There’s this little notebook Robert Bailey writes ideas into. A while back, he wrote down something like, billboard attorney in an out-of-their-wheelhouse type of case. He thought it might be interesting to explore “that type of law, that type of personality.”
The note bloomed into Bailey’s latest legal-thriller, “Rich Blood.” Out this week, the tome centers around Jason Rich, an ambulance-chaser who’s reeling personally and facing his biggest legal challenge yet.
“I wanted to do something with a character that had some flaws and skeletons in the closet,” Bailey says. “Somebody that was kind of a scoundrel, but by book’s end readers will want to root for.”
Cover art for Alabama author Robert Bailey's book "Rich Blood." (Courtesy Thomas & Mercer/Amazon Publishing)
“Rich Blood,” published by Thomas & Mercer, an Amazon Publishing imprint, is Bailey’s eighth book. His titles have amassed more than a million in total sales. That number’s particularly impressive since writing isn’t his day job. For nearly 20 years, Bailey has been a civil defense trial lawyer in Huntsville.
“So much of being a lawyer, especially trial lawyers, is storytelling,” Bailey says. “It’s just with the real facts instead of (in fiction-writing ) facts you make up, so there’s a lot of synergy between the two professions. That’s probably why so many lawyers end up becoming fiction writers.” Lawyers turned successful scribes include the likes of Meg Gardiner, Scott Turow and, most famously, John Grisham.
So far, Bailey’s 2014 debut “The Professor” is his biggest seller, with more than 250,000 copies sold. He might have a new personal bestseller though. Published Sept.1 and available earlier for Amazon First Reads subscribers, “Rich Blood” has already racked up more than 10,000 reviews.
Megha Parekh, a Thomas & Mercer senior editor who works with Bailey, attributes Bailey’s success to his skill as a writer and the broad appeal of his books. Based in Seattle, Parekh describes “Rich Blood” as “‘Better Call Saul’ meets Greg Iles,” referring to the hit TV crime series and prolific Mississippi novelist.
To Parekh, “Jason Rich is one of those rare characters who’s both flawed and captivating. I couldn’t stop reading as I followed him through the incredible twists and turns this story took.”
In the book, Rich’s advertising slogan is “IN AN ACCIDENT? GET RICH!” To avoid sleazy caricature - and make him someone readers will spend 379 pages with - Bailey put him against the ropes. Rich is recently divorced and out of rehab. He’s on a zero-tolerance standing with the Alabama State Bar Association.
Then, Rich’s sister is accused of murdering her husband. She asks Rich to represent her. With his life in a downward spiral, the case become a lifeline for him.
One problem. It will be his first jury trial ever. “He has settled a lot of cases,” Bailey explains. “He’s a successful lawyer, but he hasn’t really gotten in the courtroom a lot, which isn’t all that uncommon for a civil litigator.”
As a writer, Bailey draws the reader in quickly. His style’s lean with just the right flecks of specific detail and the pace doesn’t induce sleep.
There’s also a strong sense of place. “Rich Blood” is set mainly in the Lake Guntersville area of Alabama, where Rich grew up but has been away for a while. Bailey describes Lake Guntersville, which is a 40-minute or so drive from Huntsville, as “a natural wonder” emanating “beauty, mystery, romance and even a twinge of danger.”
Bailey’s previous books, including the McMurtrie and Drake and “Bocephus Haynes” legal-thriller series, are also set in The Southeast. Alabama and Tennessee specifically.
If you’re familiar with Guntersville, Tuscaloosa and Pulaski, there are Easter eggs in Bailey’s books for you. You’ve eaten at the same restaurant his characters do. “It’s a way to connect beyond the page,” Bailey says.
Still, many of Bailey’s readers aren’t from The South or have even been there. His books have been published in Japan and he has readers in Australia and elsewhere abroad. He thinks the appeal to those readers is a sense of escape. “They’re getting to visit someplace they’ve never been to before.”
Alabama author Robert Bailey is known for his legal-thrillers. (Courtesy Jimmy Bailey)
Bailey was 40 when he published his first book. It took him eight years of chipping away to finish “The Professor.” Lots of early morning writing sessions before work. That book’s storyline involved a law professor, former student, death, blackmail and even a cameo from legendary University of Alabama football coach “Bear” Bryant.
Bailey’s since streamlined his writing process. It took about four months for him to finish the first draft of “Rich Blood.” Bailey says he’s learned how to put a story “together faster in my mind, and get the story moving, while still developing the character.”
Thomas & Mercer is Amazon’s arm for thrillers, mysteries and true crime. Bailey got on their radar through literary agent Liza Fleissig, who’s known for having a good eye for thrillers.
“As an editor,” Parekh says via email, “part of what I’m looking for in a writer is not only the merits of their book, but also the potential of a long-term collaboration with Amazon Publishing. I saw endless potential in Bob. He imbues his novels with grit, emotion, perseverance and hope, and readers absolutely love them.”
Bailey, in turn, has seen writing potential in others. He encouraged longtime friend Bill Fowler, as Fowler was writing his own first novel. In 2020, Fowler, who by day works in real estate tech, published “Free and Clear,” a book inspired by his experiences as a local musician.
When the two Huntsville High grads would get together over beers, Fowler would ask Bailey for advice on everything from plot to publishing. But he learned just as much from watching Bailey’s work ethic. And not just the discipline to write every morning.
For “The Professor,” before Bailey had a publishing deal, Bailey would load up copies in his car and take them to indie booksellers to get them to carry the book. “A lot of writers just assume,” Fowler says, “you’re going to throw it out on the internet and the world is going to beat a path to your door. And it just doesn’t work that way. You’re swimming in the sea of people who are competing with you for shelf-space. Bob did tons of roadwork and built relationships.”
Legal-thriller fans are known for being loyal. Once they find an author or series they like, they lock-in for book after book. But Fowler says Bailey has more going on than just genre algorithms. “Bob comes up with great stories,” Fowler says. “He’s not trying to solve the world’s problems. He’s trying to give people a window into something compelling and meaningful.”
When authors start doing numbers, eventually Hollywood types who develop and greenlight TV and film projects take notice. While none of Bailey’s books have been adapted yet, he says, “We’ve been very close before, and I hope that eventually that’ll happen.”
Although legal-thrillers are his calling-card, Bailey’s most personal book falls outside that genre. In 2020, he published “The Golfer’s Carol,” a golf-themed fable with tones of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Field Of Dreams.”
Bailey played golf in high school and college. He shared a passion for the sport with his dad, who in 2016 was diagnosed with lung cancer. Around that same time, Bailey’s wife was diagnosed with lung cancer too.
His dad was given six months to live and made it to 10. A month after his dad died in 2017, Bailey’s wife had surgery to remove most of her right lung.
Before the cancer hit, Bailey and his dad planned a trip to all the home-courses of their heroes, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones. They only made it to one.
Bailey wrote “The Golfer’s Carol” under these intense circumstances. “The people who’ve read it,” Bailey says, “I get a lot of emails from folks who are going through things to say, ‘Hey, I just read your book, and I just want to thank you.’ And that just means a lot to me because that’s why I wrote it.”
Grisham, the juggernaut known for “A Time To Kill,” “The Firm” and “The Pelican Brief,” casts a long shadow over Southern legal-thriller authors. Bailey is no exception.
“I probably wouldn’t be a lawyer or a writer without his influence,” Bailey says, “because I love his books and the main characters in his stories.” Bailey’s later writing inspirations include Illes, S.A. Cosby and, recently, Thomas Perry. “As a writer, it’s important to read to get better, but also to read for fun,” Bailey says, “because that’s the whole reason you do it.”
“Rich Blood” is available in paperback ($12) and other formats via amazon.com. His local book tour stops include The Standard Social Market (6 p.m. Sept. 6) and South Huntsville Library (6 p.m. Sept. 27). More info at robertbaileybooks.com and facebook.com/RobertBaileyBooks.
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