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Reasonable Fear: 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
Three young women are found floating in a lake.
The suspect is one of the richest and most powerful men in Tennessee.
In the fourth installment of the bestselling Joe Dillard series, Dillard has become the district attorney in Northeast Tennessee. He becomes heavily involved in the investigation with Sheriff Leon Bates and soon realizes that he is up against an enemy that he has never before encountered -- someone so rich and so powerful that the course of justice could be altered by money and political influence. But when bodies start showing up in his driveway and his family is threatened with termination, Dillard must ask himself a previously unthinkable question. His life, and the lives of his family, depend on the answer.***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."
Three young women are found floating in a lake.
The suspect is one of the richest and most powerful men in Tennessee.
In the fourth installment of the bestselling Joe Dillard series, Dillard has become the district attorney in Northeast Tennessee. He becomes heavily involved in the investigation with Sheriff Leon Bates and soon realizes that he is up against an enemy that he has never before encountered -- someone so rich and so powerful that the course of justice could be altered by money and political influence. But when bodies start showing up in his driveway and his family is threatened with termination, Dillard must ask himself a previously unthinkable question. His life, and the lives of his family, depend on the answer.***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."
321 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2025
About the author
Scott Pratt
59 books1,590 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
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 20, 2026
This is an excellent read: My favorite so far.
February 3, 2026
Scott is an excellent story teller
Another great book where the bad guys get dead, and the good guys win! I love that! I’m a fan.
Another great book where the bad guys get dead, and the good guys win! I love that! I’m a fan.
Want to Read
April 18, 2026Another fine book from Scott Pratt. I enjoy his colorful descriptions, for ex. “Her hair was the same unique color of red that I remembered, a strange, sanguine shade somewhere between a roan horse and a carrot.”
May 5, 2026
Wow, intense!
This installment had me on the edge of my seat and up late at night especially once I got half way into the book and saw how the story was unfolding. Had me worried and nervous on the outcome. Definitely a great read and anxious for the next in the series.
This installment had me on the edge of my seat and up late at night especially once I got half way into the book and saw how the story was unfolding. Had me worried and nervous on the outcome. Definitely a great read and anxious for the next in the series.
April 23, 2026
Reasonable Fear -
This was an action packed book. It started just a little slow but didn’t stay that way. I enjoyed it.
This was an action packed book. It started just a little slow but didn’t stay that way. I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews