Worse Than a Lie
- Judith D Collins
- Jan 17
- 3 min read
A Beau Lea Cooper Novel
By: Ben Crump
ISBN: 9780593875704
Publisher: Ballantine | Bantam
Publication Date: 02/17/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: TBR
In this gripping thriller, truth and justice are called into question when a Black man is gunned down in cold blood—the first novel in a riveting series from renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
“A sensationally good crime and legal thriller . . . This is exactly what a book should be.”—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of the Reacher series
It’s the night of November 4, 2008. America’s first Black president has just been elected. And fifty-three-year-old Hollis Montrose—a Black ex–police officer from the suburbs of Chicago—has become the latest victim of a brutal attack. As the result of a traffic stop gone wrong, Hollis is shot ten times in cold blood, by four white men who could have been his colleagues back in his police days.
Beau Lee Cooper was born serious, as if on an urgent mission with little time to waste. Raised in the tumultuous world of 1970s Texas, he always dreamed of becoming a lawyer and fighting for what’s right, ever since he was a little boy reading To Kill a Mockingbird. And now, ten years into running his own law firm with his best friend and partner in crime, Nelson “Nellie” Rivers, and his suave right-hand-man, Brent “Cape” Capers, he feels he’s finally making a difference. When Beau Lee learns about Hollis’s situation, he’s determined to help.
Miraculously, Hollis survives the encounter, but the Chicago police department has already spun the narrative in its favor, and Hollis is given a wrongful prison sentence with an unreasonable bail. What really happened that night the car was pulled over? Was it random or was Hollis targeted? Beau Lee knows he’s treading in dangerous waters, and finding evidence of the truth will be his biggest challenge yet, but with troubling powers at play, one innocent man’s life hangs in the balance.
Praise
“A sensationally good crime and legal thriller—and also a really important document . . . Half the time you’re breathless with suspense, and the other half breathless with fury. This is exactly what a book should be.”
—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of the Reacher series
“Legendary civil rights attorney Ben Crump’s debut novel Worse Than a Lie is a great, gritty legal thriller set in Chicago. It grabs you from beginning to end.”
—Don Cheadle, award-winning actor, director, and producer
“A legal thriller in the tradition of A Few Good Men, The Rainmaker, and The Lincoln Lawyer—but with a kind of flavor that audiences will love and that is uniquely Crump’s own.”
—Will Packer, New York Times bestselling author and award-winning Hollywood producer
“Worse than a Lie presents a new superhero lawyer that's different from anything the legal thriller genre has ever seen.”
—Sunny Hostin, New York Times bestselling author and award-winning television host of The View
“Be careful when you start reading Worse than a Lie, you won’t be able to put it down.”
—Sharon Stone, award-winning actress
“Every once in a while, a book like To Kill a Mockingbird is written and it inspires a generation of civil rights lawyers. Worse than a Lie is that book for this generation.”
—Representative Jasmine Crockett
About the Author
Attorney Ben Crump is listed amongst the Most Influential People of 2021 by TIME100, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, and is referred to as Black America’s Attorney General. Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Crump has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice. His legal acumen has ensured that those marginalized in American society are protected by their nation’s contract with its constituency. He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law. WEBSITE
