The Plinko Bounce

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

For seventeen years, small-town public defender Andy Hughes has been underpaid to look after the poor, the addicted, and the unfortunate souls who constantly cycle through the courts, charged with petty crimes. Then, in the summer of 2020, hes assigned to a grotesque murder case that brings national media focus to rural Patrick County, VirginiaAlicia Benson, the wife of a wealthy businessman, is murdered in her home. The accused killer, Damian Bullins, is a cunning felon with a long history of violence, and he confesses to the police. He even admits his guilt to Andy. But a simple typographical error and a shocking discovery begin to complicate the states case, making it possible Bullins might escape punishment. Duty-bound to give his client a thorough defense, Andydespite his misgivingsagrees to fight for a not-guilty verdict, a decision that will ultimately force him to make profound, life-and-death choices, both inside andoutside.

With its unforgettable characters, insiders blueprint of the justice system, intricate plotting, and provocative, no-holds-barred ending,The Plinko Bouncedemonstrates once again why Martin Clark has been called the thinking mans John Grisham byThe New York Timesand praised as hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer byEntertainment Weekly.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR MARTIN CLARK

"Clark is not only the thinking man's John Grisham but, maybe better, the drinking man's John Grisham."

--The New York Times

"Hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer."

--Entertainment Weekly

"Completely original. Martin Clark knows how to write and spin a great yarn."

--Nelson DeMille

"Clark has a diabolical imagination, which he employs brilliantly. To his unconventional thrillers, he brings a keen understanding of high principles as well as the realistic nuts and bolts of the legal profession."

--Greensboro News and Record

"A truly original writer."

--David Baldacci

"Martin Clark is the new standard against which other works of legal fiction should be judged."

--Winston-Salem Journal

"A bold new voice in thrillers."

--Los Angeles Times

"This is writing at its best--for this genre or any other--and one is almost tempted to urge the author to discard his black robe as a real-life circuit court judge and devote himself full-time to writing."

--Charlottesville Daily Progress

"Astonishing literary skill. Clark [is] a master of dialogue and a brilliant scene painter."

--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Clark's trademark is witty prose and mind-bending legal plotting."

--The Seattle Review of Books

"Master of colorful legal thrillers."

--BOOK CITY Roanoke

"If you order a 'Martin Clark' at your local library or bookstore, be prepared: It packs a wallop. It's so intoxicating that it doesn't just dazzle Clark's reviewers, it inspires them."

--Raleigh News and Observer

"Part John Grisham, part Hunter S. Thompson and part sheer grit..."

--Denver Post

Author Bio

Entertainment Weekly called Martin Clark "hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer." The New York Times stated that he is "the thinking man's John Grisham." The Winston-Salem Journal declared that he has set "the new standard by which other works of legal fiction should be judged," and David Baldacci praised him as "a truly original writer." A retired circuit court judge from Patrick County, Virginia, Martin is a cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College and attended law school at the University of Virginia. When he was appointed to the bench in 1992 at age thirty-two, he became one of the youngest judges in the history of the commonwealth. His novels have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, and the audio version of The Substitution Order was a number one national bestseller. Additionally, his novels have been chosen as a New York Times Notable Book, a New York Times Editors' Choice, a Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year, a Bookmarks Magazine Best Book of the Year, a Boston Globe Best Book of the Year, a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, a finalist for the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award, and the winner of the Library of Virginia's People's Choice Award in 2009, 2016 and 2020. Martin received the Patrick County Outstanding Community Service Award in 2016 and the Virginia State Bar's Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Award in 2018. He and his wife, Deana, live on a farm with dogs, cats, chickens and three donkeys.