Legal thrillers that put the system on trial.
Grounded, high-stakes legal thrillers built on conspiracies that feel entirely plausible—where the rules, the courts, and the people behind them don’t always play fair.
Book Two in the David Mercer series is live. The sealed case gets bigger—and the system hits back harder.
A psychological legal thriller where walking away isn’t an option—and “random” tragedies start to feel engineered.
They didn’t kidnap her for ransom. They kidnapped her for a verdict—forcing a litigator to defend in a courtroom they built.
Another case is coming. Details will hit the Newsroom first—along with sneak peeks and launch notes.
A single sealed case. A nationwide conspiracy.
Case by case, David Mercer learns that the system he swore to serve was engineered to protect power, not people. Follow the trail from one suspicious client to the shadow network running beneath the courts.
Other courts. Different verdicts. Same stakes.
Standalone thrillers with judges, jurors, and attorneys one bad ruling away from losing everything. Start anywhere—each case stands on its own.
The Liberty Docket
A federal judge receives a desperate letter from a death-row inmate that cracks open a forgotten case— and suggests the real conspiracy has been hiding in his own courthouse all along.
The Juror’s Lie
Twelve jurors. One hidden agenda. And a woman willing to burn a trial to the ground to expose the truth about her sister’s murder.
The Pro Bono Client
A burned-out associate takes a pro bono defense she can’t drop—without consequences. Every attempt to walk away triggers a “random” tragedy… and her client seems to know her future.
Settlement Conference
They didn’t kidnap her for ransom. They kidnapped her for a verdict. A high-powered litigator wakes up inside a mock courtroom built by victims—and she’s forced to defend the machine.
News & updates
What’s happening now
Shadow Network is out now
Book Two in the David Mercer series is live. The conspiracy widens—and the courtroom chess gets sharper.
The Pro Bono Client releases Apr 21, 2026
A case you can’t withdraw from. A client who shouldn’t know what he knows. Release day is Apr 21, 2026.
Settlement Conference arrives Jun 23, 2026
A litigator is abducted into a courtroom built by victims. No ransom. No negotiation. Just a verdict. Arrival date: Jun 23, 2026.
The Juror’s Lie is out now
Twelve jurors. One hidden agenda. The jury box is packed with secrets—and the verdict isn’t clean.
Fiction that cross-examines the system.
This is the home base for Derek Fermin’s legal thrillers, including the David Mercer series and his standalone novels.
Derek Fermin
Derek Fermin writes high-stakes legal thrillers where justice isn’t just a verdict—it’s a battle.
A lifelong fan of crime fiction and courtroom drama, Derek brings a sharp eye for suspense and a knack for unraveling conspiracies that hit close to home.
When he’s not plotting legal showdowns, Derek’s likely hunting down true crime documentaries, building his next LEGO masterpiece, or connecting with readers who love their thrillers razor-sharp.