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A JURY OF HIS PEERS
“A darkly funny California noir thriller that combines the high stakes contemporary tension of Michael Connelly with Raymond Chandler’s world-weary vision of Los Angeles” – Peter Turns the Page Reviews
1994 was one hell of a year for Los Angeles, and for Charlie Trust.
It began with a bang, literally, when the Northridge Earthquake decimated a huge swath of LA and scared the crap out of everyone it didn't wreck. Right after that, the murder trial of the Menendez brothers ended with a hung jury, and soon, Charlie and Sandy are asked to represent Lyle Menendez at the retrial.
Charlie figures the year couldn't possibly get any more outlandish for him than it already has, but then the telephone rings, it's O.J. Simpson calling, and quickly enough he finds out just how wrong he is about that.
Of course, he does. It's 1994, in Charlie Trust's LA.
Charlie is doing pretty well for himself. He’s in a law partnership with Sandy Bouchier, once one of America’s most famous criminal lawyers, who is now a little up in years and looking to pass his practice along to Charlie. He also owns a house on Malibu’s Carbon Beach that was left to him by an old friend, and he has a cherry-red 1969 Mustang convertible that is his pride and joy.
Charlie has somehow stumbled into a really good life, and he knows it, but he also knows1994 is doing everything it can to screw it up for him.
For a while there, Charlie thought he might actually be getting 1994 back under control, but then he and everyone else in LA watched absolutely riveted as the slowest police pursuit in history unfolded live on television. O. J. Simpson had been accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife and a man named Ronald Goldman, and now Simpson was in the backseat of a white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings. He appeared to be on the run, but no one really knew what was happening.
Charlie is particularly mesmerized by the whole spectacle since he knows OJ slightly. They’ve met a few times around LA, and OJ once even asked for Charlie’s business card, saying he wanted to call Charlie if he ever needed a criminal lawyer. They had both laughed at that back then since obviously Simpson was only joking, but the joke doesn’t seem nearly so funny now.
If OJ is running, he’s running really slowly. Cowlings makes his way along the freeways of LA at a sedate pace, and the cops hang back. Cowlings is telling them on the telephone that OJ has a gun and is threatening to commit suicide, and no one wants to be responsible for that. Eventually, Cowlings works out a deal with the cops and drives OJ back home to Brentwood to surrender, and the whole public spectacle comes to a quiet end.
The next day, Charlie is packing up his briefcase to leave the office when their case manager buzzes him with a call.
‘I’ve had enough for today,’ Charlie says. ‘Tell whoever it is that I’ve already left. I’ll call back tomorrow.’
‘Oh, I'm certain you'll take this call,’ she says.
‘And why would I do that?’ Charlie asks.
‘Because,’ his case manager answers quietly, ‘it’s O. J. Simpson.’
1994 was one hell of a year for Los Angeles, and for Charlie Trust.
It began with a bang, literally, when the Northridge Earthquake decimated a huge swath of LA and scared the crap out of everyone it didn't wreck. Right after that, the murder trial of the Menendez brothers ended with a hung jury, and soon, Charlie and Sandy are asked to represent Lyle Menendez at the retrial.
Charlie figures the year couldn't possibly get any more outlandish for him than it already has, but then the telephone rings, it's O.J. Simpson calling, and quickly enough he finds out just how wrong he is about that.
Of course, he does. It's 1994, in Charlie Trust's LA.
Charlie is doing pretty well for himself. He’s in a law partnership with Sandy Bouchier, once one of America’s most famous criminal lawyers, who is now a little up in years and looking to pass his practice along to Charlie. He also owns a house on Malibu’s Carbon Beach that was left to him by an old friend, and he has a cherry-red 1969 Mustang convertible that is his pride and joy.
Charlie has somehow stumbled into a really good life, and he knows it, but he also knows1994 is doing everything it can to screw it up for him.
For a while there, Charlie thought he might actually be getting 1994 back under control, but then he and everyone else in LA watched absolutely riveted as the slowest police pursuit in history unfolded live on television. O. J. Simpson had been accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife and a man named Ronald Goldman, and now Simpson was in the backseat of a white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings. He appeared to be on the run, but no one really knew what was happening.
Charlie is particularly mesmerized by the whole spectacle since he knows OJ slightly. They’ve met a few times around LA, and OJ once even asked for Charlie’s business card, saying he wanted to call Charlie if he ever needed a criminal lawyer. They had both laughed at that back then since obviously Simpson was only joking, but the joke doesn’t seem nearly so funny now.
If OJ is running, he’s running really slowly. Cowlings makes his way along the freeways of LA at a sedate pace, and the cops hang back. Cowlings is telling them on the telephone that OJ has a gun and is threatening to commit suicide, and no one wants to be responsible for that. Eventually, Cowlings works out a deal with the cops and drives OJ back home to Brentwood to surrender, and the whole public spectacle comes to a quiet end.
The next day, Charlie is packing up his briefcase to leave the office when their case manager buzzes him with a call.
‘I’ve had enough for today,’ Charlie says. ‘Tell whoever it is that I’ve already left. I’ll call back tomorrow.’
‘Oh, I'm certain you'll take this call,’ she says.
‘And why would I do that?’ Charlie asks.
‘Because,’ his case manager answers quietly, ‘it’s O. J. Simpson.’
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2026
About the author
Jake Needham
54 books402 followersJAKE NEEDHAM received the Barry Award at Bouchercon 2024, the world's largest convention of mystery readers, for BEST PAPERBACK MYSTERY OF 2024. He is a three-time Barry Award nominee, as well as a nominee for the International Thriller Writers' award for BEST PAPERBACK THRILLER OF THE YEAR.
Needham is an American screen and television writer who has lived in Thailand for over thirty years. He started writing crime novels when he realized he really didn't like movies and television all that much. Since then, he has published twenty popular mysteries and thrillers in three different series — The Charlie Trust Legal Thrillers, the Inspector Samuel Tay Novels, and the Jack Shepherd Novels — as well as the international bestseller, THE BIG MANGO.
"Jake Needham is Asia's most stylish and atmospheric writer of crime fiction," says the Singapore Straits Times. "Jake Needham is Michael Connelly with steamed rice," says the Bangkok Post.
Needham is an American screen and television writer who has lived in Thailand for over thirty years. He started writing crime novels when he realized he really didn't like movies and television all that much. Since then, he has published twenty popular mysteries and thrillers in three different series — The Charlie Trust Legal Thrillers, the Inspector Samuel Tay Novels, and the Jack Shepherd Novels — as well as the international bestseller, THE BIG MANGO.
"Jake Needham is Asia's most stylish and atmospheric writer of crime fiction," says the Singapore Straits Times. "Jake Needham is Michael Connelly with steamed rice," says the Bangkok Post.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 13, 2026
I really liked this one, though it caught me a bit by surprise compared to the other three books in the series. If you're coming into this expecting the classic mystery angle that defines the later books, you won't find it here. A Jury of His Peers isn't a whodunit; the cards are pretty much on the table, making it a straight-ahead legal thriller and a masterclass in suspense rather than a puzzle to solve.
That said, because Jake Needham is such a great writer, the lack of a traditional mystery didn't ruin the experience for me at all. He brings 1992 Los Angeles and Malibu to life so perfectly that the setting becomes a character of its own. Charlie Trust is a brilliant protagonist—cynical, exhausted, but fiercely loyal—and watching him navigate the fallout of his friend's mess is incredibly engaging.
That said, because Jake Needham is such a great writer, the lack of a traditional mystery didn't ruin the experience for me at all. He brings 1992 Los Angeles and Malibu to life so perfectly that the setting becomes a character of its own. Charlie Trust is a brilliant protagonist—cynical, exhausted, but fiercely loyal—and watching him navigate the fallout of his friend's mess is incredibly engaging.
July 13, 2026
So-so
I’ve read all of Jake Needham’s novels, including the first three Charlie Trust books. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of them, but this one didn’t resonate with me. There were a lot of chapters dedicated to an earthquake, then the Menendez brothers, then OJ. While I like the principal characters, this plot jumped around too much for me.
I’ve read all of Jake Needham’s novels, including the first three Charlie Trust books. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of them, but this one didn’t resonate with me. There were a lot of chapters dedicated to an earthquake, then the Menendez brothers, then OJ. While I like the principal characters, this plot jumped around too much for me.
August 11, 2026
Not a legal thriller!
Chapters on earthquakes, chapters on lunches/relationships, chapters on two well known cases (Menendez bros and OJ Simpson) and a couple pages inside a courtroom. No suspense. Although well crafted, does not live up to any of Needham’s previous novels. I skipped more than I read. Huge disappointment!
Chapters on earthquakes, chapters on lunches/relationships, chapters on two well known cases (Menendez bros and OJ Simpson) and a couple pages inside a courtroom. No suspense. Although well crafted, does not live up to any of Needham’s previous novels. I skipped more than I read. Huge disappointment!
July 18, 2026
For lawyer Charlie Trust, 1994 begins with a bang when the Northridge Earthquake devastates a massive area of LA. As Charlie and everyone else deal with the aftermath, a well-publicised trial collapses with a hung jury, and Charlie and Sandy find themselves in line for representing one of the defendants – Lyle Menendez. But then another famous face hits the headlines, and Charlie gets a call that could make him famous…
I’ve read a lot of Jake Needham’s books, including all the Inspector Tay novels and all the Charlie Trust books so far and I’ve loved every one of them. A Jury of His Peers is book four in the series but this time we’re served up something a bit different. The author often takes his time sliding us into the story, so I was happy to go along with things until the inevitable murder came along. And there are murders, of course, but they’re ones we’ve all heard about. Now, I’ve watch documentaries and dramas about both these cases, and while I’m fascinated by the Menendez and the OJ Simpson killings, I wasn’t sure what to make of them viewed in this way. Certainly, Mr Needham’s writing is as good as ever, and the legal technicalities of dealing with such famous cases is fascinating, but I felt there was something missing.
A fascinating read, for sure, but this isn’t going to be one of my favourites.
I’ve read a lot of Jake Needham’s books, including all the Inspector Tay novels and all the Charlie Trust books so far and I’ve loved every one of them. A Jury of His Peers is book four in the series but this time we’re served up something a bit different. The author often takes his time sliding us into the story, so I was happy to go along with things until the inevitable murder came along. And there are murders, of course, but they’re ones we’ve all heard about. Now, I’ve watch documentaries and dramas about both these cases, and while I’m fascinated by the Menendez and the OJ Simpson killings, I wasn’t sure what to make of them viewed in this way. Certainly, Mr Needham’s writing is as good as ever, and the legal technicalities of dealing with such famous cases is fascinating, but I felt there was something missing.
A fascinating read, for sure, but this isn’t going to be one of my favourites.
July 14, 2026
This is the long awaited book #4 of Mr Needham’s Charlie Trust series. Book #5 won’t be out until December 2, 2026. These books are so good and so realistic that Mr Needham finds it necessary to post a disclaimer in his preface that he only makes this stuff up! I highly recommend any of Mr Needham’s books! They are wonderful! This book focuses on 1994 and the devastating California earthquake, the trial of the Menendez brothers, Heidi Fleiss, and OJ Simpson. What a lineup!
July 13, 2026
Peer Review
Charlie Trust is becoming a favorite of characters I enjoy reading about. Something quite likable about Charlie and adventures. Thanks to Jake Needham for bringing this enjoyable read.
Charlie Trust is becoming a favorite of characters I enjoy reading about. Something quite likable about Charlie and adventures. Thanks to Jake Needham for bringing this enjoyable read.
July 15, 2026
LA in 1994: earthquake, Menendez, OJ. The OJ section is interesting - gives an entirely new (at least to me) narrative of what might have happened. But like the others in this legal mystery series there is too much description and not enough plot; we don’t need to have repeated descriptions about the busboys at Musso & Frank’s cadging a smoke by the back door.
July 17, 2026
Charlie Trust grows on you
With each book in Jake Needham’s new legal thriller series his character Charlie Trust becomes more complex, more intriguing, more complete.
I still miss Sam Tay, but not so much with Charlie Trust around.
With each book in Jake Needham’s new legal thriller series his character Charlie Trust becomes more complex, more intriguing, more complete.
I still miss Sam Tay, but not so much with Charlie Trust around.
July 23, 2026
Tried to put it down but kept jumping back into my hands!!!
Excellent as usual, twists and unexpected turns always catch me, love this writer and can't wait for the next ride in the Stange!!!!
Excellent as usual, twists and unexpected turns always catch me, love this writer and can't wait for the next ride in the Stange!!!!
July 28, 2026
Excellent story
Kept my interest and more felt liked a roller coaster till the end I remember the OJ trial and the freeway chase but I never knew about the other looking forward to more of this type of book cheers from Bobbie and George
Kept my interest and more felt liked a roller coaster till the end I remember the OJ trial and the freeway chase but I never knew about the other looking forward to more of this type of book cheers from Bobbie and George
August 10, 2026
It is a good book and worth reading but not as good as his other ones in this series.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews