Martin Clark, Jr. is a retired judge and an accomplished author of mystery thrillers. Originally from Virginia, he has often been compared to John Grisham and is known as the “thinking man’s John Grisham” or the “drinking man’s John Grisham.” Clark is a cum laude Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College and attended law school at the University of Virginia. In 1992, at the age of thirty-two, he became one of the youngest judges in the history of the Commonwealth when he was appointed to the bench in Patrick County, Virginia.
Clark’s novels have received significant acclaim from reviewers, fellow writers, and literary journals. Entertainment Weekly has called him “hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer,” and The New York Times has referred to him as the “thinking man’s John Grisham.” The Winston-Salem Journal declared that he has set “the new standard by which other works of legal fiction should be judged.” David Baldacci praised him as “a truly original writer.” His novels have made several bestselling lists and have won numerous awards, including the Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award in 2016 and 2009, the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award, and the Harry L Carrico Professionalism Award in 2018.
Clark’s farm, where he lives with his photographer wife Deana, is home to guinea fowl, chickens, cats, dogs, and three donkeys. Despite his numerous accolades and achievements, Clark remains a humble and grounded individual, dedicated to his community and his family. His work continues to captivate and engage readers, setting the bar high for legal fiction and thrillers alike.