A retired Professor of Law who hasn't tried a real case in forty years teams up with a former student who's yet to trial a case at all, in order to clear both of their names… The Professor introduces Thomas Jackson McMurtrie, a longtime law professor at the University of Alabama, who, 40 years after giving up a promising career as a trial lawyer to teach law students at the request of his mentor, Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, retires to his farm an angry and bitter man, betrayed by both a Board member he mistook for a friend and his own failing health. Meanwhile, the young family of one of Tom's oldest friends is killed in a tragic collision with an 18-wheeler. Believing his career is over, Tom refers his friend to a brilliant, yet beleaguered, former student, Rick Drake, who begins to uncover that the truth behind the tragedy is buried in a tangled web of arson, bribery and greed. When a key witness is murdered on the eve of trial, the young attorney, in over his head and at the end of his rope, knows he needs help…and there's only one man who can help him. The Professor is the first in a series of tense legal thriller featuring the unusual and compelling legal team of McMurtie & Drake, combining the thrills and authenticity of a John Grisham novel for the audience that flocked to Friday Night Lights.

Law professor Thomas Jackson McMurtrie literally wrote the book on evidence in the state of Alabama. But when a power-hungry colleague uses a recent run-in between McMurtrie and headstrong student Rick Drake to end his career, he is left unsure what to do next.

Meanwhile, a devastating trucking accident in Henshaw, Alabama, leaves a young family dead. Drake, now a fledgling lawyer, takes the case against the freight carrier and soon begins to uncover the truth behind the tragedy that is buried in a tangled web of arson, bribery, and greed. On the eve of the trial and with his case unraveling in the midst of a dangerous cover-up that threatens to silence his star witnesses, Drake realizes that only his estranged mentor, Professor McMurtrie, can help him now.

With everything to lose and only justice to gain, will McMurtrie and Drake overcome bad blood to defeat a ruthless adversary? Can the Professor turn back the clock and recover all that he’s lost?

Revised edition: This edition of The Professor includes editorial revisions.

Review

“Taut, page-turning, and smart, The Professor is a legal thriller that will keep readers up late as the twists and turns keep coming. Set in Alabama, it also includes that state’s greatest icon, one Coach Bear Bryant. In fact, the Bear gets things going with the energy of an Alabama kickoff to Auburn. Robert Bailey knows his state and he knows his law. He also knows how to write characters that are real, sympathetic, and surprising. If he keeps writing novels this good, he’s got quite a literary career before him.” —Homer Hickam, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Rocket Boys and October Sky

“Gripping from the first page to the last.” —Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump

About the Author

Robert Bailey was born in Huntsville, Alabama. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Davidson College in North Carolina before going to law school at the University of Alabama, where he made Law Review. For the past thirteen years, Bailey has been a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville, where he lives with his wife and three children. The Professor is his first novel. For more information, please visit www.robertbaileybooks.com.