The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer

From Barnes & Noble

When Ben Addison, a young law clerk for a powerful Supreme Court justice, is tricked into revealing the confidential outcome of an upcoming court decision, his career -- and life -- may come to an abrupt, premature end.

From the Publisher

Landing a prestigious position as a Supreme Court clerk fresh out of Yale Law, Ben Addison is on the ultra-fast track to success—until he inadvertently shares a classified secret with the wrong listener. And now the anonymous blackmailer who made a killing with Ben's information is demanding more. Guilty of a criminal act, his golden future suddenly in jeopardy, Ben turns for help to his roommates—three close friends from childhood, each strategically placed near the seats of Washington power—and to his beautiful, whip-smart fellow clerk, Lisa Schulman.

But trust is a dangerous commodity in the nation's capital. And when lives, careers, and power are at stake, loyalties can shatter like glass . . . and betrayals can be lethal.

Publishers Weekly

The high price of ambition is explored in Meltzer's debut novel, a crafty legal thriller set in Washington, D.C. Ben Addison, a Yale Law School grad, is working as a clerk for a highly respected Supreme Court justice and being aggressively courted by a prestigious law firm. But this golden boy is brought down to earth when a wily con artist dupes him into revealing the confidential outcome of an upcoming Court decision involving millions of dollars. Terrified of ruining his career, Addison refuses to go to the authorities and admit his mistake. Instead, he enlists the aid of his co-clerk, Lisa, and of his conveniently well-placed D.C. housemates-Nathan, who works for the State Department; Eric, a reporter for the Washington Herald; and Ober, who clings to a menial job in a senator's office. Addison's friends also circumvent the law to help him, putting themselves at risk as lies, suspicions, accusations and betrayals threaten to tear the group apart. Addison is a difficult character to root for, not only because he is so willing to risk his friends' careers and lives to save his own, but because he seems too immature, petulant and self-absorbed. But Meltzer moves the story along at a crisp pace, spicing the action and legalese with lively banter and intriguing D.C. arcana. Meltzer's shadow-filled world will entertain most readers but it will rivet few; as Lisa says of some early threatening events: "This isn't The Firm." Major ad/promo; Literary Guild "Super Release"; author tour; audio rights to HarperAudio; foreign rights sold in the U.K., Germany, Japan, Israel and Finland; film rights to Fox 2000. (May) FYI: Meltzer, 26, wrote this novel while attending of Columbia Law School.

Library Journal

This debut novel, a legal thriller, is also the first in a trendy new imprint.

School Library Journal

YA--This story of friendship and betrayal is set in Washington, DC, where four young men who have grown up together become housemates, each with his first big job opportunity. One of them, Ben Addison, is a brand-new clerk for a Supreme Court justice. Ben and his co-clerk Lisa are two of the best and the brightest of the legal community, their intelligence only barely exceeding their egos. But early in the Court session, he is tricked into revealing the confidential outcome of an upcoming decision to a man posing as a former clerk, and one of the parties in the case uses the information to make millions. Ben is in danger of losing his job, his reputation, and any chance for a place on the ladder to legal fame and success. Desperate to find the man who tricked him, he enlists the help of Lisa and his housemates. When the elusive villain tries to blackmail Ben into revealing further Court decisions, the search becomes even more intense, and Ben realizes that one of his friends is leaking the group's plans to the blackmailer. The story builds to an action-packed and satisfying conclusion, but lives are shattered in the process and the fabric of friendship is torn apart. YAs will be confronted by issues of loyalty, integrity, and trust, and at the same time will learn much about the decision-making process of the Supreme Court.--Molly Connally, Kings Park Library, Fairfax County, VA

Kirkus Reviews

Loose lips sink careers in this barn-burning first novel about a Supreme Court clerk who runs his mouth to a disastrously ill-chosen confidant.

The Solicitor General is often called the Court's tenth justice, but don't tell that to the Court's 18 clerks, who are convinced the world revolves around them. So it's not surprising that Justice Mason Hollis's clerk Ben Addison, who knows the results of all the Court's decisions long before they're announced, mentions one of them to Rick Fagen, one of Hollis's old clerks. Alas, Rick is an imposter who never clerked for Hollis, but who's just wormed his way into Ben's confidence to get a tip that will allow him to make millions on the insider info. Worse, Rick seems to know everything about Ben's puny efforts to find out who he really is. Does he have an in with Ben's fellow-clerk Lisa Schulman? Or could he be getting the skinny from one of Ben's roommates—senatorial assistant William Oberman, State staffer Nathan Hollister, or Washington Herald reporter Eric Stroman—all of them childhood friends? Ben determines to nail Rick for his perfidy, but Rick simply responds by stepping up the pressure, demanding further tipoffs on sensitive cases and threatening to reveal Ben's involvement to the U.S. Marshals, who are already suspicious on account of a news story Eric filed on possible Court leaks. The more Rick's noose tightens, the more suspicious and shrill Ben grows about his old friends, whose fear of their bosses and parents and whose unfailingly juvenile dialogue ("Drop it" and "He's dead" are Ben's stock responses to every new threat) suggest the Washington branch of St. Elmo's Fire.

Meltzer spins a mean paranoid fantasy that'll have you turning pages in a frenzy to learn whether Ben and his equally strung-out buddies ever grow up.

Product Details

• Interviews & Essays

Interviews & Essays

On Wednesday, July 9, barnesandnoble.com welcomed Brad Meltzer, author of THE TENTH JUSTICE.

Brad Meltzer: Of course. Though I will also respond to "Shirley."

Brad Meltzer: It's so sickening it makes me want to vomit.

Brad Meltzer: It's the easiest thing to quit, but I'd be a fool if I ever did.

Brad Meltzer: The first novel I ever wrote, I wrote when I got out of college. All I got for it was 24 rejection letters.

Brad Meltzer: What I knew at the time... a tale of friendship set on a college campus.

Brad Meltzer: It's something everyone can relate to. We all have friends who are old friends, we have new friends we don't trust yet, and competitive friendships we don't like to admit are competitive. That will always be fascinating.

Brad Meltzer: Anyone who thinks friendship is not important is writing a two-dimensional character. On this planet, there is no one who doesn't think at least one friend is important.

Brad Meltzer: When I write, I NEVER read within the genre I write in. So during this book, I read a lot of science fictionAllen Moore's WATCHMAN and Gaiman's SANDMAN. Not reading other writers' stuff is the best way to keep my voice honest and true.

Brad Meltzer: About a year, 18 months. It was hard to tell because in that year I was in law school, got married, and took the bar exam.

Brad Meltzer: Few. I tried to write from 8-11 every night, but never on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, about 5 hours each.

Brad Meltzer: There is a point in every novel when you stop telling the characters what you want them to do and they start telling you what THEY want to do. That is when you know it is working.

Brad Meltzer: No one on the Supreme Court would talk to me. So I tracked down as many former clerks as I could. One of them told me, "This plot could happen." With that, I knew I was headed in the right direction.

Brad Meltzer: Not a chance -- unless she REALLY didn't like the book.

Brad Meltzer: She is the ONLY person who reads it as I write it. And it doesn't go out the door unless it gets past her BS meter.

Brad Meltzer: I'd say "Lisa" -- but I'd probably be lying. In many respects, the easy answer is true... I identified with every one of them. Tell MHanlon I do have a very strong feminine side! I know all about pantyhose!

Brad Meltzer: Everyone has been in a position where they wished they could take back what they just said. I probably did that about five minutes ago. So, of course, you could blow it at a second's notice.

Brad Meltzer: Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt -- let the backlash begin.

Brad Meltzer: With my first check, I paid off my college and law school loans. All we bought besides was a new couch and a new computer.

Brad Meltzer: Yes. But if you want to know what TENTH JUSTICE is about, read the book.

Brad Meltzer: Never saw it -- even though it was in front of my face. In college, I did all my essays, regardless of the course, in dialogue form. When I graduated college, I had so many student loans to pay off that I took a job at GAMES Magazine. My boss's offer was Stay here for a year... if you like it, continue... if you hate it, leave. The week I got to work, my boss got a call from an old friend named Bill Clinton. And Clinton said, "How about running my campaign for President?" My boss left. I was alone in Boston. I knew almost no one. I figured "I have a lot of free time. Everyone has one novel. I'll take my shot." I took my first paycheck and instead of paying loans, I bought a Mac. I pumped out an 800-page monster over a year. I threw out the first 300 pages and got an agent. We sent it out to publishers and got those 24 rejection letters. That novel is still sitting on my shelves... "Published by Kinko's."

Brad Meltzer: I don't see the need to clean my closet yet. I think you should put your best work out.

Brad Meltzer: I'm a movie freak. And I spend a lot of time with friends.

Brad Meltzer: My friends are smart. They certainly don't like me more.

Brad Meltzer: The worst part is all the noogies and purple nurples. As for practicing law... I'll do everything in my power not to.

Brad Meltzer: I went to law school because I thought it would be intellectually interesting. But I much favor my creative side -- which I get from writing.

Brad Meltzer: I will now annoy you. I've been working on it for awhile.

Brad Meltzer: It's a legal thriller, but I'm bound by contract not to talk about the plot. You know how those lawyers can be!

Brad Meltzer: Watching my wife open the book and read the dedication.

Brad Meltzer: Never.

Brad Meltzer: Too many lawyers.

Brad Meltzer: Good ideas are usually right in front of your face. You just have to know where your face is.

Brad Meltzer: Nope.

Brad Meltzer: E-mail fiend. But I surf rarely.

Brad Meltzer: Yes. That's what I use it for most.

Brad Meltzer: That's cute. And yes, SMDMDW, I agree... my picture is way too serious. And they airbrushed my birthmarks!

Brad Meltzer: Ask the director. (I'll play that one safe!)

Brad Meltzer: I enjoy it the most when I'm writing characters. If the characters are real, everything else takes care of itself.

Brad Meltzer: Zero.

Brad Meltzer: Depends on who pays for the date.

Brad Meltzer: As I said, I have a strong feminine side.

Brad Meltzer: Who says I haven't?

Brad Meltzer: Thanks. And thanks to everyone who has supported this book.