We asked Robert Bailey, bestselling author of the Jason Rich series and the Bocephus Haynes series, for his five favorite legal thrillers.

Robert Bailey is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Jason Rich series, the McMurtrie and Drake legal thrillers series, the Bocephus Haynes series, and the inspirational novel, The Golfer’s Carol. Robert was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of a builder and a schoolteacher. From the time he could walk, he’s loved stories, especially those about Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide football team. For the past 22 years, he’s been a civil defense trial lawyer in his h0metown of Huntsville, where he lives with his wife, kids, and beloved menagerie of pets. His latest book is Rich Blood, a haunting legal thriller about the price of redemption for a billboard lawyer who takes a case he can’t win in a town he can’t forget. Learn more at robertbaileybooks.com.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A classic of American literature, Harper Lee’s masterpiece is also a fabulous legal thriller. I believe that every aspiring trial attorney wants to be the iconic Atticus Finch.

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow

The gold standard for modern legal thrillers, Turow’s masterful story of prosecutor Rusty Sabich charged with the murder of his co-worker and lover, has a tremendous cast of characters, including the wise and quirky defense lawyer, Sandy Stern and Sabich’s intelligent but long-suffering wife, Barbara. The ending is as explosive as it is horrific.

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

After reading the first chapter of Grisham’s debut, I could barely stop turning the pages until I reached the end. Jake Brigance is the epitome of the cool, confident attorney chasing justice.

The Quiet Game by Greg Iles

The first novel in the Penn Cage series brings Natchez, Mississippi to life and introduces a complex hero struggling with both his own and his state’s gruesome past. Iles sets up his fictional universe so well, and it all starts here.

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller is a criminal defense attorney who practices law out of the back seat of his car. Divorced and struggling with alcohol addiction, Haller’s personal demons frame the backdrop of this tour de force story.