Paul Levine creates sparks in BUM RAP when he brings two of his series
together. He joins Fresh Fiction to talk about Lassiter, Solomon, and Lord.
Jen: BUM RAP is the eleventh novel in the Jake
Lassiter series. When you first wrote TO SPEAK FOR
THE DEAD, did you see this series and Jake going this far?
Paul: When I wrote TO SPEAK FOR THE DEAD in 1988, I just hoped it would get
published. When it was published in 1990, I just hoped I’d have the chance to
write a second novel. It turns out that I’ve written another 18 novels. TO SPEAK FOR
THE DEAD has sold more than one million copies and is still in the top ten
legal thrillers in the Amazon Kindle Store. A new paperback edition will be
coming out next month, exactly 25 years after the original hardcover. So I’m
thrilled that Jake Lassiter is still defending murder trials in BUM RAP
all these years later.
Jen: BUM RAP combines two of your series: the Jake
Lassiter series and the Solomon vs. Lord series. What was your
favorite part in bringing these two worlds and these characters together?
Paul: I knew Lassiter and Solomon would dislike each other, which would
be great for dramatic conflict, especially between lawyer and client.
Lassiter sees too much of his younger self in the reckless, arrogant Steve
Solomon. He’s offended by Solomon’s “When the law doesn’t work...work the
law.” But Lassiter is hardly a saint in the courtroom. If he had a slogan,
it might be, “When the law doesn’t work...hit somebody.” Lassiter has one
rule he strictly adheres to: Never let a client lie on the witness stand.
And, without giving too much away, that rule creates problems with Solomon.
Jen: There’s a bit of sexual tension going on between Jake and
Victoria. Was the attraction a surprise to you as you wrote or did you always
know that if these two got together there would be sparks?
Paul: That’s part of the reason I wrote the book. Creating a triangle
between Jake Lassiter, Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord was tremendous fun.
Jake is defending Solomon on a murder charge and falls hard for Victoria,
Solomon’s law partner and lover. So Jake has a conflict of interest. If he
loses the case, he has a clear path to the end zone....meaning Victoria. Oh,
how I love lawyers’ ethical dilemmas!
Jen: You were a newspaper reporter, law professor, and trial lawyer
before becoming a novelist. You joke on your website that you’re unable to
hold a job. If you were going to pick a new career now, what would you do and
why?
Paul: You left out television writer. Admittedly, it was a short
career. I wrote for “JAG,” the long-running military courtroom show, and
then co-created “First Monday,” the Supreme Court show with James Garner, Joe
Mantegna, and Charles Durning. It pretty much flopped, lasting only one
season. With all the terrific shows on television today, I wish I was just
starting out in that career. I’m thinking about cable shows like “Ray
Donovan” and “The Knick” and “True Detective” (better last season) and “Bosch”
and “Rectify” and of course, the recently concluded “Mad Men” and “Justified.”
Jen: Can you give tell us what you’re working on now? Will there be
more Lassiter, Solomon, and Lord books to come?
Paul: I tinkered with the idea of the three joining forces in a law
firm, but the next book will actually have them on the opposite sides of a
case. All drama is conflict, they say.
Jen: Thanks for joining us, Paul! It's been a pleasure to have you with
us.
Paul Levine is a former trial and appellate attorney, and the award-
winning author of the critically acclaimed series featuring Miami trial lawyer
Jake Lassiter and other legal thrillers. He has also written for ABC
Television, Stephen J. Cannell Studios, and the CBS television program, "JAG."
Levine makes his home in Los Angeles, where he is at work on the second
Solomon vs. Lord mystery, which Bantam will publish in Spring 2006.
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NFL linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter has had it with shifty clients,
dirty prosecutors, and a legal system out of whack. It’s enough to make a man
want to leave Miami and never look back—until he gets a call from Victoria
Lord, the better half of hot local legal team Solomon & Lord. Her partner in
life and law has been arrested for murder. What’s worse: the only person who
can clear him has fled the city. Now it’s up to Jake and Victoria to track
down the witness—a stunning “Bar girl”—before she’s roped in by the feds…or
eliminated by the Russian mob.
Jake knows that if he doesn’t get to the witness first, his client’s case is
lost. Luckily, he’s got some good advice from his college football coach:
“Buckle your chin strap and hit somebody.” And sometimes, the only way to win
a tough case is to do just that.
1 comment posted.
Please don't sue me because I wasn't aware that your books existed!! I'm just glad that you came here today to let us know about your latest book, so that I could start playing catch-up!! I love reading legal thrillers, and your book is no exception, although I believe that the story line is above others that have come down the pike recently, and I'm really looking forward to reading them!! I've put you on my TBR list, not just your books, and will be searching for the books to round out my Summer reading list. Thank you for coming here today, and Congratulations on your latest book!! I know it's going to do well!!
(Peggy Roberson 10:32am July 20, 2015)