Don’t Miss the Latest Thriller from Larry Thompson – Dark Money!

by | Feb 13, 2016 | Guest Interview, Partners in Crime | 2 comments

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Jackson Bryant, the millionaire plaintiff lawyer who turned to pro bono work in Dead Peasants, is caught up in the collision of money and politics when he receives a call from his old army buddy Walt Frazier. Walt needs his assistance in evaluating security for Texas Governor Rob Lardner at a Halloween costume fundraiser thrown by one of the nation’s richest Republican billionaires at his mansion in Fort Worth.

Miriam Van Zandt is the best marksman among The Alamo Defenders, an anti-government militia group in West Texas. She attends the fundraiser dressed as a cat burglar–wounds the governor and murders the host’s brother, another Republican billionaire. She is shot in the leg but manages to escape.

Jack is appointed special prosecutor and must call on the Texas DPS SWAT team to track Van Zandt and attack The Alamo Defenders’ compound in a lonely part of West Texas. Van Zandt’s father, founder of the Defenders, is killed in the attack and Miriam is left in a coma. The authorities declare victory and close the case-but Jack knows better. The person behind the Halloween massacre has yet to be caught. When Walt and the protective detail are sued by the fundraiser host and the widow of the dead man, Jack follows the dark money of political contributions from the Cayman Islands to Washington to Eastern Europe, New York and New Orleans to track the real killer and absolve his friend and the Protective Detail of responsibility for the massacre.

Dark Money is a thriller, a mystery and an expose of the corruption of money in politics caused by the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United.

Hott Interview with Larry D. Thompson:

Your books, and especially Dark Money, seem so very real. I find them tremendously eerie since I know these things could have happened. How much do you pull from real events to enhance your fiction?
All of my books (so far) are first and foremost legal thrillers. Second, they also arise from an underlying social issue that I believe needs to be spotlighted. DARK MONEY arose from my observing the United States Supreme Court making rulings that opened the flood gates to billionaires and corporations contributing unlimited amounts of money to federal elections. The first ruling was in a case called Citizens United. It was followed by two more out of the court in rapid order. It is now possible for a few rich men or women and corporations to impact an election with enormous advertising budgets. That’s not right, but it will take Congress to do something about it, and they are not about to cut off the supply of money. THE TRIAL was a story about a giant pharmaceutical company that pushed a drug through the FDA, knowing that it would cause liver failure and death in a certain number of people. I wrote the book to tell a good story of a small town lawyer who has to fight the pharmaceutical industry and government to save his daughter’s life because she took the drug. THE INSANITY PLEA is a terrific story about a serial killer who sets up a homeless man who is mentally ill to take the fall for one of his murders. The protagonist is the homeless man’s brother who has to figure out who the killer is before his brother is sent to the death chamber. The underlying message is that we as a society need to do more to care for our mentally ill. So, to get to your question, I rely heavily on current events to give me ideas for my stories.

What is something that keeps you grounded when you’re writing a thriller?
I have a very full life that includes my wife, my three grown children and grandchildren who are scattered in different cities, a still busy trial lawyer practice, and a little time for golf, the gym and reading books by other authors. It’s interesting that I grew up as a reader, and I would still rather read a good book than watch television. For THE INSANITY PLEA I had to put myself in the mind of a very evil serial killer and could do so and extract myself when I was ready to write a different scene or shut down the computer for the day. So, I think of myself as being well grounded in my personal and professional life. Then I put myself briefly in a different world that I created for a few hours a day when I’m writing. It works for me.

How do you keep your “legal life” and your “author separate” — or do they merge often?
I keep my life as a trial lawyer separate from being an author. However, I have been a trial lawyer for so long that I can often call on some trial or event in my career as a lawyer to work into a scene. And, many of my characters come from people I have run across in trials or elsewhere. I change their names (sometimes) and change their look, but keep their personality if it fits my story. I also take events from the over 300 cases I have tried and weave them into my stories. As an added note, among my most loyal fans are attorneys. They know that I am writing about something I know, and that would be lawyers, witnesses, juries, judges and trials.

Larry thanks so much for stopping by & letting us get to know you a bit better. I can’t wait to read DARK MONEY!

Excerpt:

The convoy of three troop trucks made its way through the northeastern part of Saudi Arabia on their way to join up with other American troops in Dhahran. Jack Bryant, a lawyer from Texas who was called up from his practice in Beaumont, was riding shotgun in the front truck. He was a sergeant and the senior NCO in the convoy. They passed through several villages deserted or nearly so out of fear of the rapidly moving Iraq army. The convoy approached another village, apparently abandoned, when Jack raised his hand.

“Stop. I saw a glint of metal in a balcony about a hundred yards ahead on the right, and then it disappeared. I’m getting out my side and will use the door as a shield. Open your door as quietly as possible. Go back to the men and tell them to maintain complete silence. I don’t even want to hear the click of a cigarette lighter until I signal.”

Seconds turned into minutes. Jack continued to focus on the balcony. After twenty minutes the driver was thinking that his sergeant must have been imagining something when a head slowly surfaced above the wall on the balcony. Jack waited until he could see the mouth and fired one round, striking the Iraq sniper directly between the eyes. The enemy soldier dropped from sight.

Bryant climbed back into his seat and told his driver they could now move out.

“You sure, Sarge? Could be you only wounded him.”

“Trust me. I don’t miss from this distance. He’s dead. Let’s get going. I hope we’ll still have a little light when we get to the barracks.”

More…

Author: Larry D. Thompson
Source: Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours
Publisher & Date: Story Merchant Books, Dec 2015
Genre: Mystery, Legal Thriller
ISBN: 0996990801 (ISBN13: 9780996990806)
Pages: 430
Series: A Jackson Bryant Legal Thriller, 2
Dead Peasants
Dead Peasants
Dark Money
Dark Money

Author Bio:

Larry D. Thompson is a veteran trial lawyer and has drawn on decades of experience in the courtroom to produce riveting legal thrillers. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, Thompson founded the Houston trial firm where he still serves as managing partner. The proud father of three grown children, he lives and works in Texas but spends his summers in Colorado, where he crafts his novels and hikes the mountains surrounding Vail. His greatest inspiration came from Thomas Thompson, his brother, who wrote many best-selling true-crime books and novels.

Websites & Links: Larry D. Thompson's website Larry D. Thompson's twitter Larry D. Thompson's facebook

Dark Money by Larry Thompson

Join In on the Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Larry D. Thompson. There will be 1 winner of 1 $15 Amazon.com US Gift card. The giveaway begins on Jan 24 and runs through Feb 29, 2016.

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Visit the Dark Money Tour Participants:

Lots of features, reviews, and giveaways of Dark Money!


 

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Written by Regina Hott

I love to read! But I don't always think the synopsis on the backs of books do them justice. I do, however, believe all books should come with an intended rating - or at least a steam FYI. So, I'm taking upon myself to educate all -- christian & secular readers, alike -- on the books behind the synopsis and the possible things you may not want your YA reader to see. Enjoy!

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2 Comments

  1. Wall-to-wall books

    At first I thought this was not the book for me, but the more I see of it, the better it looks!
    Great interview! Thanks!