Improper Influence
(2026)(The sixth book in the Alex Hayes Legal Thrillers series)
A novel by Laura Chase and L T Ryan
A black knight. A single phone number. And a deal that could burn the justice system to the ground.
Federal prosecutor Alex Hayes finally makes the call hidden inside the chess piece left for her at the end of the last case. The man on the other end claims he is the Black Knight, and he can give Alex the one thing she’s been chasing: intel on the entire criminal enterprise, all the way up to the King. He even hints that the story Alex was told about her mother’s disappearance is only half the truth.
But the information comes with a price.
Alex is about to be assigned a case, and she must throw it. If the jury returns Not Guilty, she gets everything. If they convict, the Black Knight walks away with the truth forever.
As if on cue, Alex is handed a ‘slam-dunk’ human trafficking prosecution: U.S. v. Harlan Ward. The evidence is overwhelming. The public wants blood. And throwing the case without exposing herself may be impossible.
Then Erin Mitchell returns to co-chair at Helen Banks’ request, and the pressure tightens from every angle.
Win the case and lose the only lead that could dismantle the King.
Lose the case and set a trafficker free.
This time, Alex isn’t just fighting for justice. She’s fighting for the truth… and the cost of it may be her soul.
Genre: Mystery
Federal prosecutor Alex Hayes finally makes the call hidden inside the chess piece left for her at the end of the last case. The man on the other end claims he is the Black Knight, and he can give Alex the one thing she’s been chasing: intel on the entire criminal enterprise, all the way up to the King. He even hints that the story Alex was told about her mother’s disappearance is only half the truth.
But the information comes with a price.
Alex is about to be assigned a case, and she must throw it. If the jury returns Not Guilty, she gets everything. If they convict, the Black Knight walks away with the truth forever.
As if on cue, Alex is handed a ‘slam-dunk’ human trafficking prosecution: U.S. v. Harlan Ward. The evidence is overwhelming. The public wants blood. And throwing the case without exposing herself may be impossible.
Then Erin Mitchell returns to co-chair at Helen Banks’ request, and the pressure tightens from every angle.
Win the case and lose the only lead that could dismantle the King.
Lose the case and set a trafficker free.
This time, Alex isn’t just fighting for justice. She’s fighting for the truth… and the cost of it may be her soul.
Genre: Mystery