WEBSITE OF JOHN BAE
Author
ABOUT JOHN BAE - AUTHOR
Background Story
Story telling is a large part of being a lawyer. After having practiced law for over 30 years, I imagined the stories I could tell by blending my work experiences with creative thought.
My first manuscripts were written on a Metro North train on my trips back and forth between New York City and Westchester. The novels that will be introduced on this page all found their beginning on a laptop while sitting on a crowded commuter car. Creativity can be found most anywhere so long as you choose to look.
If you find the time and desire to read one or more of my stories, I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I enjoyed telling them.
A Killer's
Devotion
Launch Date: March 13, 2024
REVIEW BY REEDSY DISCOVERY
A riveting legal thriller that moves at lightning speed. You may want to read the entire series.
The author effectively balances action, emotion and mystery. Those elements combined with multidimensional characters enthralled me as I anticipated the next chain of events. The depositions and courtroom drama are intense. At the point when the conclusion seems obvious, surprise elements, such as the revelation of a character's past, step it up by changing the course of the story.
Review by Reedsy Discovery, Gail Kaufman
REVIEW BY
AMERICAN WRITING AWARDS
In "A Killer's Devotion," Bae skillfully crafts a pulse-pounding legal thriller that ensures readers remain on the edge of their seats. Through a rich narrative punctuated with dialogue, the story unfolds with elements of death, intrigue, and conspiracy. The characters, especially Hope, Edward, Annie, Jackie, and the diabolical Ramsey, are intricately developed, keeping the reader's attention, and immersing them in a world fraught with danger, uncertainty, and shrewd tenacity. The interplay of good versus evil and morality versus justice between the protagonists and their adversaries propels the story forward with undeniable intensity.
Review by American Writing Awards
REVIEW BY INDEPENDENT BOOK REVIEW
A tense mashup of action-packed thriller and a nail-biting courtroom drama, it is a tale of dangerous obsession, the quest for bloody vengeance, and the lengths people will go to ensure their interpretation of justice is served.
"A Killer's Devotion" is a fast-paced legal thriller in which the characters engage in strategies and counterstrategies to ensure each other's downfall, and despite having all the complexity of a game of chess, theirs is a game with truly deadly consequence. A word of warning, though: it's not the last book in the series, which means the wait for the final installment is likely to be an anxious one.
Review by Independent Book Review, Erin Britton
A KILLER'S DEVOTION
2024
Despite all that was revealed about Ian Ramsey's crimes during the Hope Kane criminal trial, Ramsey is still walking the streets as a free man. Prosecutors are hesitant to indict a powerful man like Ian Ramsey, unless they are presented with irrefutable evidence that will guarantee a conviction. Until Ramsey is tried and convicted of his crimes, Hope and her friends, Edward Miller and Annie Sharpe, must live each day in fear of Ramsey taking revenge against them for derailing his scheme to frame Hope for the murder of her husband.
Even Ramsey’s most trusted henchman, Dom McGee, has to run for his life for refusing to shield Ramsey from federal prosecutors by taking the rap for Ramsey’s crimes. His devotion to Ian Ramsey isn’t enough to spend the rest of his life in prison.
In this sequel to A Killer’s Tears (book 2 of 3), Edward forms a new law firm with a surprising new partner to protect his friends from Ramsey’s attacks by resuscitating a prior lawsuit he had commenced against Ramsey for his crimes. He and his partner join forces with a mysterious woman, Jackie Sire, to dig into Ramsey’s world of crimes, only to uncover an unforeseen conspiracy filled with death and deception, and an unimaginably powerful man known as Odin who will do whatever is necessary to protect Ramsey.
Their winner-take-all fight against Ramsey and Odin unfolds in a federal courthouse, where the jury’s verdict unwittingly will determine the life and death of the litigants.
A KILLER'S TEARS
June 27, 2022
Tom Rose had waited eight long years to get to this point when he is about to be promoted to become a partner at Stern & Hobbs. At this critical juncture of his career, he is urged to represent Hope Kane, a pro bono client who is awaiting trial for the murder of her husband and daughter. Hope had been the topic of headline news just a year before, not only for her horrific crime, but also because she had refused to utter a single word from the moment of her arrest. Her identity is a complete mystery as there are no records of her existence. The evidence against Hope is damning, and no defense lawyer is willing to take on a highly publicized case that is sure to end in a conviction.
Tom has no intention of accepting this assignment, but everything changes when he meets her. Something about her drives him to want to find the truth about her role in the murders. Tom's investigation opens the door to an unimaginable world of deception and death. He has to risk his own life and the safety of others on his team to continue on his quest. The investigation and the trial where the true Hope Kane story will be told will determine the fate of many lives and define the reasons for his own existence.
REVIEW BY THE BOOK COMMENTARY
"John Bae’s A Killer's Tears melds the finest elements of mystery, crime, and legal thriller into a sensational tale that puts readers on the edge of their seats and has them racing through the pages."
"The revelations in this twisty tale are shocking and following Tom’s investigation until the exciting climax leaves readers spellbound. I love short chapters with well-crafted paragraphs, and Bae excels at them, using them to heighten the pace and the dramatic notes that are characteristic of this tale."
"The question: 'Did she really kill her husband and daughter?' is persistent and it drives the plot in directions that no one can imagine. A Killer's Tears is an accomplished novel that will appeal to a wide range of thriller fans, deftly plotted, balanced, and intensely propulsive. It grips the reader from the very first page and the grip only tightens as the story moves forward."
- Review by Christian Fernandez, The Book Commentary
REVIEW BY REEDSY DISCOVERY
“A fast-paced, page-turner with heart. This murder mystery, and hunt for truth, will keep you on the edge of your seat! A sure fire winner.”
“A breath-taking read at near break-neck speeds. Love, loss, and stalwart grief create a book of depth and characters you will be rooting for!”
“The author delivers poignant scenes, sentences worth quoting, and a cast of characters that although large never feels like too much. There are definite moments of brilliance the author should be proud of! I can confidently recommend A Killer's Tears to anyone that enjoys murder mysteries, legal thrillers, or a quick who done it akin to books written by James Patterson.”
Review by Jennie Louwes, Reedsy Discovery
THE PRICE OF THE VERDICT
Release Date: December 1, 2022
A thirty-minute on-camera interview of a researcher connecting the most popular anti-wrinkle cream in the market to autoimmune disease triggers an uncontrollable barrage of mass tort lawsuits against Pearl-Line, Inc., the nation’s premiere cosmetics company. Despite the absence of any credible evidence the cream causes this disease, the convincing accusations of the researcher drives juries throughout the United States to want to punish Pearl-Line. The best of the best products liability defense lawyers are not able to contain the litigation. The onslaught of adverse verdicts is about to bring the company to its knees.
As a last-ditch effort to save the company, Pearl-Line hires Jack Hatchet to come up with a solution to this impossible problem. Jack and his team embark on the only available strategy that would have any hope of stopping the litigation. Their quest to save the company thrusts them into an unimaginable world of betrayal and murder. The survival of Pearl-Line becomes inextricably tied to whether Jack and his team can withstand the attacks on their own lives, and whether Jack can return to the courtroom where everything started to expose the conspiracy.
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REVIEW BY THE BOOK COMMENTARY
"Fans of legal thrillers will gulp down The Price of the Verdict by John Bae, an intelligently plotted tale with characters that are rock-solid and elaborately imagined."
"The author writes at the top of the game and builds a tension that grows in intensity through every page."
"The story structure is ingeniously handled: readers are introduced to a crisis that quickly gets out of control and a protagonist who must match wits with powerful enemies in order to expose murder, betrayal, and a dangerous conspiracy."
"The stellar prose — unsentimental and exquisitely tuned — augments the beauty of John Bae's literary creation. You'll enjoy the vivid explosion, the erudite dialogue, and the intriguing characters in this suspenseful thriller."
- Review by Christian Fernandez, The Book Commentary
BIO
John began his legal career in 1989 in NYC at an international law firm. During the three plus decades he has practiced law, he's had the opportunity to work on some of the most complex and well-publicized cases in the United States. His work experience, together with the cast of characters he has encountered over the years make up the foundation of many of his stories.
John graduated from the State University of New York at Albany and the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at the Hofstra University, where he was inducted into the Inaugural Hall of Fame of the Law School in 2022. He has been selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyer each year since 2007, and is the recipient of The Burton Award for Legal Excellence.
In addition to creative writing, John has a strong interest in music and is a member of the classic rock cover band, ONL.
John lives with his family in Westchester, NY and Naples, FL.
MORE TO COME
A Killer's Devotion (Book 2 of 3, Sequel to "A Killer's Tears") 2024
