THE JUDGE'S LIST

5 stars out of 5

This one, IMHO, is the author at his best. Loved it, hated to put it down and was upset that keeping my husband fed and the need for sleep got in the way of polishing it off in one sitting.

It's actually the second in a series featuring attorney Lacy Stoltz, but it stands alone quite well. I say that because although I read the first book, The Whistler, it was so long ago (2016) that I don't remember a thing except that I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Here, Lacy is working for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct, which investigates allegations against members of the judiciary, and has an FBI boyfriend named Allie Pacheco. Their relationship is serious, but so far it hasn't progressed to a ring-on-the-finger stage. 

One day, Lacy gets a call from a woman who calls herself Margie; she wants Lacy's agency to look into a judge she insists murdered her father years ago, when the judge wasn't even on the bench. But wait, there's more; Margie - real name Jeri Crosby - claims to have some evidence that her father isn't the judge's only victim (far from it, in fact). Even though Jeri says several other victims had unsatisfactory interactions with the judge, thereby providing him with motive, Lacy is skeptical (lawyers, after all, rely on actual evidence, which is noticeably missing in all these instances). Lacy also makes it clear that if evidence is found, her agency will have to turn the case over to the police and/or FBI - and Jeri's identity, which she's intent on keeping private for fear of her life - most likely would be revealed.

As the story progresses, readers also get a glimpse into what the judge himself is up to, and one thing is clear: He's guilty as all get-out. Unfortunately, he's also smart, manipulative and has no intention of stopping until he makes his way through the list of people he believes have wronged him over the years. 

As circumstances in Lacy's agency open up new possibilities, she agrees to at least look into the case with help from her task force members Darren and Sadelle. Once they start delving into past murders (all with at least one common M.O.) and the victims' connections to the judge, it becomes clear they're dealing with a serial killer. Now, they must collect enough evidence to file a formal complaint on behalf of Jeri (under a fictitious name). But that also will mean the judge knows they're on to him, raising the question of how far he will go to avoid charges and protect his good name. In fact, it's a pretty sure bet it will be far enough that lives that aren't on the judge's original list find themselves on it now.

The Judge's List by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2021); 359 pp.