“Duff scores with a winning protagonist and a captivating courtroom procedural.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Devil’s Defense by Lori B. Duff is a roller coaster ride. . . . This thriller was masterfully written, and I was hooked from the start until the end.” —Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review
“Sweet, savvy, and sharp, Devil’s Defense is a pitch-perfect beach read about gender and sexual politics in a small town. Duff writes with an authentic and witty hand, creating multi-faceted characters and a timely plot that will have readers questioning preconceived notions of right and wrong. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Meg Mitchell Moore.” —Marisa Rae Dondlinger, author of Come And Get Me and Gray Lines
“A fast-paced plot with deft and effortless dialogue, Devil’s Defense will have you rooting and wondering late into the night. It’s a damn fantastic read.” —V. C. Chickering, author of Twisted Family Values
“Devil’s Defense is a funny, warm, and wise study of a small southern town and culture, wrapped in a legal mystery and love story. Lori Duff writes with great empathy and heart. She finds the depth and complexity of even the most problematic characters, while making you laugh out loud and think.” —Sheri T. Joseph, author of Edge of the Known World
“Lori B. Duff deftly manages to invest thirty years of legal experience into Devil’s Defense. In this well-balanced debut, she proves that her writing chops are first-rate. No doubt, Duff will be a force in the legal fiction genre moving forward.” —Joseph Reid, best-selling author of the Seth Walker series
“A page-turner that’s both playful and provocative, Devil’s Defense grabbed me from the jump. I had to find out if Jessica, a smart attorney who’s still learning on the job, would ultimately prevail—in the courtroom and the bedroom. As a lawyer herself, Duff’s insider perspective enriches every page.” —Jude Berman, author of The Die and The Vow
“Lori Duff delivers a compelling tale about the intersection of the football field, the courtroom, and the heart. Peyton Place meets Friday Night Lights.” —Lance McMillian, author of the Atlanta Murder Squad series
Lori B. Duff deftly manages to invest thirty years of legal experience into Devil’s Defense. In this well-balanced debut, she proves that her writing chops are first-rate. No doubt, Duff will be a force in the legal fiction genre moving forward.
Sweet, savvy, and sharp, Devil’s Defense is a pitch-perfect beach read about gender and sexual politics in a small town. Duff writes with an authentic and witty hand, creating multi-faceted characters and a timely plot that will have readers questioning preconceived notions of right and wrong. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Meg Mitchell Moore.
A fast-paced plot with deft and effortless dialogue, Devil’s Defense will have you rooting and wondering late into the night. It’s a damn fantastic read.
Devil’s Defense is a funny, warm, and wise study of a small southern town and culture, wrapped in a legal mystery and love story. Lori Duff writes with great empathy and heart. She finds the depth and complexity of even the most problematic characters, while making you laugh out loud and think.
A page-turner that’s both playful and provocative, Devil’s Defense grabbed me from the jump. I had to find out if Jessica, a smart attorney who’s still learning on the job, would ultimately prevail—in the courtroom and the bedroom. As a lawyer herself, Duff’s insider perspective enriches every page.
Lori Duff delivers a compelling tale about the intersection of the football field, the courtroom, and the heart. Peyton Place meets Friday Night Lights.
2024-04-17
A rookie small-town lawyer fears a loss when she takes on a popular high school football coach for a client.
Jessica Fischer, 29, is “an inexperienced lawyer just on the brink of competence.” She’s moved to the small town of Ashton, Georgia, where she is the town’s only female lawyer and where “the order of worship was first Jesus, second America, and third the high school football coach, with the second two interchangeable if it were a winning season. It was often a winning season.” The team’s coach, Frank Wishingham III, wants her to defend him after he is served with a lawsuit. The petitioner, Sarah James, claims that Wishingham is the father of her now 16-year-old daughter and wants him to pay past and present child support and cover her health insurance. The coach is a bigot and homophobe (among other things), but he has been advised that having a woman represent him would make for good optics and that Jessica is “a real pistol and would be discrete.” Jessica also tackles the case of Kaitlyn, the pregnant 17-year-old niece of her paralegal, Diane. Kaitlyn’s boyfriend is trying to get into West Point and wants her to get an abortion, which her parents oppose. Meanwhile, the coach is quite adamant about not meeting the daughter in question. Jessica correctly predicts that the two will “have lots of arguments before this ended.” Duff is a humorist and a self-described “recovering lawyer.” Both skills serve her well in this series launch: The likably modest Jessica easily wins the reader’s rooting interest. The portrayal of the coach flirts with stereotype, but he reveals unexpected layers. A love interest, “nice guy” Bobby, a reporter with the local paper, is a little high school cute, but not ickily so. One looks forward to Jessica building her practice and getting to know more about the town and its residents.
Duff scores with a winning protagonist and a captivating courtroom procedural.
