William Bernhardt

Even the most unique and interesting characters will not engage readers if their journey - the plot - fails....

Attorney Daniel Pike knows the dire consequences of crossing the government. So when rising political star Camila Perez faces charges in a gruesome quadruple homicide, his instincts sense a frame by powerful rivals....

In this book, New York Times best-selling author William Bernhardt explains the elements that make stories work, using examples spanning from Gilgamesh to The Hunger Games....

Getting his client off death row could save his career...or make him the next victim. Daniel Pike would rather fight for justice than follow the rules....

A billion-dollar inheritance. A relative’s suspicious reappearance. Can Dan dig up the secrets of the past before he’s buried six feet under? Find out....

All fiction is character-driven, according to William Bernhardt, despite what you might have heard elsewhere....

This book guides writers through that process, explaining what's worth doing and when to do it....

Attorney Ben Kincaid is back with the most controversial case of his career. Ben’s former friend, Oscar Kirby, an Iraq war vet subjected by the CIA to "enhanced interrogation techniques", is the primary suspect when his "interrogator" is murdered....

The Grim Reaper is coming to the courtroom—where Daniel Pike and Ben Kincaid may face their final judgment.

Defense lawyer Daniel Pike believes he’s closer than ever to proving his late father was no murderer. But with key witnesses snuffed out and his archnemesis pulling all the strings to ensure no one talks, his frustration is about to boil over....

Dylan Taggart channels his demons through the keyboard. Knocked around by a father who believed weakness was failure, the best-selling suspense author grabs a measure of peace in his gorgeous girlfriend’s arms....

How do you create a fictional world that audiences will want to visit? How do you paint a picture that springs to life? William Bernhardt explains how to use description and setting to enhance your story without slowing the pace....

When Oklahoma attorney Ben Kincaid came to Washington, D.C., to defend a senator caught in a red-hot sex scandal turned murder case, he never dreamed he’d end up trading the courtroom for the Senate chamber. And after his not-so-distinguished client stepped down, Ben found himself appointed to...

When a priest with radical ideas and a parish council with traditional values lock horns over the beliefs they hold most sacred, there’s bound to be controversy—and consequences. But murder crosses the line between committing a sin and committing a crime, turning a battle over faith into a...

In this short story, Ben Kincaid solves a Christmas mystery with his legal assistant, Christina McCall....

Dynamic dialogue can turn an otherwise ordinary novel into a delightful read, but dull, uninspired dialogue will cause readers to lose interest and try something else....

William Bernhardt’s bestselling novels explore politics, power, ambition, crime, and the law. Now he scales new heights of suspense as, in one harrowing day, lawyer and former senator Ben Kincaid enters the eye of an international storm, a crisis with consequences beyond calculation. Kincaid...

If he loses this case, the consequence is death.... Ever since his father’s wrongful incarceration, defense lawyer Daniel Pike has defended the innocent at any cost. But he’s stunned when his archrival DA is found shot dead and brutally crucified....

When a scandalous divorce trial interferes with a ruthless killer, can one tough lawyer find the truth before she becomes the next victim? Kenzi Rivera is classy, compassionate, and ready to buck the status quo....

In this short story, Mike Morrelli, Ben's friend, former brother-in-law, and homicide detective, investigates a horrible murder involving twisted relationships, mistaken identities....