William Lashner Books In Order

Publication Order of Elizabeth Webster Books

Publication Order of Victor Carl Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

William Lashner is a noteworthy novelist from America, well known for writing mystery and legal thriller books. He is typically popular for writing the legal suspense series, Victor Carl. Before becoming a novelist, Lashner used to work as a trial lawyer. He completed his graduation from the New York University and also studied Workshop of Iowa Writers in the Iowa University. While working as a trial lawyer, Lashner used to serve in the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Author Lashner has described the character of Victor Carl as a lawyer based in Philadelphia, who does not experience any luck in either his life or his career. The writing career of Lashner began with the publication of his first book in 1995, titled Hostile Witness. Since then, he has written a number of legal thrillers with the use of his vast experience in law and justice. Author Lashner was born in the year 1956. Currently, he stays with his family near Philadelphia. He is a founding partner of ‘The Liars Club’, which is a networking group comprising of professionals in publishing. This group is also associated with the some other entertainment aspects and includes personalities like Jon McGoran, Kelly Simmons, Jonathan Maberry, Dennis Tafoya, Merry Jones, Gregory Frost, Keith DeCandido, Fran Wilde, and Keith Strunk. In his 1997 book titled Veritas, author Lashner has given the narration through a gangster having a conversation with Carlito in his style. With respect to the detailed and massive description, Carlito can be described as a flawed character who has many weaknesses, including sex, big money, and murder. The plot is undermined by psychological insights which seem very intriguing. This book appears to be different than a normal modern thriller in various aspects. It does not scrape away after the main suspense is unveiled, and does not leave out a grammatically correct a raw piece without life. In fact, Veritas seems to be full of passion, depth, and details. By reading this book, it be easily understood that author Lashner did not spare himself. Each and every page of the book shows the pain that he went through while creating the story.

Lashner has described every minute detail possible. While giving the description of a female lead’s apartment, author Lashner described it as unbelievably spacious, having everything thick and outsized, baronial in furnishings and size, and filled with huge chairs, couches, and a huge piano. For the description of the apartment itself author Lashner has used up a full page. Due to such factors, author Lashner is considered as an old school author. Apart from writing under his original name, Lashner uses the pseudonym Tyler Knox for writing noir novels. One such noir novel written by him under the pen name is called Kockroach. Lashner also uses the pseudonym for writing book reviews in Washington Post. Lashner’s character, Victor Carl, is described by Booklist as a morally ambiguous and compelling character. The novels featuring this character have been translated into different languages and sold all over the world. Author Lashner has been nominated for prestigious awards on multiple occasions, including the Edgar Award. His books often feature in the bestselling list of the New York Times. In his spare time, author Lashner likes to spend time with his wife and children. He considers himself blessed to have three beautiful children.

The Victor Carl series written by William Lashner is comprised of 9 books in total, that were published from 1995 up to 2014. All the books of the series feature the lead character as Victor Carl, who introduced as a defense lawyer based in Philadelphia. An initial novel of this series is entitled ‘Fatal Law’. It was released by the HarperTorch publication in the year 2004. At the start of the story, it is shown that some victims are deserving of nothing but the truth. Victor Carl usually likes to do the right thing because of his ethnically adventurous nature. However, he often gets stuck with wrong people for all the wrong reasons. One such case comes to him when an old schoolmate of his named guy Forrest gets accused of murder. He is arrested after his lover, the beautiful Hailey Prouix, is found murdered in her home. When Forrest approaches him, Victor agrees to represent his case. He does not reveal to Forrest that he was also in love with Hailey and is deeply hurt by her shocking murder. Victor seems determined to get Forrest punished as he thinks that he is responsible for her murder. But, he fears that if he sets the retribution machinery in motion, it won’t possible for him to put a stop to it. Therefore, Victor Carl decides to investigate the case on his own and find out whether Guy Forrest actually murdered Hailey or he was framed. During the investigation, Victor comes across shocking truths, which tend to shatter all his beliefs about Hailey. He begins to think of her as an altogether different person. Now, the most important thing on his list is to save Forrest at any cost as he is certain that he is not the culprit.

Another interesting book written in this series is titled as ‘Past Due’. It was published in 2005 by the Harper publishers. At this novel’s beginning, it is shown that Victor Carl’s career as a criminal attorney is about to come to an end. Even his personal life seems to have become miserable with no love interest. He looks to earn some easy money. The one factor that keeps Victor Carl going is his loyalty towards his clients, even if they are no more. A client named Joey Cheaps gets murdered after he shares a terrible secret with Victor about his involvement in a crime. Following the murder of his client, Victor looks for the killer. But, in order to do so, Victor must search the darkest corners of the misspent youth of Joey Cheap. This search takes Victor Carl on a difficult journey, leading him to a suitcase filled with money. He also comes across a mysterious woman’s naked pictures and a justice of Supreme Court, who hides a secret. While looking for clues, Victor Carl enters into the den of a vengeful enemy, who seems to have a painful past with him. Overall, the novel appears darkly evocative and thrilling. It gives the description of a superb story of justice and crime. It helped the book to become a grand success and allowed author Lashner the chance to be included in the list of top writers of suspense.

2 Responses to “William Lashner”

1. Frank Marderosian: 2 years ago

   A great author keep writing

   Reply
2. PeterF57: 3 years ago

   I’ve read two of his Victor Carl books. A long time ago. I’m pretty sure Veritas was one of them.
   Both were great. I like reading legal thrillers, and they are two of the best I have ever read.

   Reply