Hello there.

Welcome to another episode of Inside the Cover.

Tonight I have yet another interesting book to share with yo during these next few minutes.

It i Their Word Is Law by Stephen M. Murphy, subtitled Bestselling Lawyer Novelists Talk about Their Craft.

It was copyrighted in 2002.

While the book is a bit dated, I found it a fun read and a great resource for a future used bookstore or library browsing.

And I also thought it would b a helpful reference tool for me to give you some suggestion for your personal reading list.

Even if you can't find a copy of the book itself, Murphy sets forth interviews with 31 different authors and provides a diverse perspective of the craft.

It is now time to go inside the cover.

In the introduction, Murphy explains how the interviews and then the book came about.

It all appears to have developed somewhat organically over the years, starting in late 1988 with an interview with Scott Turow.

Murphy writes, ‘I did try to maintain some balance.

I interviewed the famous, and the not so famous, lawyers who write and writers who practice law.

I kno I missed many excellent writers.

No slight intended.

I will catch up to them sooner or later.

My law practice permitting.

In the meantime I hope you get as much enjoyment reading the interviews as I did, conducting them.

As a lawyer in my past life, and someone who loves books and good writing, I am certainly envious.

First, we are going to provide you with a complete listing of all of Murphy's authors.

Phil, let's run that list for our viewers.

Of these 31 authors I have read over the years Auchincloss, Baldacci, Dooley, Fairstein, Friedman, Grisham, Martini, Scottoline and Turow.

On Inside the Cover, we have actually done shows featuring Martini and Turow.

By the way, remember that all prior episodes of Inside the Cover are available at kpts.org.

Just click on the Inside the Cover icon.

Steve Martini, one of my favorites, I have read all of his books writes a foreword for this book.

He notes that the current popularity of legal fiction can be traced to Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, published in 1987, the story of a prosecutor charged with murdering his former love enthralled millions of readers.

Martini goes on to note ‘Turow took what, on the surface was a standard murder mystery and put a lawyer right in the middle as not only the accused, but the narrator as well.

What a brilliant stroke.

In order to move the show along, allow me to give you some of my personal recommendations about some of the authors that I've read.

Auchincloss, read The Partners.

Baldacci, anything of his is good, but I particularly enjoy his King Maxwell series.

Dooling, a Saint Louis lawyer read White Man's Grave.

Fairstein, read Cold Hit.

Friedman, read Reasonable Doubt.

Grisham, I continue to say tha A Time to Kill is his best book.

Martini, read Compelling Evidence.

Scottoline, read Betrayed.

Turow, read The Laws of Our Fathers or One L. In closing, let me leave you with this quote.

‘Lawyers have human experiences you can't equal in fiction.

Just crying out to be a novel.

That's the grist of human emotion that a great novel is made of.

By the way, it appears that this book is still available from Amazon and other internet sellers.

It makes a great addition to any library, and I plan to use it as a guide for selecting other books of this genre.

Goodnight.

Thanks for watching and see you next time.