William Bernhardt has 28 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 8 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.3★ across 8 ratings. The most-rated is The Last Chance Lawyer.
The Last Chance Lawyer
Summary
Getting his client off death row could save his career...or make him the next victim. Daniel Pike would rather fight for justice than follow the rules. His unique ability to "connect the dots," to observe what others do not, has made him the most notorious criminal lawyer in St. Petersburg. But when his courtroom career goes up in smoke, he fears his lifelong purpose is a lost cause. A mysterious job offer from a secretive boss gives him a second chance but lands him an impossible case with multiple lives at stake.... To protect a young orphan from a horrifying fate, Pike must save the girl's guardian from a charge of first-degree murder. Dan uses every trick he knows in a high-stakes trial filled with unexpected revelations and breathtaking surprises as he uncovers a trail of deceit from Florida to El Salvador. When blood-soaked threats arrive, Dan realizes that winning the case might be a death sentence for him - and everyone he hoped to protect. Can Pike protect the girl and get the charges dropped before his race for the truth proves fatal? The Last Chance Lawyer is a gripping legal thriller. If you like courtroom suspense, page-turning plot twists, and rebel attorneys, then you'll love William Bernhardt's riveting drama.
©2019 William Bernhardt (P)2019 William Bernhardt
Dark Eye
Summary
Sometimes her eyes seduce. Sometimes they stare straight at the kind of sights most people turn away from. But in the blazing neon and searing sun of Las Vegas, she can’t see the man who is watching her and thinking to himself: She is the one.... From the mountain views beyond the Strip to the dingy dens of forbidden pleasure, Susan Pulaski loves Las Vegas. A woman who wears a gun at her side and her heart on a sleeve, Pulaski is the perfect fit for her city and her job: unraveling the minds of deviant personalities. Until a killer begins decorating Sin City with the horribly disfigured bodies of once beautiful young women...and Pulaski’s own demons go on a binge. Eight months after her cop husband’s death, her life is spinning out of control - just as her detective colleagues start searching for a serial killer who methodically stalks his female victims and plunges them into an orgy of terror. When a violent incident earns Pulaski a pink slip from the LVPD and a trip to detox, she’s out of the hunt altogether, so she begins to desperately try to regain her job, her reputation, and custody of the niece she’s been raising on her own. It seems hopeless - until Pulaski meets the one person who can lead her into the mind of a madman no one else can understand. Darcy O’Bannon is a 25-year-old autistic savant whose relationship with the world around him is so unusual that it forces Pulaski to view the crimes from a bizarre - but ultimately insightful - perspective. White-knuckling her way to the center of the case, she becomes the key player in a desperate hunt for a killer who believes he has found divine inspiration in the works of Edgar Allan Poe. But even with the assistance of Darcy’s astonishing skills, Pulaski is in even more danger than she knows. For the man she seeks is watching her, seduced by her frailties and strengths, her beauty and boldness. To finish his masterwork of horror, he needs her. In a blistering novel that brings together glitz and goth, human weakness and human genius, and a murderous psychopath who is all too chillingly real, master storyteller William Bernhardt has created an unparalleled literary Las Vegas thrill ride that will leave listeners breathless until the final, stunning word.
©2005 William Bernhardt (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.
Excellent Editing
Summary
Why do so many people talk about writing a book but never get the job done? Why do so many start books they never finish? And why is the final product often so much less than what editors and agents want? Because writing is a process, and no steps can be omitted without impacting the quality of the work. As best-selling author William Bernhardt explains, editing begins before you start writing and doesn't end until the book is in print (if then). This book guides writers through that process, explaining what's worth doing and when to do it. With his usual straightforward, demystified approach, Bernhardt explains how to produce a book of exceptional quality.
©2016 William Bernhardt Writing Programs (P)2016 William Bernhardt Writing Programs
Hate Crime
Summary
Best-selling author William Bernhardt is an unsurpassed master at blending psychological suspense with gripping, surprise-filled legal action. Now, Bernhardt and his crusading attorney Ben Kincaid return in a thrilling story of love, hate, and the power of a courtroom to separate deception from the truth. In Tulsa, Ben Kincaid has built a national reputation as a stalwart defense attorney who will fight tirelessly for his clients. In Evanston, Illinois, Johnny Christensen has built a national reputation as a sadistic bigot who beat and stabbed a gay man and left him to die. When Johnny's mother comes to Ben and begs him to defend her son, he has one secret reason for saying no. But while Ben turns down the case, his younger, beautiful partner, Christina McCall, does not. Traveling to Chicago and facing an explosion of controversy and deadly violence surrounding the trial, Christina steps into a case that is already nearly lost. Her client's only defense is his claim that he left his victim bludgeoned but alive. To prove that someone else committed the actual murder, Christina needs a little bit of evidence - and a good motive to go with it. When unforeseen circumstances force Ben Kincaid to enter the trial, the defense attorney sees only one way to prove Johnny's innocence. But Ben's plan means luring a killer out of the woodwork - even though he may kill again.... A novel of gut-wrenching twists and surprises, this thriller brilliantly explores the passions between lovers and the passions behind society's most heinous crimes. Once again, the remarkable William Bernhardt makes us challenge every assumption, second-guess every judgment, and feel the terror of the truth.
©2005 William Bernhardt (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.
Thinking Theme: The Heart of the Matter
Summary
Why do some books linger in memory long after they are over? Why are some books reread, recommended, shared in the classroom? How can you add your book to this distinguished company? The key is theme, giving your story a dynamic idea that lends it power and purpose. William Bernhardt explains what theme is, how it is best revealed, and how to find the theme that, handled correctly, will distinguish your book from all the others. Plus, in the final chapter, Bernhardt explains how your book can have a positive impact on the world in which you live. William Bernhardt is the best-selling author of more than 40 books, including the blockbuster Ben Kincaid novels. Bernhardt is also one of the most sought-after writing instructors in the nation. He has received the Southern Writers Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (U Penn) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (OSU), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large". The Red Sneaker Writing Center is dedicated to helping writers achieve their literary goals. What is a red sneaker writer? A committed writer seeking useful instruction and guidance rather than obfuscation and attitude. Red sneakers get the job done and so do red sneaker writers, by paying close attention to their art and craft, committing to hard work, and never quitting. Are you a red sneaker writer? If so, this book is for you.
©2017 William Bernhardt (P)2017 Babylon Books
Perfecting Plot: Charting the Hero's Journey
Summary
Even the most unique and interesting characters will not engage readers if their journey - the plot - fails. In this audiobook, best-selling author William Bernhardt reveals the secrets that will keep readers riveted to the page. He explains the importance of matching character to plot and the key distinction between surprise and coincidence. Bernhardt discusses how to enrich your story by layering three levels of conflict and, in the final chapter, analyzes the primary plot structures that have delighted readers since the first story was told. The audiobook also includes exercises designed to help writers apply these ideas to their own writing. William Bernhardt is the best-selling author of more than 30 books, including the blockbuster Ben Kincaid novels. Bernhardt is also one of the most sought-after writing instructors in the nation. He is the only person to have received the Southern Writers Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (U Penn) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (OSU), which is given “in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large.” The Red Sneaker Writing Center is dedicated to helping writers achieve their literary goals. What is a red sneaker writer? A committed writer seeking useful instruction and guidance rather than obfuscation and attitude. Red sneakers get the job done and so do red sneaker writers, by paying close attention to their art and craft, committing to hard work, and never quitting. Are you a red sneaker writer? If so, this audiobook is for you.
©2013 William Bernhardt Writing Programs (P)2014 Babylon Books
Court of Killers
Summary
The court of public opinion found her guilty. But one attorney resolved to change the verdict.... Attorney Daniel Pike knows the dire consequences of crossing the government. So when rising political star Camila Perez faces charges in a gruesome quadruple homicide, his instincts sense a frame by powerful rivals. But Dan and the Last Chance Lawyers may have a hopeless case when the police discover damning evidence scrawled at the crime scene in blood.... Sorting through incriminating clues in the horrifying murders, Dan pieces together a dark conspiracy. But just when it seems he might have a rebuttal, a social media leak sparks a nationwide outcry for conviction. Can Dan foil the vicious scheme before Perez and her career go up in flames? Court of Killers is a standout book in the gripping Daniel Pike legal thriller series. If you like intricately plotted suspense, gritty courtroom drama and surprising twists and turns, then you’ll love William Bernhardt’s captivating novel. Buy Court of Killers to watch a determined lawyer unmask a murderer today!
©2019 Babylon Books (P)2019 William Bernhardt Writing Programs
Rough Justice
Summary
This is a collection of three short stories involving lawyer Ben Kincaid and his friends and colleagues. “Yuletide Justice” In this short story, Ben Kincaid solves a Christmas mystery with his legal assistant, Christina McCall. Relations with Clyde Burris, the owner of the pawnshop next to Ben's law office, have always been frosty, but that doesn't stop Burris from asking Ben to investigate a Christmas Eve theft that turns out to have life-or-death ramifications. Ben soon realizes that solving the mystery is the least part of what needs to be done to set things right during the season of miracles. “What We’re Here For” In this short story, Ben Kincaid handles a personal injury trial for Tess Corrigan, a fashion model whose face has been horribly disfigured in a tragic accident. All Ben wants is justice, but a wealthy doctor and his powerful legal army conspire to block Ben's every move. When the legal system seems unable to deliver justice, Ben is forced to search for more creative ways to give Tess a brighter future. “After Hours” Mike Morelli, Ben's friend, former brother-in-law, and homicide detective, investigates a bizarre murder involving twisted relationships, confused identities, and the tangled webs of love. When the investigation reaches a dead end, Mike is forced to take drastic action to solve the mystery--and to unravel the knots in his personal life.
©2014 William Bernhardt Writing Programs (P)2014 Babylong Books
The Game Master
Summary
It's not whether you live or die, it's how you play the game.... While in Vegas for the American Poker Grand Slam, BB Thomas - the Game Master - is suddenly arrested by the FBI and taken to a top-secret laboratory. A scientist has been murdered in a bizarre manner, and BB's daughter has been kidnapped. Reluctantly joining forces with his ex-wife, BB plunges into a labyrinthine mystery incorporating the world's oldest and best-known games and taking them to Paris, Dubai, Pyongyang, and Alexandria. Pursued by a relentless FBI agent and an unknown assailant who wants him stopped at any cost, BB races to uncover an insidious plot involving secret societies, ancient cover-ups, and savage vengeance. Someone is playing a deadly game, and the object is the destruction of every government on the face of the earth, no matter how many people die in the process.
©2014 William Bernhardt (P)2020 William Bernhardt Writing Programs
Capitol Threat
Summary
When Oklahoma attorney Ben Kincaid came to Washington, D.C., to defend a senator caught in a red-hot sex scandal turned murder case, he never dreamed he'd end up trading the courtroom for the Senate chamber. After his not-so-distinguished client stepped down, Ben found himself appointed to complete the sullied senator's term. Now, having barely gotten his political sea legs, he must rise to yet another challenge: advising the president's next Supreme Court nominee during the sometimes thorny confirmation process. Luckily, Judge Thaddeus Roush's popularity on both sides of the aisle looks to make him a shoo-in - until he decides to out himself on national television, igniting a Beltway uproar and setting the stage for a bare-knuckle partisan brawl. Forced to scramble for spin control, Ben hastily calls a press conference for the now controversial candidate. But then, on live TV, a brutally murdered woman is discovered in the judge's backyard. For the political forces out to torpedo the nomination of a gay Supreme Court justice, the shocking turn of events is pure gold. But Team Kincaid isn't about to let the right man for the job get derailed. In Capitol Threat, William Bernhardt serves up a resounding one-two punch of political intrigue and legal suspense, peppered with a volley of his trademark plot twists, sly wit, and persistent thrills.
©2007 William Bernhardt (P)2007 Books on Tape
Justice Returns
Summary
Attorney Ben Kincaid is back with the most controversial case of his career. Ben’s former friend, Oscar Kirby, an Iraq war vet subjected by the CIA to "enhanced interrogation techniques", is the primary suspect when his "interrogator" is murdered. A dramatic trial unfolds in the courtroom - loaded with pitfalls, surprises, and a breathtaking betrayal. Something else, something very dangerous lurks on the perimeter of this case, and Ben must pull every trick he knows to uncover the truth - before it's too late.
©2017 William Bernhardt (P)2020 William Bernhardt
After Hours
Summary
In this short story, Mike Morrelli, Ben's friend, former brother-in-law, and homicide detective, investigates a horrible murder involving twisted relationships, mistaken identities, and the tangled webs of love. When the investigation hits a dead end, Mike is forced to try a desperate gambit that might solve the mystery--and untie some knots in his personal life as well.
©2014 William Bernhardt (P)2017 William Bernhardt Writing Programs
Strip Search
Summary
Welcome to the world of Susan Pulaski, an unconventional and unusually subversive Las Vegas police behaviorist who's already been canned once and has never been needed more. In Sin City, someone is ritually murdering handpicked victims, each with dirty secrets in their pasts. The killer's gimmick: not only does he leave behind parts of the victims' bodies, he also writes obscure mathematical formulas in their blood. Pulaski doesn't have a clue what the codes mean. But she knows someone who will. Darcy O'Bannon is a 26-year-old whose autistic savant skills are perfect for unraveling the thinking of Vegas' most savage serial killer, peering into a numerological mystery that stretches back hundreds of years. With her own life one spark away from going off the rails, her department turned against her, and the lives of those she cares most about in jeopardy, Pulaski hunts for dangerous prey in the shadow of the Strip - with herself as the perfect bait. The incomparable William Bernhardt brings to life America's most fascinating city and invites us to join one woman's fight to stay sane, stay alive, and keep a killer from making the most shocking score of all.
©2007 William Bernhardt (P)2007 Books on Tape
What Writers Need to Know: Essential Topics
Summary
What must a writer know to survive in the modern publishing world? Read on... In this audiobook, William Bernhardt tackles essential topics that, while smaller in scope, are nonetheless necessary to a contemporary author's survival. How do you create a memorable series character? Should you write in the first person? What does "show, don't tell" really mean? How do you add suspense? Bernhardt also discusses legal issues confronting writers and marketing concerns, such as the all-important book description for online sales pages. Bernhardt tackles these 11 topics in his usual direct, no-nonsense style, telling writers what they need to know without wasting their time. William Bernhardt is the best-selling author of more than 50 books, including the best-selling Daniel Pike novels. Bernhardt is also one of the most sought-after writing instructors in the nation. He has received the Southern Writers Gold Medal Award and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award, which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large. In 2019, he received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award. The Red Sneaker Writing Center provides a free e-newsletter, podcast, workshops, retreats, and an annual conference to help writers achieve their goals. What’s a red sneaker writer? A committed writer seeking useful instruction rather than obfuscation and attitude. Red sneakers get the job done and so do red sneaker writers, by paying close attention to their art and craft, committing to hard work, and never quitting. Are you a red sneaker writer? If so, this book is for you!
©2020 William Bernhardt (P)2020 William Bernhardt
Powerful Premise
Summary
Why do some books attract readers while others don't? What are the essential qualities of an irresistible read, a story people can't wait to start? And what's the secret to attracting a literary agent or publishing deal? The answer to all three questions is: Premise. A powerful premise is what separates ordinary novels from best sellers. William Bernhardt explains the essential elements of breakout books, stories that reel in readers and attract serious attention. He discusses all the essential elements: originality, high stakes, believability, inescapable conflict, emotional appeal, and others. Plus, in the final chapter, Bernhardt explains how to turn your powerful premise into a winning pitch to attract agents and editors.
©2015 William Bernhardt Writing Programs, Inc. (P)2015 Babylon Books
Yuletide Justice
Summary
In this short story, Ben Kincaid solves a Christmas mystery with his legal assistant, Christina McCall. Relations with Clyde Burris, the owner of the pawnshop next to Ben's law office, have always been frosty, but that doesn't stop Burris from asking Ben to investigate a Christmas Eve theft that turns out to have life-or-death ramifications. Ben soon realizes that solving the mystery is the least part of what needs to be done to set things right during the season of miracles. This story takes place between the events portrayed in Perfect Justice and Naked Justice.
©2014 William Bernhardt Writing Programs (P)2017 William Bernhardt Writing Programs
What We're Here For
Summary
In this short story, Ben Kincaid handles a personal injury trial for Tess Corrigan, a fashion model whose face has been horribly disfigured in a tragic accident. All Ben wants is justice, but a wealthy doctor and his powerful legal army conspire to block Ben's every move. When the legal system seems unable to deliver justice, Ben is forced to search for more creative ways to give Tess a brighter future. This story takes place between the events portrayed in Extreme Justice and Dark Justice.
©2014 William Bernhardt (P)2017 William Bernhardt Writing Programs
Capitol Murder
Summary
William Bernhardt's best-selling novels featuring Oklahoma defense attorney Ben Kincaid capture the bare-knuckles reality of high-stakes criminal defense, as lofty ideals of justice clash with power, corruption, and wealth. In Capitol Murder, Bernhardt's hard-charging hero takes on his most shocking, headline-making case yet. Kincaid's legal success has earned him a dubious reward: a journey through the looking glass into the Beltway. Here, in the heart of the nation's capital, a powerful U.S. Senator has been caught first in a sordid sex scandal, then in a case of murder. Senate aide Veronica Cooper was found in a secret Senate office beneath the Capitol building, on Senator Todd Glancy's favorite couch, blood pouring from the knife wound in her throat. The young woman's death comes on the heels of the release of a sordid videotape depicting her and Senator Glancy in compromising positions. With the senator's reputation in tatters, the evidence against him, as a sexual predator and possibly a killer, mounts. By the time a nationally televised murder trial begins, Kincaid and his team know they're facing the challenge of a lifetime. According to public opinion, and even in Kincaid's most private thoughts, Glancy is one more politician who cannot admit his own culpability. But while a dramatic trial unfolds in the courtroom, loaded with pitfalls, traps, and an astounding betrayal, another trial is taking place on the mean streets of D.C., as Kincaid's investigator pursues a young woman who was a friend of Veronica Cooper's, plunging Kincaid into a bizarre world of Goths, sadomasochists, and a community of self-proclaimed vampires. Somewhere in this violent underworld lies the secret behind Veronica Cooper's demise...and the crux of Senator Glancy's innocence or guilt. In a case that pits Kincaid and his freewheeling partner Christina McCall against the brutal machinery of Washington politics, the answers they seek are hidden in a murderous maze of lies and hidden motives. And in William Bernhardt’s best novel yet, getting to the truth is an unparalleled experience in pure, satisfying suspense.
©2006 William Bernhardt (P)2006 Books on Tape
Capitol Conspiracy
Summary
Oklahoma defense attorney Ben Kincaid has found himself smack in the middle of more than a few controversies and deadly predicaments - and the unexpected leap from his modest Tulsa law offices to Washington, D.C.’s Senate chamber hasn’t taken the edge off Ben’s knack for stepping into the line of fire. Now the idealistic junior senator is plunged into the thick of lethal intrigue when a shocking campaign of terror against key government officials rocks the nation’s capital. The nightmare begins with the abduction and murder of the director of Homeland Security; escalates with the killing of the Senate minority leader; and comes to a shattering climax at the site of the Oklahoma City Memorial, where a fusillade of sniper fire meant for the president claims unintended victims. In all, 12 people perish in the melee. But the smoke has barely cleared when the stunned nation is sent reeling yet again by the president’s impassioned call to amend the U.S. Constitution with an antiterrorism law that would drastically curtail civil liberties. It’s a hot-button issue, and the chief executive has handpicked Ben to help harvest the support that will make the amendment a reality. Shaken by the carnage, Ben embraces the president’s radical cause and takes the battle for the controversial bill to the Senate floor. But he can’t ignore his growing suspicion that what’s haunting Capitol Hill isn’t the specter of foreign terrorism but something much closer to home. Now, with his support team backing his play, Ben squares off against what could be the most dangerous Goliath he’s ever challenged.
©2008 William Bernhardt (P)2008 Books on Tape
Capitol Betrayal
Summary
William Bernhardt’s bestselling novels explore politics, power, ambition, crime, and the law. Now he scales new heights of suspense as, in one harrowing day, lawyer and former senator Ben Kincaid enters the eye of an international storm, a crisis with consequences beyond calculation. Kincaid is in a meeting with the president in the Oval Office when Washington suddenly explodes into chaos. Facing an imminent threat to the White House, Kincaid is whisked, along with the president and his advisors, to the underground PEOC - Presidential Emergency Operations Center - built to withstand a nuclear blast, but vulnerable to another kind of attack. Inside the bunker, defense specialists realize that a malevolent foreign dictator has hacked into the U.S. nuclear defense system and now has a finger on the trigger of America’s most dangerous weapons. The dictator’s message is clear: Heed his demands or suffer unfathomable destruction. Forced to make critical, split-second decisions, the president seems to be falling apart under the pressure. The vice president wants to strip him of his powers - a move that could have a disastrous impact on national defense. But even during this time of upheaval, in order for the president to be removed, there must be a trial. With the clock winding down, Kincaid has precious little time to defend the president. While Kincaid faces the trial of his life, legendary CIA agent Seamus McKay races through the clogged streets of Washington, searching for a hidden command center - guarded by murderous fanatics - that now controls U.S. ballistic missiles. Two sides of one unforgettable story, McKay and Kincaid home in on their targets. One uses a gun - and any weapon he can get his hands on; the other employs his intuition and the law.
©2010 William Bernhardt; 2010 Random House Audio