First in the New York Times–bestselling series: Two district attorneys go up against a brilliant killer in this “exceptionally good” legal thriller (Publishers Weekly).

The plan was simple: When the manager carries the bags of money out of the supermarket, Mandeville Louis will be waiting with a shotgun. He’ll kill the manager, kill the guard, and cruise away. But when Louis’s driver shows up late, he’s forced to improvise—and the result is a disaster. He storms a liquor store, killing two and leaving a trail the cops have no trouble following. But even behind bars, Mandeville Louis won’t go down without a fight.

An expert in legal procedure, Louis has never met a loophole too small to shimmy through. He’s going to bob and weave his way into a plea bargain and back onto the streets—unless Butch Karp can stop him. A firebrand assistant district attorney who’s just been assigned to Homicide, he wants to make an example of Louis. With the help of the brilliant Marlene Ciampi, Karp intends to break Mandeville Louis—and strike a blow for justice.

Written by a legendary prosecuting attorney, No Lesser Plea is a perfect introduction to this saga of life in gritty 1970s New York.

No Lesser Plea is the 1st book in the Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

“Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi are the most interesting pair of characters in the suspense genre today.” —Chicago Tribune

“An attorney himself, Tanenbaum has infused this book with a strong collection of characters, a raunchy energy that crackles in the out-of-office lawyer talk and a basic sense of outrage at a system that is failing miserably.” —Publishers Weekly