The New York Times calls novelist Martin Clark “the drinking man’s John Grisham.”

Charlotte Readers Podcast

In this episode 357, we feature Martin Clark and his latest legal thriller, “The Plinko Bounce.” Entertainment Weekly says “Martin Clark is, hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer.” His recent novel is a perfect example of that praise with engaging characters and interesting action inside and outside the courtroom.
Show discussion highlights:
• How living in a rural area influences Martin’s writing
• How serving as a trial judge influences Martin’s legal thrillers
• The Plinko Bounce? It’s meaning for the courtroom.
• Diving into the legal nuances of the Miranda warning
• Representing someone you know to be guilty
• How the courtroom works on a lie
• A reading from the book
• Writing characters over plot
• Third person close writing
• Advice to his younger self
Brief author bio:
Martin Clark is often praised as our best legal-thriller writer (Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Times, Winston-Salem Journal). His sly, smart books, however, aren’t just courtroom thrillers. Because of his distinctive, genre-bending style, he’s also been compared to Walker Percy and T.R. Pearson (Oxford American), Tom McGuane and Nick Hornby (New York Times Book Review), Elmore Leonard (Los Angeles Times), and even Hunter S. Thompson (The Denver Post). His latest novel, THE PLINKO BOUNCE (September 12) once again showcases his unique talent, prompting Adriana Trigiani to note: “Martin’s canon… has a permanent place of honor in American Literature.”
Martin is a retired Virginia circuit court judge, who served twenty-seven years on the bench. His novels have appeared on numerous bestseller lists and have been chosen as a New York Times Notable Book, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year, a Bookmarks magazine Best Book of the Year, a Boston Globe Best Book of the Year, a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, a finalist for the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award, and the winner of the Library of Virginia’s People’s Choice Award in 2009, 2016 and 2020. Martin received the Patrick County Outstanding Community Service Award in 2016 and the Virginia State Bar’s Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Award in 2018. He and his wife, Deana, live on a farm with dogs, cats, chickens and three donkeys.
Learn more about Martin Clark and his books HERE. https://martinclark.com
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