8 Must-Read Legal Thrillers to Captivate You With Courtroom Drama

The Evangeline is the finest ship of her caliber, and, like the Titanic, she was built to be unsinkable. That is, until she sails into a vicious storm that leaves only fourteen survivors stranded aboard a single lifeboat. When the lifeboat is rescued from the sea forty days later, only six survivors make it to land, with captain Vincent Marlowe among them. 

Marlowe is quickly charged with murder and put on trial for the deaths of the other survivors, but it’s not a matter of if he killed them. It’s a matter of why. Can the deaths of some be justified by the survival of many? 

A clever and witty suspense novel from Stacey Abrams, Rogue Justice combines inspiration from current events and Abrams' unique industry expertise to produce a convoluted yet incredibly entertaining novel.

Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene returns in this story, this time approached at a legal conference by Preston Davies, a young fellow law clerk from Idaho. Convinced that his boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed in the days before she died, he gives Avery a file and a burner phone, and asks for her help. 

Avery is on the case, but Preston warned her that there are highly dangerous people involved in this scheme. And it only gets worse, as another unexpected murder leads Avery to a list of United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Judges—the folks who wiretap Americans and spy on terrorist corporations.

The deeper she gets into the case, the more frightening the reality seems to become, but Avery must work quickly before more lives are squandered. 

Known for being one of the best authors of legal thrillers out there, Jay Brandon creates a relatable, atmospheric courtroom melodrama in Against the Law.

Edward hall is a lawyer-turned-ex-convict who thought his days in court were behind him…until his sister is arrested for murder, and she's insistent that Edward is the only one who can save her. 

Dr. Amy Hall is being accused of shooting her ex-husband that she supposedly reconciled with. Complicated enough already, the media won't leave this case alone, as a doctor murdering another doctor in cold blood is unheard of.  

Edward promises to do whatever he can to help save his sister from a terrible fate, but being back in the courtroom with the same judge who put him away all those years ago is not boding well for them. Can he forego the personal grudges and his spare his sister from a fatal sentencing? 

Fast-paced and family-oriented, (sort of), Bad Trust is a St. Louis-based courtroom drama surrounding a fatal trust fund dispute. 

Rachel Gold is hired to bring suit on behalf of the sisters of Isaiah, CEO of the family firm he stole from his father. But when Isaiah is found murdered in his office, Rachel's case gets more complicated; she must now defend one sister against fratricide charges. 

The problem with this is that it sucks Rachel into a detective's nightmare of the extremely complex dynamic of this family. And as her team works to collect crucial evidence, she finds herself struggling with her own family issues at home, with her young son Sam and her boyfriend Abe. 

A heartbreaking London courtroom drama that alternates between a murder trial and the events leading up to it, Silence in Court keeps you guessing until the very end. 

Carey Silence, a penniless orphan, arrived at the doorstep of her wealthy cousin, Honoria Maquisten, with the hopes that the place would be her saving grace. Though Honoria was a little domineering, and mystery and scandal ran rampant throughout the house, Carey had hope for a while. 

Her handsome, self-appointed protector Jefferson Stewart contributed to that hope too. Honoria even showed Carey a dazzling diamond and ruby necklace that she promised would be Carey's one day, and set it in stone by announcing that she's going to draw up a new will! 

But before she even gets to it, a fatal dose of sleeping pills claims her life, and naturally, Carey is the one arrested for her murder. 

The realness depicted in this story full of hot-button topics like the corruption within the police force is put on display by Charles J. Hynes, a legal thriller author who was once a Brooklyn district attorney.

The temptation to give into financial bribery in 1990's New York is an equally common moral struggle for young and accomplished NYPD officers like Sargeant Steven Holt, and for the older members of the force like Steven's uncle Robert. 

But when an increasingly violent case puts both their careers and the reputation of the entire department on the line, Sergeant Holt ends up standing trial for a triple homicide that he didn't commit. The more he gets to know about his past, the more he realizes that nothing was ever as it seemed; perhaps challenging the fabled “blue wall” was the right move after all. 

In an unlikely yet entirely possible plot, Question of Consent is exactly what the title suggests it is. Rape victim Lisa Altman had to simply grin and bear it as she watched defense attorney Michael Roehmer seamlessly and mercilessly set flames to her testimony, convincing the New York jury to let her rapist walk free. 

She knows that Roehmer cares nothing about right and wrong, he only plays to win. She thinks it's sickening. But when her rapist has been brutally murdered and the evidence insists she did it, she has no one else to turn to but Roehmer. 

She needs the best legal help there is…her freedom and her life depend on it. 

A great legal thriller book for those who need a romantic side plot, Nibble & Kuhn is full of the impossible: an impossibly salvageable law firm reputation, an impossible case, and an impossible relationship. 

Derek is up for partner at Nibble & Kuhn just as the firm goes for a laughable attempt at a rebrand for the digital era. At the same time, Derek is assigned to a high visibility lawsuit just weeks before trial.

And as the cherry on top, Derek manages to get Maria Parma, the new associate for whom Derek's fallen deeply in love with to the case. The problem? She's engaged…and not to Derek. 

Maria's mixed messages, his career anxieties, and the preparation for the trial on behalf of six young victims of an industrial polluter swirl around his tormented mind. As a result, Derek prompts a line of inquiry that not even the judge, jury, and other attorneys can control.