I was recently doing some new fiction orders for the library when I stumbled across a name that was unfamiliar to me: Mark Gimenez.

The cover of his newest title The Accused bears the following eye-catching quote attributed to The Times (UK): “The Next Grisham”. Like John Grisham, Gimenez is a former lawyer who has taken his career experience and turned to the world of writing. Although a native of Texas, his titles seem relatively unknown in North American markets, yet his website lists multiple bestsellers and heaps of praise from England, Scotland, South Africa and Australia.

Gimenez seems poised to break into the North American market in a big way. In the Accused, (released April 1) Texas lawyer Scott Fenney faces a case with high stakes – personally and professionally. His ex-wife is accused of murdering the man she left him for, and Fenney takes on her defense. The Accused is a sequel to Gimenez’s 2005 debut The Color of Law, which introduced Fenney as a young lawyer tasked with defending a prostitute accused of murdering the son of a well-to-do senator. A reviewer for Booklist magazine called that book “fast-paced and thought-provoking fare”, and an “authentically creepy debut novel …[with] moral backbone.”

Between the publication of his two Scott Fenney novel’s, Gimenez produced a stand alone thriller outside the legal genre: Abduction is the story of the kidnapping of a ten year old girl.
With smart characters and good dialogue – this is adrenaline fiction at its best.

Coming soon (2010) is The Common Lawyer, featuring Andy Prescott, an Austin, Texas lawyer who stumbles upon a client/ lawyer relationship that is just too good to be true.