Proxy Legal Thriller Series

Proxy Legal Thriller Series by Manning Wolf

Guest Post + Book & Author Info + a Giveaway!

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Proxy Legal Thriller Series by Manning Wolfe

DEAD BY PROXY

In this lawyer on the run action suspense, attorney Quinton Bell loses the trial of his career, and possibly his life.

Dead By Proxy takes you on a heart-pounding journey through the life of a criminal defense attorney, whose world is wiped out. When Quinton loses a career-defining case, he finds himself being hunted by the very client he tried to save. As Quinton navigates the treacherous path of survival, he is running from a powerful and relentless adversary who will stop at nothing to see him silenced. Finally landing in Houston, he hides in plain sight while re-inventing his new life as a trial lawyer. When he’s forced to take on a high-profile murder case, he exposes himself and those he loves to danger. With each passing moment, the noose tightens, and he must draw on every ounce of wit to outsmart those who still want him dead. Will Quinton Bell find a way out, or will he forever be a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse?

Praise for Dead By Proxy:

“A riveting read that expertly teams courtroom drama and legal maneuvering with imminent danger, spine-tingling suspense, a touch of romance, and non-stop action. Talk about an adrenaline rush!” ~ Reedsy “Manning Wolfe just put herself on my list of must-read authors!” ~ John Ellsworth

Book Details:
Genre: Thriller Published by: Starpath Books, LLC Publication Date: September 2023 Number of Pages: 275 Series: The Proxy Legal Thriller Series, Book 1 Book Links: Amazon | KindleUnlimited | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub

Read an excerpt of Dead By Proxy:

Byron was not jaded or trapped into being an attorney as many he knew were and he was not in it for the money, although that part was nice. And, he was not naive, as he was aware of severe injustices in the criminal justice system and felt improvement was needed. Byron continued to be on the playing field because he was one of the last true believers. The system was the best available right now and he actually trusted the outcome, most of the time.

Having deceased parents, one semi-estranged sibling in California, and no current plans to marry, Byron embraced the law as his mistress and his life. He simply loved it all. As most careers went, loving it meant he was devoted to it and good at it. He never glossed over a precedent or twisted a legal argument beyond its parameters. He was thrilled every time he set foot in a courtroom to do battle for his client, guilty or innocent.

Across the aisle, the prosecutor, Sebastian Roberts, relished this chance to incarcerate another criminal. Roberts moved his short spark-plug-of-a-body, decorated with a vest and bright paisley bow tie, around the courtroom as he laid out the federal government’s view of the case. He looked at Byron and his client, then back to the twelve chosen members of the jury.

Byron organized his thoughts, felt excitement tingle through his fingers and toes, and stood up at the defense table. In defending Killian Tyrone, Byron’s opening argument went something like this: “Your Honor and members of the jury. Today, I’d like to introduce you to my client, Killian Tyrone, the accused in this case. Now, I know what the prosecutor said about what he did, and that is probably swirling around in your brain right now, but I’d like for you to take a step back and listen to both sides of the story before you make a decision about my client’s behavior, guilt, or innocence. You also heard his inference about defense attorneys, that would be me.” He smiled and the jury laughed. “I’ll leave it to you to decide, but I have no intention of tricking you or trying to hide the ball.”

Byron pointed at his co-counsel, Michael, a shorter, younger version of himself, but with brown eyes. “My colleague, Michael Everett, and I will present Mr. Tyrone’s side of the case and, when we’re finished, I’m certain that you will find him not guilty.”

Byron smiled at the jury and took pride in the fact that when he won, he won fair and square, and he instilled these principles in his protégé, Michael. Byron encouraged Michael not to be blinded by the legal system, nor be immune to the tricks of the trade. Byron used the tools expertly, but he wanted to win with an equal playing field, or not at all, and the law allowed for plenty of ways to win. To Byron, what was the point if cheating was involved? That only proved he was the best cheater, not the best lawyer.

Guest Post by Manning Wolfe

There’s something irresistible about a character who vanishes without ever leaving.

Someone who erases themselves without the courtesy of a body. Not the dramatic disappearance, the staged death, the burning car, but the quieter trick. The one where a person simply steps sideways into another life and keeps walking. New name, habits, and heartbeat. Hiding not in shadows, but in plain sight.

Crime fiction has long been fascinated with this idea: that identity is less a fixed truth and more a story we tell, one that can be rewritten if you’re diabolical enough, or desperate enough. Consider The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Tom Ripley doesn’t just evade capture; he inhabits another man’s life so completely that the line between performance and reality dissolves. Patricia Highsmith understood that the real tension isn’t whether Ripley will be caught. It’s the price he’ll have to pay to continue pretending.

Or take The Bourne Identity, where the protagonist’s hidden life is not a choice but a mystery. Robert Ludlum’s character is the ultimate inversion of the trope: a man hiding in plain sight from himself. The danger comes not from forgetting, but from remembering.

In John Grisham’s The Partner, identity becomes both shield and trap. Patrick Lanigan disappears into a new life so convincingly that even those closest to him accept his death. But when he is brought back to face his actions, the law does what it does best. It forces the truth into the open, piece by piece. What looked like reinvention begins to feel more like a puzzle.

In Primal Fear, identity hides behind something even more dangerous than a false name. Its secret is protected by performance. The accused appears fragile, almost harmless, but as the courtroom peels back the layers, the question shifts from what happened to who this person really is. William Diehl’s answer reframes everything that came before it.

For a more vintage take, Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey offers a quieter, more psychological approach. A man is coached into impersonating the long-lost heir of a wealthy family, slipping into their lives with unsettling ease. The suspense doesn’t come from action, but from the slow tightening of doubt. How long can someone convincingly be who they are not? What makes “hiding in plain sight” so enduring in crime fiction is its proximity to real life.

We all perform versions of ourselves. Professional selves. Private selves. The person we are in a courtroom, or an office, or a crowded restaurant, is not always the same person we are alone. Most of the time, those differences are harmless. Necessary, even. But crime fiction asks a sharper question: What happens when the gap between those versions becomes a weapon?

When someone learns to live not just with a mask, but as the mask. The legal thriller, in particular, thrives on this tension, because the courtroom is where identity gets tested under pressure.

Witnesses testify to what they saw or heard. Lawyers construct narratives around who someone is supposed to be. Jurors are asked to decide not just what happened, but who the people involved truly are.

In my own Proxy Legal Thriller Series, that idea sits just beneath the surface. Quinton Bell is, by all outward appearances, a Houston criminal defense attorney working cases in and around Harris County. He has an office, team, and reputation that’s growing with each trial. To the world, he’s another lawyer navigating the system with flawed clients, imperfect evidence, and high stakes. But Quinton is also a man who has already disappeared once.

He lives in plain sight not as a disguise in the theatrical sense, but as a necessity. Every case he takes, every courtroom he steps into, carries the quiet risk that someone might look a little closer, ask one more question, or notice something that doesn’t quite add up.

And that tension, the constant balancing act between who he is and who he allows the world to see, shapes everything. Because when you’ve lived another life, you don’t just move on, you carry it with you.

That may be why stories about hidden identities resonate so deeply. They remind us that the truth is rarely clean. That people are layered, contradictory, capable of reinvention in ways both admirable and terrifying.

And that sometimes, the most compelling mystery isn’t who committed the crime, but who the person really is, and whether anyone will find out.

The Proxy Legal Thriller Series Author Manning Wolfe

Proxy Legal Thriller Series MANNING WOLFE, an award-winning author and attorney residing in Austin, Texas, writes cinematic-style, smart, fast-paced thrillers and crime fiction. Manning was recently featured on Oxygen TV’s: Accident, Suicide, or Murder. Manning’s legal thriller series features Austin attorney Merit Bridges, including Dollar Signs, Music Notes, Green Fees, Chinese Wall, and Killer Weed. Manning’s new Proxy Legal Thriller Series features Houston attorney Quinton Bell and includes: Dead By Proxy, Hunted By Proxy, and Alive By Proxy. Manning is co-author of Killer Set: Drop the Mic, and twelve additional Bullet Book Speed Reads. As a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Manning’s experience has given her a voyeur’s peek into some shady characters’ lives and a front-row seat to watch the good people who stand against them.

Catch Up With Manning Wolfe:

ManningWolfe.com Amazon Author Profile Goodreads – @manningwolfe BookBub – @ManningWolfe Instagram – @manningwolfe X – @ManningWolfe Facebook – @manning.wolfe YouTube – @starpathbooksllc1763 Pinterest – @manningwolfe BlueSky – @manningwolfe.bsky.social TikTok – @manningwolfe