo and black magic. But when the trail to the missing boy leads to a local myth about a spirit child stealer named "Mr. Clarinet," could the truth be even more shocking than the legend? Max's job suddenly isn't just about finding the boy, his killers, or the money--it's about just staying alive.