5 heart-pumping thrillers by UVA Law grads
Here are five thrillers by UVA School of Law alumni who parlayed their experiences as attorneys, judges and CIA operatives into page-turning narratives.
Memory Man (2015)
by David Baldacci (Law class of ’86)
In the first installment of his Memory Man series, veteran novelist David Baldacci introduces former football player Amos Decker, who, after surviving a traumatic injury, ends up with “one of the most exceptional brains in the world.” Armed with a perfect memory, Decker embarks on a successful career as a detective. One night, he comes home and finds his wife, daughter and brother-in-law murdered. Unable to solve the crime and overcome with grief, he quits the force and his life unravels. Sixteen months later, two seemingly unconnected events pull him back into police work: a confession in the case and a school shooting. To uncover the truth, Decker must tap into his superhuman cognitive abilities—and finally face the painful memories from the worst night of his life.
The Peacock and the Sparrow (2024)
by Ilana Berry (Law class of ’03)
Former CIA operative Ilana Berry’s debut novel, written under the pen name I.S. Berry, follows an aging, jaded American spy stationed in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. His mission—“uncovering the vast Persian conspiracy behind the Shiite uprising against the Sunni monarchy”—grows more complicated when his trusted informant is named a suspect in a series of bombings. A burgeoning romance with a Bahraini mosaic artist pulls him even deeper into the conflict. Tapping into her six years of experience as a spy, including one in wartime Baghdad and two in Bahrain, Berry welcomes readers into the psyche of a spy and the morally complex world of political unrest.
The Plinko Bounce (2023)
by Martin Clark (Law class of ’84)
The sixth novel by retired Virginia circuit court judge Martin Clark, The Plinko Bounce follows public defender Andy Hughes, who is ready to resign after 17 years of representing small-time criminals in his rural Virginia town. That changes when he’s assigned to represent a man accused of murdering the wife of a high-profile millionaire. The suspect has already signed a confession, and the case seems open-and-shut—until Hughes discovers a minor technicality that takes the trial in a new direction. Obligated to defend a man he considers evil, Hughes battles an increasingly complex ethical dilemma. The story builds to a twist that even avid thriller fans may not see coming.
Bearskin (2018)
by James A. McLaughlin (Law ’90, Grad ’97)
Set in the Virginia wilderness, James A. McLaughlin’s debut novel stars Rice Moore, a fugitive hiding a dangerous, crime-filled past. He’s found a solitary job as the caretaker of a nature preserve—a sharp contrast from his previous work as a drug mule and hired killer in Arizona. When he discovers several bear carcasses near the property, however, he finds himself swept up once again in a dangerous world, this time involving poachers, the black market and international drug trades. Deeply descriptive and atmospheric, the story takes place not just in the Appalachian Mountains but also within the protagonist’s troubled mind.
Love Betrayal Murder (2023)
by Adam Mitzner (Law class of ’89)
In his legal thriller Love Betrayal Murder, Adam Mitzner, a practicing attorney and author of 11 novels, introduces us to Matt and Vanessa, lawyers at a New York City firm. Their workplace romance is complicated by several factors: Matt has made partner and Vanessa hasn’t. Vanessa is married with a child. Matt becomes her supervisor on a major case. Two back-to-back trials and multiple narrators propel the story forward. Dotted with suspenseful courtroom scenes and, as the title suggests, plenty of betrayal, the book leaves readers questioning whom to trust.
