Proof
A Thriller
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4.4 • 48 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“Cowan has combined the best parts of classic legal thrillers, with an unexpected new lead character that brings the genre into a new generation.” —JAMES PATTERSON
From a writer and executive producer of Suits comes a riveting and gritty legal thriller about murder, cover-ups, redemption, and Los Angeles—perfect for fans of #1 bestselling authors John Grisham and Scott Turow.
As a disgraced lawyer with a drinking problem that he doesn’t view as a problem, Jake West is coasting on what’s left of his charm and money. He used to be the kind of lawyer who could convince anyone of anything—until he decided to take on his father’s biggest client and prove his dad was corrupt. Now Jake finds himself almost at rock bottom, and that’s before his ex-best friend is murdered and Jake is accused of the crime.
In a desperate bid to save himself, Jake must sober up and search for the real killer, whom he suspects might be hidden in one of the case files of his father’s illustrious law firm. As he delves into a labyrinth of lies and corruption, Jake teams up with an eclectic group of equally broken people as they all must skirt the law in order to find the proof he needs…no matter the personal or professional cost.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
When a hotshot lawyer has to beat his own bogus murder rap, the streets of LA really heat up. Jake West is a rumpled but charming attorney who has just about blown up his professional and personal lives with drinking and philandering. But he’s no killer, despite some extremely damning evidence suggesting he murdered his colleague Rich Kaplan. Once the dissolute but cunning West dives into cracking the case, things get exponentially murkier. First-time novelist Jon Cowan made his name as a writer-producer on dramas like Suits and Bones, so it’s no wonder Proof plays out so visually, you can see it all unfolding in your mind’s eye. Cowan takes you all the way inside his characters, and he lets you look deep into both West’s masterful legal mind and his messed-up heart. Following a lawyer around has never been so much fun.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Suits producer Cowan debuts with a terrifically tense legal thriller. Forty-something L.A. attorney Jake West has hit rock bottom: he's an alcoholic; he's estranged from his wife, Cara; and he's just been censured at work for an ethical breach. After West gets into the passenger seat of his friend and colleague Rich Kaplan's car one afternoon, someone knocks on the window and shoots Kaplan in the head. The killer leaves their .44 Magnum at the scene, and West picks it up just as the cops arrive. Those circumstances alone make West a suspect; when it comes out that Kaplan and Cara had been sleeping together, the optics worsen. Hoping to clear his name and avoid arrest, West digs into the last case Kaplan was handling. Despite having no experience in criminal law, he'd been defending Tiana Walker, who was accused of setting a fire that killed two of her three children. West decides to take over the case, and soon discovers that Kaplan's bizarre handling of it raises more questions than answers. Cowan manages to make his deadbeat lead easy to root for, and pairs nuanced characterizations with a deliciously serpentine plot. Readers will hope this is the start of a long-running series. Agents: Emma Kapson and Liz Parker, Verve Literary.
Customer Reviews
Excellent legal thriller
If you like Grisham and Turow, you will like this book.