What do you think?
Rate this book
Marc Kadella Legal Mystery #1-9
Marc Kadella Mysteries Vol 1-9
AN IRRESISTIBLE TREAT FOR FANS OF JOHN GRISHAM
No-nonsense, world-weary Minneapolis criminal defense lawyer Marc Kadella shines through gritty, street-wise narrative in Dennis Carstens’ action-packed legal thriller series, sure to please fans of courtroom drama and classic noir alike with a contemporary angle sure to please fans of both sexes—the toughest guy in the series is gorgeous investigator Maddy Rivers.
BOOK ONE – THE KEY TO JUSTICE
Financially embarrassed, getting a divorce, living in a shabby apartment, and distinctly short of clients, Marc Kadella’s beginning to question why he ever went into the law when a friend brings him the case all Minneapolis is watching--defending an accused serial killer. If he wins, it could turn his life around— if he blows it, he better go into sales.
BOOK TWO – DESPERATE JUSTICE
After winning the case of a lifetime, Kadella welcomes the infusion of energy his career is receiving. Another lawyer asks him to represent the co-defendant in a murder trial resulting from a petty crime that spiraled out of control—the somewhat “accidental” murder of the nephew of Vivian Corwin, grande dame of the influential Corwin family.
BOOK THREE – MEDIA JUSTICE
An adorable—and very photogenic—two-year-old girl is kidnapped, and, when her remains are found, her twenty-two-year-old widowed mother Brittany is charged with her murder. But before she can even be charged she’s been tried and convicted by the media—with tragic consequences.
BOOK FOUR – CERTAIN JUSTICE
Marc was torn about representing oft-assumed psychopath Howie Traynor—his first homicide case—but even he was relieved when Howie was put away for forty years… Until, a decade later, his case is re-opened. And now not only Howie, but a handful of wrongfully-accused felons are back out on the streets.
BOOK FIVE – PERSONAL JUSTICE
Mackenzie Sutherland is the classic black widow. All her late husbands were millionaires. Each died suddenly and quite mysteriously of massive heart attacks (in spite of no history of heart trouble). And each left their children with nothing—and their young, beautiful bride (of about a year or so) with millions. No one can resist Mackenzie’s charm—not even Marc.
BOOK SIX – DELAYED JUSTICE
Maddy’s new beau, investment analyst Rob Judd, is found murdered in his home—with an unconscious Maddy at the gruesome scene of the crime, clutching the murder weapon. Marc decides to take on the case in spite of his close connections to the client. He finds he must delve deep into the complex money laundering schemes of Rob’s employer to save Maddy from false imprisonment. Or worse.
BOOK SEVEN – POLITICAL JUSTICE
THE MACBETHS TAKE WASHINGTON—and leave a pile of bodies in their wake. In a searing political commentary laced with a gripping murder mystery that hits disturbingly close to home, Dennis Carstens tackles financial misconduct, scandalous cover-up, treason, and murder in a scathing imagining of an American White House nobody’s ever seen before, and yet one that is all too familiar… Power at any price.
BOOK EIGHT – INSIDER JUSTICE
A TOY TO KILL FOR––Celebrated criminal lawyer Marc Kadella takes on the fall-out of a class action suit against a beloved corporate toy company gone wrong—and ends up falling down a rabbit hole of insider trading, sex scandal, political corruption, and murder, in a bleak yet accurate portrayal of the lewd world of financial crime, where not even children are protected from the greedy and power-hungry.
BOOK NINE – EXQUISITE JUSTICE
MIX THE "GOOD" REVEREND WITH THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE––Minneapolis defense attorney Marc Kadella was hoping for a bit of peace after a failed homicide attempt in the form of a hit-and-run. But it’s hard to keep the peace in the midst of a string of police brutality accusations leading to civil unrest. Kadella finds himself trapped in a web of racism and corruption.
No-nonsense, world-weary Minneapolis criminal defense lawyer Marc Kadella shines through gritty, street-wise narrative in Dennis Carstens’ action-packed legal thriller series, sure to please fans of courtroom drama and classic noir alike with a contemporary angle sure to please fans of both sexes—the toughest guy in the series is gorgeous investigator Maddy Rivers.
BOOK ONE – THE KEY TO JUSTICE
Financially embarrassed, getting a divorce, living in a shabby apartment, and distinctly short of clients, Marc Kadella’s beginning to question why he ever went into the law when a friend brings him the case all Minneapolis is watching--defending an accused serial killer. If he wins, it could turn his life around— if he blows it, he better go into sales.
BOOK TWO – DESPERATE JUSTICE
After winning the case of a lifetime, Kadella welcomes the infusion of energy his career is receiving. Another lawyer asks him to represent the co-defendant in a murder trial resulting from a petty crime that spiraled out of control—the somewhat “accidental” murder of the nephew of Vivian Corwin, grande dame of the influential Corwin family.
BOOK THREE – MEDIA JUSTICE
An adorable—and very photogenic—two-year-old girl is kidnapped, and, when her remains are found, her twenty-two-year-old widowed mother Brittany is charged with her murder. But before she can even be charged she’s been tried and convicted by the media—with tragic consequences.
BOOK FOUR – CERTAIN JUSTICE
Marc was torn about representing oft-assumed psychopath Howie Traynor—his first homicide case—but even he was relieved when Howie was put away for forty years… Until, a decade later, his case is re-opened. And now not only Howie, but a handful of wrongfully-accused felons are back out on the streets.
BOOK FIVE – PERSONAL JUSTICE
Mackenzie Sutherland is the classic black widow. All her late husbands were millionaires. Each died suddenly and quite mysteriously of massive heart attacks (in spite of no history of heart trouble). And each left their children with nothing—and their young, beautiful bride (of about a year or so) with millions. No one can resist Mackenzie’s charm—not even Marc.
BOOK SIX – DELAYED JUSTICE
Maddy’s new beau, investment analyst Rob Judd, is found murdered in his home—with an unconscious Maddy at the gruesome scene of the crime, clutching the murder weapon. Marc decides to take on the case in spite of his close connections to the client. He finds he must delve deep into the complex money laundering schemes of Rob’s employer to save Maddy from false imprisonment. Or worse.
BOOK SEVEN – POLITICAL JUSTICE
THE MACBETHS TAKE WASHINGTON—and leave a pile of bodies in their wake. In a searing political commentary laced with a gripping murder mystery that hits disturbingly close to home, Dennis Carstens tackles financial misconduct, scandalous cover-up, treason, and murder in a scathing imagining of an American White House nobody’s ever seen before, and yet one that is all too familiar… Power at any price.
BOOK EIGHT – INSIDER JUSTICE
A TOY TO KILL FOR––Celebrated criminal lawyer Marc Kadella takes on the fall-out of a class action suit against a beloved corporate toy company gone wrong—and ends up falling down a rabbit hole of insider trading, sex scandal, political corruption, and murder, in a bleak yet accurate portrayal of the lewd world of financial crime, where not even children are protected from the greedy and power-hungry.
BOOK NINE – EXQUISITE JUSTICE
MIX THE "GOOD" REVEREND WITH THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE––Minneapolis defense attorney Marc Kadella was hoping for a bit of peace after a failed homicide attempt in the form of a hit-and-run. But it’s hard to keep the peace in the midst of a string of police brutality accusations leading to civil unrest. Kadella finds himself trapped in a web of racism and corruption.
4530 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 17, 2020
1153 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Carstens
32 books114 followersDennis Carstens was born in Worthington, MN, and has lived most of his life in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. He received a BA from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. from a highly respected private law school, William Mitchell, in St. Paul. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a retired trial lawyer, Carstens brings these life experiences to his fiction for a dose of realism and accuracy missing from much of the legal thriller genre today.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Want to read
May 24, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/24/2020)! 🎁
March 14, 2022
Someone please teach Mr Carstens how to avoid an illogical participle. This and other syntax errors make the books difficult to read. Also, Mr Carstens thinks it is amusing to have many different characters express displeasure by putting a middle finger on the nose. Really, there must be thousands of ways one can express displeasure and using the same one over and over gets boring and fails to distinguish between characters.
I thought the plots were interesting but not interesting enough to put up with really bad writing.
I thought the plots were interesting but not interesting enough to put up with really bad writing.
June 20, 2020
I like Marc Kadella as a character/person; I like his struggles with his ex-wife and kids and new girlfriend, the judge; I like the individual court cases he takes; I like the people with whom he shares his office space; I like the descriptions of Minneapolis/weather/his clients ~ I like what Dennis Carstens has done with this series! I've read them all individually, and just picked up this set ~ thank you for this intriguing world!!
April 21, 2021
Fabulous series. Enjoyed all. Kept me interested and reading well past my bedtime.
The characters are believable. It is so refreshing to read a book not filled with explicit sex scenes that add absolutely nothing to the plot other trash.
The characters are believable. It is so refreshing to read a book not filled with explicit sex scenes that add absolutely nothing to the plot other trash.
August 20, 2020
Part of my kindle unlimited picks. Thoroughly enjoyable legal thrillers with likable characters and interesting plots.
December 17, 2020
Having worked in the legal field for 50 years (though not on the criminal side), I thoroughly enjoyed each of these books. I will follow the series for future works!
August 24, 2025
The stories were reasonably good - with the occasional unexpected twist! However, my low "score" is for three main reasons:
1. The unacceptable amount of blasphemy. As usual, it is only blasphemy in a Christian context. No-one seems to use, as an expletive, a name such as "Mohammad", "Krishna", "Buddha", etc.! Of course, Christians are not, it seems to be thought, offended! Perhaps Salman Rushdie is remembered. Members of the "religion of peace"!!! don't take kindly to the use of the name of their "prophet" in such a way.
2. The abuse of the English language that is so very noticeable to those of us who speak, and write, it correctly! Grammar (I'm not even thinking of common "Americanisms" such as using the present tense of a verb when the past tense should be used, e.g. "it fit me" instead of the correct "it fitted me"!); Spelling; and Syntax.
Either the author doesn't bother making use of a proofreader, or he needs to hire a new one! Of course, he claims to be a lawyer - a further reason for expecting a higher standard than from some who have not benefited from the level of education one assumes he has enjoyed!
3. The number of acronyms that may be familiar to an American readership, but that to others may be meaningless. After so many volumes, I am unable to recollect the specific, but there was on that even the online dictionary and Wikipedia was unable to decipher for me!
1. The unacceptable amount of blasphemy. As usual, it is only blasphemy in a Christian context. No-one seems to use, as an expletive, a name such as "Mohammad", "Krishna", "Buddha", etc.! Of course, Christians are not, it seems to be thought, offended! Perhaps Salman Rushdie is remembered. Members of the "religion of peace"!!! don't take kindly to the use of the name of their "prophet" in such a way.
2. The abuse of the English language that is so very noticeable to those of us who speak, and write, it correctly! Grammar (I'm not even thinking of common "Americanisms" such as using the present tense of a verb when the past tense should be used, e.g. "it fit me" instead of the correct "it fitted me"!); Spelling; and Syntax.
Either the author doesn't bother making use of a proofreader, or he needs to hire a new one! Of course, he claims to be a lawyer - a further reason for expecting a higher standard than from some who have not benefited from the level of education one assumes he has enjoyed!
3. The number of acronyms that may be familiar to an American readership, but that to others may be meaningless. After so many volumes, I am unable to recollect the specific, but there was on that even the online dictionary and Wikipedia was unable to decipher for me!
July 6, 2021
This series is dynamic, engrossing, unique, creative and always intriguing. Each mystery will hold your interest. I especially like Carstens' character development from Vol. 1 and continuing through Vol 9. Very rich stories that highlight the justice system in Minnesota and all the quirks and pitfalls. The main attorney, Marc Kadella, is brilliant, feisty and unfaltering in his pursuit of truth. I would want him as my defense lawyer!
All of the characters are interesting, well-thought out and true-to-life. The series will take you on a creative journey demonstrating how convoluted the entire system functions with terrific insight into the courts, district attorneys, politicians, the media and often times the criminals behind the powerful. As a former investigator for the Orange Co. Public Defenders Office, I highly recommend this series.
All of the characters are interesting, well-thought out and true-to-life. The series will take you on a creative journey demonstrating how convoluted the entire system functions with terrific insight into the courts, district attorneys, politicians, the media and often times the criminals behind the powerful. As a former investigator for the Orange Co. Public Defenders Office, I highly recommend this series.
September 9, 2025
Marc Kadella Series Vol1-9
Excellent reads, these books kept me up reading until all hours of the night! The books are centered around Marc Kadella, a defense attorney, living in Minneapolis. He and his group of friends and co-workers take on cases that seem impossible to win, but he does-sometimes. He works closely with two ex-cops who are investigators for him and the stakes are high and sometimes deadly, the investigations keep you on your toes! One of the things I really like is how Marc explains the process of trials and how they work-not like TV. If you like mystery and suspense you'll enjoy these books. And there's plenty of humor, too.
Excellent reads, these books kept me up reading until all hours of the night! The books are centered around Marc Kadella, a defense attorney, living in Minneapolis. He and his group of friends and co-workers take on cases that seem impossible to win, but he does-sometimes. He works closely with two ex-cops who are investigators for him and the stakes are high and sometimes deadly, the investigations keep you on your toes! One of the things I really like is how Marc explains the process of trials and how they work-not like TV. If you like mystery and suspense you'll enjoy these books. And there's plenty of humor, too.
September 15, 2021
Life in the courtroom
Mr Carstens has written another winner. This is a great story. The characters keep growing, the storyline is good. The events in the story are logical and realistic. As a matter of fact there are many similarities to real events. I recommend you read the whole series. Many of the characters in the early books recur, grow, and develop over time. If you like murder mysteries and related books you want to read this
Mr Carstens has written another winner. This is a great story. The characters keep growing, the storyline is good. The events in the story are logical and realistic. As a matter of fact there are many similarities to real events. I recommend you read the whole series. Many of the characters in the early books recur, grow, and develop over time. If you like murder mysteries and related books you want to read this
September 26, 2021
Enjoyed reading
I found these books to not only be a fun read, but also thought provoking. I did not do any independent research on how the legal system works (I’m assuming the author did), but it really opened my eyes! I also found the characters to be likable and well developed. The author did not over explain things which I appreciate. It felt as if he believed his readers have a brain. If you enjoy legal thrillers I would recommend.
I found these books to not only be a fun read, but also thought provoking. I did not do any independent research on how the legal system works (I’m assuming the author did), but it really opened my eyes! I also found the characters to be likable and well developed. The author did not over explain things which I appreciate. It felt as if he believed his readers have a brain. If you enjoy legal thrillers I would recommend.
December 1, 2023
Marc Kadella, a basically good fella.
It took me a while to read these 3000, 9 novels, but it was worth the time. These are not Perry Mason style stories where everything works out, and the end is always a happy one. While Marc is the main character and gets top billing, there are several side characters that get lots of air time and goog development.
It took me a while to read these 3000, 9 novels, but it was worth the time. These are not Perry Mason style stories where everything works out, and the end is always a happy one. While Marc is the main character and gets top billing, there are several side characters that get lots of air time and goog development.
June 30, 2021
Great suspense
I enjoy your books very much. You do a great job of keeping us in suspense. Really three only negative thing I can say is that I wish you would write in a "family friendly" style. You are a great writer and I know you would make it work.
I enjoy your books very much. You do a great job of keeping us in suspense. Really three only negative thing I can say is that I wish you would write in a "family friendly" style. You are a great writer and I know you would make it work.
May 27, 2022
I love these books. Marc, Maddie, Tony and V ivian are all so real
Would recommend reading all these books.Hours of reading and never want to put down until finished.
Wish I had more of them to read.
Would recommend reading all these books.Hours of reading and never want to put down until finished.
Wish I had more of them to read.
April 13, 2023
Love this series, it can be a little long but once it starts leading you to the conclusion it is totally worth it. The author gives you a great insight into the way the law and the courtroom works. Love this series.
November 21, 2023
I love these stories! Great characters and interesting twists. Only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I keep finding typos and an occasional grammar error. Mr. Carstens needs a better proofreader.
March 21, 2021
I haven’t read many box sets, but every book in this series I found to be remarkably well written. Kudos to Mr. Carstens for writing nine wonderful stories.
September 11, 2021
Legal rights
Very good series of books. Keeps you invested in the outcome of good overcoming evil. Reminded me a lot of the old Perry Mason TV series with Raymond Burr.
Very good series of books. Keeps you invested in the outcome of good overcoming evil. Reminded me a lot of the old Perry Mason TV series with Raymond Burr.
October 18, 2021
Please see individual stories for review.
April 2, 2022
Great
Awesome series.
A real must read for those Info some detective/spy excitement.
Even includes female pi's kicking butt n taking names!
Awesome series.
A real must read for those Info some detective/spy excitement.
Even includes female pi's kicking butt n taking names!
July 5, 2022
Very entertaining
Suspenseful, entering, just enough humor to keep your attention, and the bad guy always gets his.. I really enjoyed the whole series..
Suspenseful, entering, just enough humor to keep your attention, and the bad guy always gets his.. I really enjoyed the whole series..
January 21, 2023
excellent reading
Very exciting and suspenseful real page turners. The cast of people in these books are great, entertaining and the right amount oh humor .
Very exciting and suspenseful real page turners. The cast of people in these books are great, entertaining and the right amount oh humor .
Read
October 25, 2023Thourly enjoy these mysteries .
December 12, 2024
Legally Thrilling
This has become my favorite legal thriller series. All the characters are so interesting and realistic while the plots keep me turning the pages.
This has become my favorite legal thriller series. All the characters are so interesting and realistic while the plots keep me turning the pages.
August 13, 2025
Great work
I am very tired, stayed up to often reading this work. Not ashamed to say it's hard to put down,
I am very tired, stayed up to often reading this work. Not ashamed to say it's hard to put down,
September 23, 2025
Good read
I found this set of books and I loved them. I think I will buy again the next set of books.
I found this set of books and I loved them. I think I will buy again the next set of books.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews