Lassiter

Jake Lassiter #8

by Paul Levine

"Take John Grisham's courtroom skills, add a dash of James Patterson's action and a pinch of Harlan Coben's humanity...and you've got LASSITER."

Eighteen years ago, Jake Lassiter crossed paths with a teenage runaway who disappeared into South Florida's sex trade. Now he traces her steps and runs head-on into a conspiracy of Miami's rich and powerful who would do anything to keep the past as silent as the grave. In this tale of redemption and revenge, Edgar-nominated author Paul Levine delivers his most powerful thriller yet.

Jake Lassiter, second-string linebacker turned low-rent lawyer, is cynical about the law, but if you hire him, he'll take a punch for you . . . and maybe a swing at the prosecutor, too.

Amy Larkin--beautiful, angry, and mysterious--accuses Lassiter of involvement in the disappearance of her sister eighteen years earlier. What does Lassiter know about Krista Larkin, the runaway teen turned porn actress? More than he's saying.

Seeking to atone for his own past, Lassiter follows the cold trail of the missing Krista and butts head with the powerful men who also knew her: a former porn king turned philanthropist, a slick Cuban-born prosecutor, and an aging mobster.

The evidence leads to a long-ago night of kinky sex, designer drugs--and possible murder. But before Lassiter can nail the truth, a gun goes off, a suspect falls dead, and Lassiter has a murder trial to defend. Will the verdict disclose what happened to Krista? The answer, buried under years of deceit and corruption, is revealed in an explosive courtroom finale, proving that rough justice is better than no justice at all.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Legal Thriller, Legal, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

305 pages, ebook

First published September 13, 2011

About the author

The Genius and the Tramp Fight Fascists in 1930's Hollywood

MIDNIGHT BURNING - September 2025
“Ingeniously pairs real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin on a roller coaster ride to save America from a fascist threat within its borders.” – Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs series.

Award-winning author Paul Levine weaves historical figures into a gripping, true-to-life plot to overthrow the U.S. government in the sizzling thriller MIDNIGHT BURNING.

It's 1937 and clouds of war gather over Europe, and American fascists march at home. While the FBI chases suspected communists, Nazi agents plot an armed insurrection. When the world’s two most famous men–Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin–uncover the scheme, which includes the assassination of Hollywood’s biggest stars, they fight back with nothing but their ingenuity, raw courage, and the fierce resolve of Georgia Ann Robinson, LAPD’s first Black female officer.

Levine—praised by The New York Times for his “realistic, gritty, and fun” novels—delivers a breathtaking thriller laced with humor and a larger-than-life cast, including Charles Lindbergh, Douglas Fairbanks, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph Goebbels.

"This could be Levine's masterpiece." - Lee Goldberg, New York Times #1 Bestselling Author

ORDER FROM AMAZON HERE.

ORDER FROM BARNES & NOBLE HERE.

ORDER FROM BOOKSHOP HERE.

**********************************************;
Jake Lassiter tackles high school football and becomes the most hated man in Miami in EARLY GRAVE, Paul Levine's sizzling legal thriller.

"An extraordinary hero stars in a legal tale as believable as it is riveting." - Kirkus Reviews

"Levine scores with this complex and witty legal thriller. This winner works even for those new to the series." - Publishers Weekly (★starred review★)

When his godson suffers a catastrophic injury in a high school football game, lawyer Jake Lassiter sues to abolish the sport and becomes Public Enemy Number One. The former NFL linebacker also battles CTE, the fatal brain disease caused by repetitive head injuries. His personal life, too, hits a rocky patch. He's in couple's therapy with fiancée Dr. Melissa Gold and vows to live long enough to fix his relationship and achieve justice for his godson.

"Grounded in reality, EARLY GRAVE is a novel with heartfelt emotion, flashes of humor, and high-octane excitement." - Franco Harris, NFL Hall of Fame Running Back

STILL GOING STRONG:

CHEATER’S GAME is a stand-alone entry in the Jake Lassiter series.

"Clever, funny and seriously on point when it comes to the inequities of society and the justice system, CHEATER'S GAME is top-notch stuff from Paul Levine. His Jake Lassiter is my kind of lawyer!" - Michael Connelly

You may ORDER HERE.

ALSO AVAILABLE: BUM DEAL.

“Fascinating, fully developed characters and smart, well-paced dialogue keep the pages turning. Levine manipulates the expectations of the reader as skillfully as Jake manipulates the expectations of the jury” — Publishers Weekly (★starred review★)

"Drop everything...Read it now...BUM DEAL is fantastic." - Lee Child

Reviews

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the eighth in Levine's Lassiter series and they just keep getting better and better!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic novel! Your couldn't ask for more. A mystery, Legal Thriller involving the seedy sex trade, mobsters - past and present, and the justice system. Jake Lassiter, a former pro football player is now a lawyer. He is approached by Amy, a women with serious anger management issues, hurling accusations about Jake's involvement in her sister Krista's disappearance eighteen years ago. Jake feels guilty enough about his history with Krista to help Amy find some answers. The novel is written in first person, and the author does a great job of telling the story from Jake's POV. The dialogue and action keep the story flowing at a pace that makes it hard to stop reading. Lots of twist and surprises. I can't wait to read the next one. I checked this one out from the kindle lending library. Now I'm hooked! Highly recommend.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read a short story by Paul Levine and found his writing very interesting. Then I read book #1 in the Jake Lassiter series and liked it too. Now I am going about this series in random order (meaning, the books available for free on Audible/ Kindle unlimited🙂 )
The book #8 is simply called 'Lassiter'. It doesn't disappoint. There are interesting courtroom scenes and lot of humour and plot twists.
Lassiter has a blast from the past and a chance for redemption when a woman accuses him of his involvement in her sister's disappearance, some 18 yrs ago. I wasn't convinced of Lassiter's feeling of remorse, because I never once felt sorry for Krista and Amy.
Anyway it was a fun read. Now Paul Levine is on my 'fav-authors' list.

[William Bentrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lassiter by Paul Levine
A pseudo-loser tough guy attorney is a mouth full but if you add ex-pro-football player you have an apt description of this loose cannon protagonist with the attitude of a rabid pit-bull. Lassiter defends the unsavory, unwashed and unwanted with an unorthodox style that leaves him on the razor edge of disbarment in this mystery that reeks or the underbelly of south Florida and the porn industry.

Paul Levine does a masterful job in crafting a likeable character in Jake Lassiter. He humanizes him by carefully including his faults and then he highlights the man’s innate goodness. Familial patterns had little to do with creating this craggy Don Quitoic aging athlete. You find yourself wiping the sweat off your brow in the hot Florida sunshine so image invoking is Levine’s writing. Once again I am mystified that I was unaware of this author.

I liked the plot, the intricately woven web of deceit and betrayal that leaves a lingering odor of grimy back rooms and slimy ne’er-do-wells populating the silicon pumped porn industry. Levine succeeds in keeping your interest high with both morality and action in unlikely scenarios and characters. I can’t guess if you will be educated but you will most definitely be entertained with this book.

I highly recommend the book.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tbis novel is set on the gritty streets of Miami, underage prostitution, drugs, porno and Jake Lassiter, how could it miss. Lassiter, a former 2nd string player for the Miami Dolphins, is a lawyer who handles cases that the big law firms find beneath them. He is sarcastic but tough, if he is pushed he pushed back and he doesn't quit. In this book he tries to right a wrong from when he was young and a player. Love this series.

[Tulay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilled, enjoyed and entertained.

Thank you Mr Levine, this wasn't the first book I read in this series, won't be the last. In some reviews they didn't like the sex, but story is about Charlie, pornographic movie maker. And when necessary it had to be included in the story line. Narration by Peter Berkrot was good too.

[Mike French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Levine is one of my favorite authors! If you haven't read any of his works,you are missing out. the Lassier and Solomon vs Lord series are some of most entertaining books that I have read!!

[Sienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up from 3.5 stars because this one really made me laugh. Won my copy as a giveaway & shared it with my dad. We both enjoyed it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Lassiter is in the middle of court when he sees her. A pretty brunette. She is watching him. After the trial is over, the brunette comes over to Jake and introduces herself. Her name is Amy Larkin. She shows Jake a picture of some guys and some strippers. It seems that one of the girls in the picture is Amy’s sister, Kristi and she has gone missing. Jake was the last person to see her.

Jake may be a lot of things but he is no murderer. In addition, he does not like that his reputation is being slung through the mud. Jake decides to investigate the disappearance of Kristi. That is the only way he can clear his name. Whatever good that is worth.

This is the first book I have read by this author. Lassiter is the latest Jake Lassiter novel. Though, I had no problems jumping right in and enjoying this book with out having read all the prior books in the series. What really made this book for me was Lassiter’s persona. He did not use ethical ways when investigating and this is what I liked about him. He is someone that I can get behind and cheer for.

In addition, all the characters involved in the story line were not just secondary but made strong presences. This was a good book. Now that I am familiar with Mr. Levine’s work, I will be keeping an eye on him. I do plan to go back and read all the other books in this series.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A former Miami Dolphin is now a down at the heels defense lawyer. While getting a drunk driver off the hook, a woman stalks him. During his playing days, he had an encounter with her sister. She drifted into the porn industry, and is now missing. They try to find her, but the last person to see her, the porn magnate, is now gone legit.

Not bad. Not as crazy as some Florida novels.

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: If you are sensitive to curse words, descriptive scenes or the porno scene (in books, of course), forget this book. It’s about the adult entertainment industry in general and with that comes a broad use of words not generally found in Paul Levine’s works.

However, if you saw the movie Boogie Nights (1997 with Mark Walberg) relax and enjoy without any or much gasping when words fly that you’re not used to reading.

Following all of Paul Levine’s works and loving his characters, I was delighted when Lassiter came out after a 14 year dry spell.

Lassiter is not the run of the mill defense attorney. He obtained his law degree in at a Miami night school and it took him four times to pass the Florida Bar exam. However, he intuitively knows right from wrong and always pulls for the underdog, usually his client. He willingly steps up to the plate to defend clients who he knows are probably guilty. Disclaimer: He has been known to ‘bury’ his client when knows he’s guilty.

The mystery surrounds the disappearance a woman in the porn industry 18 years prior. Her half-sister comes to Miami to find out exactly how she disappeared. Unfortunately, Lassiter is drawn into the disappearance by a photo taken when he (and a bunch of foolhardy guys) was a college football star, celebrating in the old fashioned way at a strip joint. Everyone involved excepting the woman sister, has moved on to bigger and better things with the disappearance now just a bleep on the police blotter of unsolved disappearances. And they would like to keep it that way but for the half-sister who is like a pit bull and won’t leave it alone.

This was a fun read after reminding myself from time to time that hey, it’s about porn, and yes, I’m sure that’s in their vocabulary.

The end was a surprise to me but I’m the sort who is easily surprised when everyone else says, “I got it half way through and walaaa, I figured it out.” I just read it, and don’t bother to try to put the puzzle together as I go. Readers like me, I’m sure, are in the minority.

After so long without reading a good Levine book, it was a pleasure once again. And Lassiter is famous for his ‘one liners’ which make me smile from beginning to end. Love that guy, an attorney who is honest with his clients, the courts, protects his not so spotless family and most important, honest to himself.

Glad I read the previous Jake Lassiter books and became a fan of Jake. While this was indeed a good book, I can recall others which I liked more, but that's just me. I like Jake, he a funny character who 'bulls' through for the underdog because he is one.

[Craig Pittman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, thoroughly entertaining, frequently amusing romp through South Florida murder and mayhem. I dinged the book one star because the plot has a hole in it as big as Lake Okeechobee (it involves the murder weapon, but I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling things). The narrator for most of this is Miami Dolphin-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter, who's tough but also nicely self-deprecating and whose observations about life in Miami help carry the book along. There are also a few chapters where Levine drops the first-person POV to show you (in third-person) what some of the other characters are doing. At first that's a little jarring, but after a while you get used to it. It helps that Levine cleverly limits most of this chapters to no more than four pages, so you can scoot through them pretty quickly. I read the whole book in less than three days. Levine gets a lot of humorous mileage out of the fact that one of the main characters is a bigtime Miami porn producer, so he gets to spoof the titles. I think my favorite was "Saving Ryan's Privates."

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m something of a switch-reader; that is, after I read something serious — a history, a biography, a memoir — I’ll switch to something lighter. Often, it’s some kind of suspense novel, be it a psychological thriller or a who-done-it. For this, Paul Levine’s Lassiter fit the bill.

It’s not the best mystery I’ve ever read. It’s nowhere near the worst. But it made me care about its characters, keep turning the pages, and keep trying to put the pieces together. And it’s one of those books that, when it came to the last 25 percent of the story on my Kindle, I didn’t want it to end.

Based on its strengths, I’ll definitely read another of attorney Jake Lassiter’s cases.

[Donna ~ The Romance Cover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Lassiter finds himself thrust into the underbelly of the porn industry and none of it savoury. Jake is a man on a mission finding one of the "girls" that went missing eighteen years ago. One that he had met the night she went missing. His investigations find him up against an ex-porn king, now philanthropist, allegedly salt of the earth man who finds his past coming back to bite him in the ass, and one who has a lot more to save than just his reputation.

Paul Levine delivers an intricate tale of lies, deceit and betrayal in this fast-paced thriller. Another one of my faves in this series.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The vulgar language was just too much for me. In the 15% I read, the book seems to have been written with some plotting skill although it was a slow-starter. I quit when I began to feel like I needed a shower.

Update: October 2017 - After reading and enjoying another book by this author, I decided to take another look at this one. Levine is actually a skilled writer and is very good at creating realistic characters. The basic plot of this one was quite complex and involving, once I got past the secondary characters' lifestyle (pornographers, prostitutes, politicians.)

[Karen Corvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lassiter is a former NFL player turned defense lawyer. The story line is complex and explores the underside of Miami life-pronography, drugs, violence, etc. Lassiter searches for a teen (Krista) who crossed his path shortly before she disappeared. Amy, her sister, accuses him of having played a part in her disappearance. His search has him exploring the dirty/sleazy side of Miami and rubbing elbows with the elite of Miami. Lots of twists and turns as Lassiter unravels the mystery of Krista's disappearance.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time I have ever read anything by this author and am thrilled that BookBub had a great offer on this particular book. I loved the humor amidst the excitement of a great story abouHt a dysfunctional family, including a young girl who ran away with big dreams only to end up in porn flicks and sexual abuse. Lassiter - a fabulous character who is wonderful now but admits to a flawed past - is in search of what happened to the runaway. Surprises along the way; interesting character development; and a page-turning plot. Wonderful book!

[Michelle Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish this book. The story of a lawyer who in his college years was a bit of a lad. In his 40s or 30s who knows, he has not changed much and is certainly not PC. He has received many stars, but not from me. Must give one star to get to review, that is why it has one star. I did not pay for the book, so no real loss except my time. Sorry, not my cup of tea. Life is too short to read something you do not enjoy.

[Nick Stika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that I had read this one, I've read the whole series, but when I got notified a new Lassiter was coming out this spring, this one came up marked "unread" on Goodreads. I searched through all my boxes of read books, yeah I know, but I couldn't find it. After reading it, I think I have read it, don't know where my copy is, I don't generally loan out Lassiter. A few things here and there seemed familiar, but it was such an enjoyable story, I didn't mind.

[Jan Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old style legal thriller

Lassiter is such a likeable hero you engage with him and share his quirky attitudes to life
You care if he wins

[Shairston Hairston · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first.......

At first I didn't know which way this story was going. And I never thought that the Attorney General would have anything to do with Amy sister. That was a surprise.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly not the worst Jake Lassiter entry, but not quite the best either. It was enjoyable enough, though, and I was entertained for most of the way through. I still legit have a crush on fictional Jake Lassiter, I gotta admit. He's written so well and his charm is rather infectious, so...sue me. I find myself genuinely concerned for his wellbeing and always wish he can reach a happy ending in whatever scenario that ensnares him. It was mighty refreshing that he didn't make a significantly dumb decision this time around, as he sometimes can do, particularly when a woman is involved. He's a big ol' softy, often to his own detriment. Finally, he showed some chutzpah as I always knew he could. See, I knew you had it in ya, Jake.

At any rate, the plot was capable of catching my attention right from the start, though it did teeter off kilter several times as it progressed. This entry is not only told from Lassiter's first-person perspective, but from several other characters as well (I wanna say at least 3 or 4 others at various times of the story). I'm not really crazy about a Lassiter book doing that because I am fond of reading from HIS take only, but...I understood why it had to be done for this one. To start, you're thrown right into a scene that has Jake interacting with an anger-prone client who is being charged for killing a man, yet refuses to provide her alibi for why she is innocent of the task. The book then jumps back in time a bit to the events that lead up to that talk, then it carries on as normal thereafter. And you're inevitably left wondering how the heck good ol' Jake can possibly defend a client he doesn't quite believe.

This entry is a bit slower-paced that I'm used to from a Lassiter book. It takes its time to unfurl and doesn't always demand my undivided attention, which means that there are times that it got draggy and a bit boring here and there, but I blame that on the fact that I'm reading perspectives of characters that aren't as entertaining as those provided by Lassiter. For me, it's a default reaction to be a bit bored when Jake's not the one telling the story. Unfortunately, there isn't as much courtroom drama here that I've come to love from a Lassiter book (such as from the previous entry "Flesh and Bones," my FAVORITE of them all so far purely because of all the courtroom drama). What little courtroom antics that DO exist in this entry are still some of my favorite parts of this story, of course.

On a final note, I was absolutely NOT fond of missing Jake's loveable sidekick Charlie in this entry. This is the first book that doesn't have him for some unknown reason, and his absence was surely felt. Instead, I get ANOTHER character named Charlie, a protagonist who is the polar opposite of the Charlie I'm used to. Why Levine decided to name a new character the exact same name of a character I've already come to love in all of the former Lassiter books is beyond me. I don't get it, and I hope I won't be without Charlie for too long in future entries.

Anyways, it was a decent read and I'm still happily plowing through the series.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t understand what happened to this author. I love the Jake Lassiter series but something went awry with this novel. He deviated from prior character arcs without explanation. His ex-teammate Rusty went from scammy model agent to a soccer dad. No mention of his nephew, Kip’s vast knowledge and obsession with film characters. Doc Riggs is nowhere to be found. And there is a crudeness to the dialogue that is unnecessary. The ever-present humor is non existent. Not to mention that I got very attached to Luke Daniels as the actor for Jake in the audible version and this guy is a poor substitute. Someone please tell me this was a ghost writer and therefore an aberration that is fixed for future novels in the series that are actually written by the talented Paul Levine.

[Sharon Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this was the first Paul Levine book that I'd read, I wouldn't read any others of his. Fortunately, I've read two of his books in the Solomon vs. Lord series, and I enjoyed them immensely. I had intended to give this book a two-star rating because the crudity and depravity of the characters went on ad nauseam, giving me the impression that plot was secondary. However, the story did improve near the end, so I bumped my rating up to a three-star. I doubt that I will read any more books in the Lassiter series. Instead, I will stick to the Solomon vs. Lord series, which has less depravity and more humorous and fun sexual innuendo.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Fast Paced Read

A fun quick read in a pseudo noir style. Really captures the feel of Miami.
Lassiter’s past comes back to haunt him when he is contacted by the sister of a hooker missing for 18 years. The problem is that Lassiter has a history with the missing girl.
Filled with twists, mostly unexpected, the story brings in questionable characters- a porn king turned philanthropist, A DA with underworld connections. Who is the good guy? Who is the villain? Don’t make assumptions.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was OK, not a good read for me. The story didn't get interesting until the middle of the story, I kept reading because the reviews I read said that it gets better towards the end, which it did but it really wasn't hard to figure out that the person who was supposed to be dead for years was still alive. (I don't want to spoil the story).
This is the first Paul Levine story I've read and don't plan on reading any of his other books.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The irreverent attorney Jake Lassiter is always good for some legal amusement. I like the author's occasional old-style crime novel writing; e.g.,, "As inconspicuous as a stone crab in your Wheaties," and "darkened skyscapers, many as empty as a loan shark's heart." In this episode of the series, Lassiter defends a woman for murdering someone she thought responsible for the death of her runaway sister 18 years ago. Many twists; it isn't clear who the real murderer is until the very end.

[Jim Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad language with erotic voyeurism

Good mystery but the cynical humor and constant foul language and gutter thoughts were too much. Several times I wanted to stop reading the book but I gave on to the suspense of the narrative. I liked the end but I'm not sure I like myself for ignoring the sick dialog. I don't think I will read anymore Lassiter series. I will not pickup a Lassiter, or Paul Levine novel again

[Guy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Action Mystery
This is the first book I have read by this author. It won't be the last. His style reminds me of the Mickey Spillane novels. The story line is cohesive with rapid action.The ending is not predictable, but follows logically. Characters are three dimensional with hero and villain qualities. I recommend Lassiter to fans of action mysteries.

[Marianne K. Benvenuti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was part of a three book anthology. Had this Ben the first one, I probably wouldn't have read the other two. Corruption in Miami? I hear about it almost every day on the news. Didn't really want to read about it in a fictional novel. It's not that this is badly written. It's just that reading about the exploitation of women in the porn industry is not a something that I want to do.