James S. Bostwick Nominated for Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

Down on his luck after a string of lost cases and a recent divorce, personal injury lawyer Matt Taylor hopes his next trial will be an easy win. But when he meets a devastatingly injured young man desperate for help, Matt finds himself embroiled in an impossible lawsuit against Salvatore Conte, a powerful lawyer with sinister connections. Despite all warnings, Matt courageously pulls out all the stops to uncover the truth and right a horrific legal wrong. What follows is an epic multi-million-dollar battle of wills, intrigue, and outright violence that could cost Matt everything he cares about—his career, his family, his heart….and his life.


Matt Taylor’s life hasn’t been going according to plan. A case that should have been an easy win tanked, his ex-wife is giving him hell, and his law practice’s finances are headed south. Then he meets a paralyzed teenager and finds he just can’t say no to helping him…even though that means going up against the most famous trial lawyer in the country. Matt’s daunting task is to prove that Salvatore Conte, a favorite of the national media and a darling of the San Francisco legal community, is guilty of gross negligence. Matt goes all in with the help of his eccentric legal team and brilliant new associate Adrianne, who—to his increasing dismay—is dating Matt’s best friend.

At its heart, this legal thriller is a soul-searching exploration of the meaning of friendship, love, and loyalty set in the maelstrom of a stunning courtroom battle. Fast paced, with surprises at every turn, this is a compelling page-turner filled with duplicity, sacrifice, heartache, and bare-knuckle legal brinksmanship.

It is a searing tale of a legal system gone awry, where greed and power fight an unending battle against a young lawyer’s willingness to risk everything in his quest for justice.

James S. Bostwick Firebird Book Award Winner Interview

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About the Author

James S. Bostwick is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with over forty years of experience representing catastrophically injured people throughout the country. In this first novel, he uses his vast experience to provide a rare glimpse into the world of civil trial lawyers, what motivates them, the enormous risks they take, and the choices that define them professionally and personally. Bostwick is an invited member of the Inner Circle of Advocates (limited to the top 100 plaintiff’s trial lawyers in the U.S.), and is a past President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (limited to the top 500 plaintiff and defense trial lawyers in the U.S.).

He has received many honors and awards for his work as a civil plaintiff’s trial lawyer. Bostwick has obtained several record results for his clients over the years, including the largest medical malpractice jury verdict in U.S. history. He is the father of five. He practices law with his son and with his law partner of over twenty years. His office is in the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his wife and their two dogs.

What others are saying:

“This is more than a good read; it is a masterpiece of courtroom drama, life of a trial lawyer, intrigue, intricate relationships, love, and one man’s perseverance for justice. Bostwick nailed it!”

— William Whitehurst
Past President of The International Academy of Trial Lawyers,
The Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the State Bar of Texas

“Bostwick spins a powerful, informative tale drawn from real life. The courtroom scenes leap off the page and will have the reader cheering for justice.”

— Walter H Walker III
Bestselling author of A Crime of Privilege

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