The reviews are in!
Publishers Weekly is calling CLEVER FOX, the new novel that I helped Judge Jeanine Pirro write, “a wickedly good sequel” to our first collaboration that was published last summer.
Regular readers of this blog might recall that I write fiction for fun, as well as, my serious nonfiction books. My agent, David Vigliano , introduced me to Judge Pirro two years ago after the judge mentioned that she wanted to fictionalize some of the more fascinating cases that she had prosecuted as a young district attorney in Westchester County, New York during the 1970s.
I liked Judge Pirro from the moment we met. She’s a smart, sassy, wise-cracking judge and a tireless champion for underdogs. Along with Al Pirro, her political savvy adviser, we created a fictional heroine named Dani Fox, a crime fighting D.A. loosely patterned after Jeanine.
In our first novel, SLY FOX, prosecutor Fox went after abusive husbands and a father who had sexually abused his daughter and murdered his wife. The novel got sensational reviews and Judge Jeanine did a fabulous job publicizing it. 
In CLEVER FOX, we have expanded Dani Fox’s world by having her investigate a series of Mafia related murders.
SLY FOX and CLEVER FOX are not ghostwritten books where a FOX TV News celebrity simply attaches their name to a novel written by a professional. Jeanine poured over every word and because she was so involved, readers get an accurate portrait of what she experienced as a young prosecutor.
Launching a new fictional series is an uphill battle because it takes time to develop a loyal readership. It helps that Judge Jeanine has a great reputation as a legal expert and a weekly Fox television show called Justice With Jeanine shown on Saturday nights.
We’d love to write a third Dani Fox novel but that will only happen if sales are good. If you are looking for a great beach read or an engaging novel to curl up with late at night, get a copy of CLEVER FOX. It’s a fun read that will not disappoint, but you don’t have to take my word on it. Publishers Weekly agrees.
CLEVER FOX by Judge Jeanine Pirro, published July 2nd. A review by Publishers Weekly.
Pirro’s wickedly good sequel to 2012’s Sly Fox, which introduced feisty A.D.A. Dani Fox, highlights the political jockeying and rampant sexism of the Westchester County, N.Y., police department in 1980. When the tortured and mutilated body of Isabella Ricci is found in an uninhabited apartment, the case appears open and shut to Fox and her wisecracking but supportive partner, Det. Tommy O’Brien. Ricci was the daughter of a major Mafia family, and a senior member of a rival family was identified entering and leaving the apartment at the time of her death. But what about Ricci’s bitterly estranged husband? And who is the young man who was so relentlessly and aggressively stalking Ricci? Fox must also cope with bitter departmental rivalries and with total hostility between the local police and the FBI. An adroit plot, memorable characters, and some romantic twists make for satisfying reading.
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