Notable works JAG Years active 1990– | Name Paul Levine Role Author | |
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Genre Teleplays and Legal thriller Notable awards John D. MacDonald Award for Excellence in Florida Fiction Movies Spider's Web, Aurora: Operation Intercept, Best of the Best, Deal of a Lifetime Education University of Miami School of Law, Pennsylvania State University Nominations Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, Macavity Awards for Best Mystery Novel Books Solomon vs Lord, The Deep Blue Alibi, Night vision, 9 scorpions, Kill All the Lawyers: A Solomon Similar People Phillip Rhee, Michael Gregory, Benjamin King, Sebastien Guy, Bruce Payne | ||
Behind the cover paul levine
Paul Levine (born January 9, 1948) is an American author of crime fiction, particularly legal thrillers. He has written two series, known generally by the names of the protagonists: Jake Lassiter and Solomon vs. Lord. His novels have been translated into 21 languages.
Contents
- Behind the cover paul levine
- Paul levine captivating prose
- Background
- Characters
- Books
- Other writings
- References
Paul levine captivating prose
Background
Born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Levine graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1969, where he was editor in chief of the newspaper The Daily Collegian. He received his J.D. from the University of Miami in 1973. A lawyer before becoming a writer, he was (among other positions) a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and a legal commentator on television.
Characters
One of his main characters was Jake Lassiter, an ex-Penn State linebacker and lawyer, who has appeared in 10 novels. Lassiter has been described by Booklist as “one of the most entertaining series characters in contemporary crime fiction” and by The Miami Herald as having “a lot more charisma than Perry Mason ever did.”
Arguing Miami lawyers Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord appeared in four books. The interaction between the law partners has been described by Bookreporter.com as “reminiscent of the very best of David and Maddie in Moonlighting.” The Chicago Sun-Times' review of Solomon vs. Lord declared: "Remarkably fresh and original with characters you can't help loving and sparkling dialog that echoes the Hepburn-Tracy screwball comedies."
Books
To Speak for the Dead was listed as one of the ten best mysteries of the year by the Los Angeles Times, which described Lassiter as “Travis McGee with a law degree.” A screen adaptation of the book – with the setting moved from Miami to New Orleans and re-titled "Jake Lassiter: Justice on the Bayou" – appeared as an NBC movie-of-the-week in 1995, produced by Stephen J. Cannell and starring Gerald McRaney as Lassiter.
Levine's novel, Illegal, featured Jimmy (Royal) Payne, a down-on-his-luck Los Angeles lawyer who is caught up in a human trafficking scheme. Calling the book a “riveting read,” Booklist noted: “The portrait of the dangers and predations that Latinos face crossing the border is chilling and rings with authenticity."
Other writings
Levine also wrote 9 Scorpions, a thriller set at the Supreme Court of the United States. (Published in 1998 by Simon & Schuster, the novel is still in print under the title "Impact").
Levine moved from Florida to Los Angeles in 1999 to accept an invitation from his friend, television producer and fellow Penn State alumnus Don Bellisario, to become a writer on the CBS military series JAG. He wrote 21 teleplays for the series, which aired from 1995 to 2005. Levine and Bellisario also co-created the 2002 CBS drama series First Monday, starring Joe Mantegna as a new U.S. Supreme Court justice and James Garner as the chief justice.