What do you think?
Rate this book
A Crime of Passion: A Joe Dillard Novel
"Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a facade of vulnerability." --Publisher's Weekly
A beautiful, young, rising star in the country music world is found dead in a Nashville hotel room.
The owner of her record company is charged with murder.
In the seventh installment of Scott Pratt's best-selling Joe Dillard series, Dillard is hired to travel to Tennessee's capital city to defend Paul Milius, a record company baron accused of strangling Kasey Cartwright, his label's young star. Dillard navigates Nashville's unfamiliar legal system and the world of country music in search of the truth, but he soon finds himself confronted with a web of lies so masterfully woven that he fears he may never find any answers. As the trial begins and the tension mounts, Dillard fears that not only will his client be wrongfully convicted, but that Dillard himself may not survive.***A portion of the profits from the sale of every Joe Dillard novel is donated to the Ballad Health Cancer Patient Assistance Fund. Unfortunately, cancer plays a big role in the legacies of both Scott Pratt and Joe Dillard. This is our way of making the best of it.
Praise from Amazon “Joe Dillard is a worthy, more down-to-earth alternative to the heroes of Child, Thor, Flynn et al.”
“If you like John Grisham or Lee Child (Jack Reacher series), you’ll like Scott Pratt’s Joe Dillard series.”
“Fabulous read. If you like John Grisham, James Patterson, Lee Child, John Sanford, etc. you will love Scott Pratt.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
“Joe Dillard is a kinder, gentler ‘could have been’ Jack Reacher!!!!!”
“Scott Pratt has created a character worthy of movies. Not since Jake Brigance has an attorney made such a great debut. Read this. It's fantastic.”
“As good as Grisham.”
“Dillard is a great character, on the order of Grisham's Jake Brigance. And who would have thunk that setting a novel in rural Tennessee would be as enthralling as it turned out to be.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
“I am very impressed with this author & with this book. I plan to buy the 2nd in the Dillard series today before I go in for surgery tomorrow. . I read all the great series... Harry Bosch, Lucas Davenport, Mickey Haller, Alan Gregory etc etc & I am a stern critic of bad writing. The plot was excellent. The story flowed without a flaw. The characters came alive & Erline was one of the most memorable people I ever met in fiction. I will definitely tell readers that they will not be disappointed & urge them to read this first novel & enjoy an excellent story."
A beautiful, young, rising star in the country music world is found dead in a Nashville hotel room.
The owner of her record company is charged with murder.
In the seventh installment of Scott Pratt's best-selling Joe Dillard series, Dillard is hired to travel to Tennessee's capital city to defend Paul Milius, a record company baron accused of strangling Kasey Cartwright, his label's young star. Dillard navigates Nashville's unfamiliar legal system and the world of country music in search of the truth, but he soon finds himself confronted with a web of lies so masterfully woven that he fears he may never find any answers. As the trial begins and the tension mounts, Dillard fears that not only will his client be wrongfully convicted, but that Dillard himself may not survive.***A portion of the profits from the sale of every Joe Dillard novel is donated to the Ballad Health Cancer Patient Assistance Fund. Unfortunately, cancer plays a big role in the legacies of both Scott Pratt and Joe Dillard. This is our way of making the best of it.
Praise from Amazon “Joe Dillard is a worthy, more down-to-earth alternative to the heroes of Child, Thor, Flynn et al.”
“If you like John Grisham or Lee Child (Jack Reacher series), you’ll like Scott Pratt’s Joe Dillard series.”
“Fabulous read. If you like John Grisham, James Patterson, Lee Child, John Sanford, etc. you will love Scott Pratt.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
“Joe Dillard is a kinder, gentler ‘could have been’ Jack Reacher!!!!!”
“Scott Pratt has created a character worthy of movies. Not since Jake Brigance has an attorney made such a great debut. Read this. It's fantastic.”
“As good as Grisham.”
“Dillard is a great character, on the order of Grisham's Jake Brigance. And who would have thunk that setting a novel in rural Tennessee would be as enthralling as it turned out to be.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
“I am very impressed with this author & with this book. I plan to buy the 2nd in the Dillard series today before I go in for surgery tomorrow. . I read all the great series... Harry Bosch, Lucas Davenport, Mickey Haller, Alan Gregory etc etc & I am a stern critic of bad writing. The plot was excellent. The story flowed without a flaw. The characters came alive & Erline was one of the most memorable people I ever met in fiction. I will definitely tell readers that they will not be disappointed & urge them to read this first novel & enjoy an excellent story."
339 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2025
About the author
Scott Pratt
59 books1,593 followersScott Pratt is a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Bestselling Author whose books have sold more than five million copies. He was born in South Haven, Michigan, and grew up in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from East Tennessee State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee. He lived in Johnson City, Tennessee until his tragic, untimely passing in November of 2018.
This page is maintained by his family. We're finishing up all of the projects he was working on when he passed away. If you'd like to stay up to date on that progress, or if you'd just like to say hello, you can visit us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/19664...
This page is maintained by his family. We're finishing up all of the projects he was working on when he passed away. If you'd like to stay up to date on that progress, or if you'd just like to say hello, you can visit us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/19664...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 19, 2026
wonderful ending for a narcissist
Sometime justice doesn’t get served by our justice system because it’s now politically motivated… The Joe Dillard Series really drives that home. But this book just makes the reader crazy and ready to help with a crime of passion!
Sometime justice doesn’t get served by our justice system because it’s now politically motivated… The Joe Dillard Series really drives that home. But this book just makes the reader crazy and ready to help with a crime of passion!
May 21, 2026
worst book so far in the series
The story was a page turner until the very end. Easily 4 stars. Then the author gives up and concocts the worst ending in the history of courtroom dramas. The assassin comes out of nowhere, takes the stand, admits he’s the killer, and claims no prison can hold him. Really? Then the jury ignores his testimony and convicts the defendant anyway! Don’t waste your time!
The story was a page turner until the very end. Easily 4 stars. Then the author gives up and concocts the worst ending in the history of courtroom dramas. The assassin comes out of nowhere, takes the stand, admits he’s the killer, and claims no prison can hold him. Really? Then the jury ignores his testimony and convicts the defendant anyway! Don’t waste your time!
June 15, 2026
Scott Got His Groove Back
This book was a quick read for me. I have come to love this series. Book 6 was the only one that was hard to stay engaged with. Book 7 has been a blast! Mr Dillard is such a likable guy and his love for his family is evident in every thing he does. He is not a perfect man but he is perfect in the story Mr Pratt tells us. Well done
This book was a quick read for me. I have come to love this series. Book 6 was the only one that was hard to stay engaged with. Book 7 has been a blast! Mr Dillard is such a likable guy and his love for his family is evident in every thing he does. He is not a perfect man but he is perfect in the story Mr Pratt tells us. Well done
May 12, 2026
Great installment
Exciting page-turner in the series once again. I couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to see how the story unfolded. Love Joe's character and his realistic family dynamic. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Exciting page-turner in the series once again. I couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to see how the story unfolded. Love Joe's character and his realistic family dynamic. Looking forward to the next in the series.
May 14, 2026
Crime doesn't pay.
I loved every minute of this book! Joe has had some interesting events happen in his life and this is yet another. This lawyer and Scott
Pratt are by far my favorite!!😊
I loved every minute of this book! Joe has had some interesting events happen in his life and this is yet another. This lawyer and Scott
Pratt are by far my favorite!!😊
January 17, 2026
Good thriller
Was a good book. Well written and exciting. Good clean read. Would like to read more by this exciting author
Was a good book. Well written and exciting. Good clean read. Would like to read more by this exciting author
March 27, 2026
I am SO enjoying the Joe Dillard series! The characters are so human. Joe does some very dumb things, things that most writers would not do. He makes some bad decisions that are so dumb but something that i might do n the heat of the moment. I find all the stories so far are believable and interesting. Start with the first one, An Innocent Client. See if you find it interesting.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews