Judge Stone: A Novel

#1 New York Times Bestseller!

Academy Award winning actress Viola Davis and the world's #1 bestselling author James Patterson’s Judge Stone “delivers first-class courtroom drama, small-town excitement, and strong characters all wrapped in a moral dilemma. Tense, readable, and relevant.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

“Talk about a power combo! ... With Davis’s razor-sharp emotional insight and Patterson’s mastery of rocket-fuel pacing, this is the dream team to deliver an up-all-night read that will keep the group chat buzzing.” —Oprah Daily

“Wonderfully satisfying ... This legal thriller from [a] superstar duo ... demands attention from its opening pages and never lets go.” —Booklist, starred review

All rise... for Judge Stone.

The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities sacred: running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom. It's there she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South.

Criminally, it’s open-and-shut.

Ethically, there is no middle ground. Essentially, it’s a choice between life and death.

No judge can satisfy everyone. It would be dangerous to try. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves.

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including ‘The Idaho Four,’ ‘Walk in My Combat Boots,’ and ‘Filthy Rich.’ Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography ‘James Patterson by James Patterson.’ He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

"Twists abound... The Davis-Patterson collaboration delivers first-class courtroom drama, small-town excitement, and strong characters all wrapped in a moral dilemma. Tense, readable, and relevant.”―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Talk about a power combo! … With Davis’s razor-sharp emotional insight and Patterson’s mastery of rocket-fuel pacing, this is the dream team to deliver an up-all-night read that will keep the group chat buzzing.”―Oprah Daily

"Wonderfully satisfying … This legal thriller from [a] superstar duo … demands attention from its opening pages and never lets go.”―Booklist (starred review)

“A stunning, powerful and incendiary courtroom thriller. Impossible to put down.”―Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark

“Gripping, tense, heart-wrenching, timely and so, so important. I read it in one sitting. This is a story that everyone will be talking about in 2026, and I can’t wait to see it brought to life on screen.”―Ruth Mancini, bestselling author of The Woman on the Ledge

“Judge Stone is thrilling, compelling. Every character has a story.”―Andy Cohen, SiriusXM Radio