About the Author

Paul J. Heald teaches law at the University of Illinois. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he lectures worldwide and has taught at many universities including Oxford and Vanderbilt. Before joining the law faculty, he clerked in Montgomery, Alabama, for the Honorable Frank M. Johnson Jr. Heald sings baritone and lives in Champaign, Illinois, with his wife, Jill Crandall, a choir director.

Reviews

“Absorbing . . . Heald skillfully illuminates the vagaries of crime and punishment in this disquieting look inside the workings of the justice system.” —Publishers Weekly

"A terrific read! Law professor Paul Heald once again shows his mastery of the legal mystery with characters as complex as any found in a Grisham novel. It’s Southern justice served cold." —Mark Schweizer, author of The Liturgical Mysteries series

“Unique . . . As close to being a pure legal thriller as you are likely to find . . . A great deal of insight into the inner workings of these cases . . . A great choice for legal thriller fans as well as those who enjoy a good mystery.” —Night Owl Reviews

"Growing mystery, tangled personal lives, a wonderful evocation of time and place, and an expert insider's view of the criminal justice system would be enough to make Courting Death a great read. . . . A triumphant, life-affirming accomplishment. Paul Heald just keeps getting better and better." —Frank Chadwick, author of How Dark the World Becomes

"As George Eliot complained long ago, too few novels even try to capture the experience of work or the romance of vocation. Fewer succeed. Novels about lawyers, in particular, too often use the law itself merely as an ornament or plot device. Courting Death, by contrast, is a real novel of vocation. Heald wonderfully evokes the intellectual excitement of law as a profession." —Eric Johnson, Former Chief Assistant Attorney General of Alaska and Assistant Solicitor General in New York

“Absorbing . . . Heald skillfully illuminates the vagaries of crime and punishment in this disquieting look inside the workings of the justice system.” —Publishers Weekly

"A terrific read! Law professor Paul Heald once again shows his mastery of the legal mystery with characters as complex as any found in a Grisham novel. It’s Southern justice served cold." —Mark Schweizer, author of The Liturgical Mysteries series

“Unique . . . As close to being a pure legal thriller as you are likely to find . . . A great deal of insight into the inner workings of these cases . . . A great choice for legal thriller fans as well as those who enjoy a good mystery.” —Night Owl Reviews

"Growing mystery, tangled personal lives, a wonderful evocation of time and place, and an expert insider's view of the criminal justice system would be enough to make Courting Death a great read. . . . A triumphant, life-affirming accomplishment. Paul Heald just keeps getting better and better." —Frank Chadwick, author of How Dark the World Becomes

"As George Eliot complained long ago, too few novels even try to capture the experience of work or the romance of vocation. Fewer succeed. Novels about lawyers, in particular, too often use the law itself merely as an ornament or plot device. Courting Death, by contrast, is a real novel of vocation. Heald wonderfully evokes the intellectual excitement of law as a profession." —Eric Johnson, Former Chief Assistant Attorney General of Alaska and Assistant Solicitor General in New York