Judge Stone

A Novel

By: James Patterson, Viola Davis

Narrated by: Viola Davis

#1 New York Times Bestseller!

Read by Academy Award–winning actress Viola Davis.

“Davis is a force of nature, and her performance is riveting.” — Kirkus Reviews

Viola Davis and the world's #1 bestselling author James Patterson’s Judge Stone "delivers first-class courtroom drama, small-town excitement, and strong characters all wrapped in a moral dilemma. Tense, readable, and relevant.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

“Talk about a power combo! ... With Davis’s razor-sharp emotional insight and Patterson’s mastery of rocket-fuel pacing, this is the dream team to deliver an up-all-night read that will keep the group chat buzzing.” —Oprah Daily

“Wonderfully satisfying ... This legal thriller from [a] superstar duo ... demands attention from its opening pages and never lets go.” —Booklist, starred review

All rise... for Judge Stone.

The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities sacred: running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom. It's there she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South.

Criminally, it’s open-and-shut.

Ethically, there is no middle ground. Essentially, it’s a choice between life and death.

No judge can satisfy everyone. It would be dangerous to try. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves.

Critic reviews

"Twists abound... The Davis-Patterson collaboration delivers first-class courtroom drama, small-town excitement, and strong characters all wrapped in a moral dilemma. Tense, readable, and relevant.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Talk about a power combo! … With Davis’s razor-sharp emotional insight and Patterson’s mastery of rocket-fuel pacing, this is the dream team to deliver an up-all-night read that will keep the group chat buzzing.”—Oprah Daily

"Wonderfully satisfying … This legal thriller from [a] superstar duo … demands attention from its opening pages and never lets go.”—Booklist (starred review)

“A stunning, powerful and incendiary courtroom thriller. Impossible to put down.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark

“Gripping, tense, heart-wrenching, timely and so, so important. I read it in one sitting. This is a story that everyone will be talking about in 2026, and I can’t wait to see it brought to life on screen.”—Ruth Mancini, bestselling author of The Woman on the Ledge

“Judge Stone is thrilling, compelling. Every character has a story.”—Andy Cohen, SiriusXM Radio

Really engaging the whole way through!

Performance was so good by Viola. Recommended multiple times already to my friends and family.

Timely and inspirational

Compelling, thought-provoking, and relevant topic for what’s happening in America today. Written and performed with quality and excellence.

Viola Davis is a spellbinder! I thoroughly enjoyed her first book. Please give us more stories!

What a tough emotional story told so brilliantly—I couldn’t put it down! Please write more—because Viola Davis is a natural!

Excellent Book!

This was a good book from beginning to end and to top it off,it was narrated by Viola Davis. I highly recommend this book.

Fantastic!

The story and the performance were excellent. I couldn't put it down and actually stayed up all night to finish it. Highly recommend this legal thriller which is so relevant to today's current culture.