Reading Order
Alex Hayes Legal Thrillers
Assistant District Attorney Alex Hayes has to turn an investigation into a case she can prove. The evidence, the people presenting it and her own history can all complicate that task. In these legal thrillers by L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase, courtroom pressure meets personal conflict, beginning with a murder prosecution that brings Alex up against a powerful defendant and an attorney she already knows.
For readers who enjoy prosecutors, courtroom contests, disputed evidence and the pressure that a difficult case puts on professional judgment.
Start Here
Begin the main novels with book one. Fractured Verdict introduces Alex through a murder prosecution; the shorter Trial By Fire offers an earlier-career story separately.
Reading Order
Start the main Alex Hayes sequence with Fractured Verdict. Trial By Fire is a prequel novella and appears separately below, so it does not change the novels' numbering.
- Fractured VerdictBy L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase
- 11th Hour WitnessBy L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase
- Buried TestimonyBy L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase
- The Bishop's RecusalBy L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase
- The Silent GavelBy L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase
- Improper InfluenceBy L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase
- Presumed Dead
Upcoming ยท Expected release February 2, 2027. Release date subject to change; check your chosen edition with the retailer.
Fractured Verdict is the recommended starting novel. Continue with 11th Hour Witness and then Buried Testimony. This route follows the main series numbers and keeps the opening courtroom cases in their established sequence.
Trial By Fire takes Alex back to the beginning of her prosecution career and a fraud case against defense attorney Michael Donovan. It is listed as a prequel, or book 0.5. You can choose that earlier-career introduction first, or return to it after meeting Alex in Fractured Verdict; it is not the third main novel. Buried Testimony holds that position.
After Buried Testimony, read The Bishop's Recusal, The Silent Gavel and Improper Influence. Lists that mix the prequel into a single publication-order column can shift the apparent count. In the main-novel sequence used here, Improper Influence is book six. Keep that distinction in mind when tracking the books you have read or choosing the next one.
Prequels & Shorter Stories
- Trial By FireBy L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase
Questions About Alex Hayes Legal Thrillers
Which Alex Hayes book should I read first?
Fractured Verdict is the starting point for the main novels. Trial By Fire is an earlier-career prequel novella for readers who want that additional introduction.
Is Trial By Fire book three?
No. Trial By Fire is the prequel novella, also listed as 0.5. Buried Testimony is the third main novel.
What number is Improper Influence?
Improper Influence is book six in the main Alex Hayes sequence.
Are Alex Hayes and Savannah Shadows the same series?
They are separate series written by L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase. Alex Hayes centers on prosecutor Alex; Savannah Shadows begins with attorney Claire Stevens in Echoes of Guilt.
Who writes the Alex Hayes Legal Thrillers?
L.T. Ryan and Laura Chase.