Publication Date March 9, 2026

Last year, I read and reviewed two titles by “James Patterson and…” I wondered if Patterson might be like author Robert B. Parker, who has “written” at least thirty books after his death…tons of items come out with the famous person’s name on them, but who REALLY wrote them? The two titles in question were written by Patterson “and” Bill CLinton and Mike Lupica, and both were…fine. Recently, thanks to Little, Brown and Hachette Audio and NetGalley, I had the opportunity to review a new collaboration by Patterson and Viola Davis entitled Judge Stone, This review is written after I finished both the print and audio versions 

I love legal thrillers, which is one of the main reasons this one leapt out at me. It is  the story of a 13-year-old girl living  in Bullitt County, Alabama, where abortion is illegal and she needs one. The town of Union Springs has never seen anything quite like the trial that comes up (which takes up the last third or so of this title). 

The town is seriously divided (much like our country today) and Judge Stone  must deal with many contemporary issues, including Abortion, Rape, Women’s Health Rights, Racism and Murder. 

Some readers and listeners may be triggered by these things but just a quick look at what this book is about should be enough to prompt careful consideration before diving in. (In other words, don’t be all surprised and complain about the subject matter after the fact). I actually was surprised by how much I loved the story and think Ms. Davis was terrific as the narrator on the audio version. Five stars.