The Mediator

Max Ringo, Book 1

By: Robert Bailey

Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon

From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Rich Justice and The Boomerang comes a gripping thriller about a disgraced lawyer facing the legal battle of her life as she tries to redeem herself—and save her son.

Max Ringo was once a courtroom star at an elite law firm. Then a car accident left her addicted to painkillers, and her life dissolved into shambles. Now fresh out of rehab and making a comeback as a mediator, she gets her shot at redemption when she is appointed to handle a high-stakes divorce.

But as Max begins negotiations between the two notorious power players, the trap is already sprung. The husband kidnaps her teenage son, Nathan, and gives her a chilling ultimatum: settle the case on his terms…or the boy dies.

Over three relentless days, Max must resolve a cutthroat legal battle while pursuing a covert mission to rescue Nathan. She’ll risk everything—her career, her freedom, her life—to beat a ruthless adversary at his own game. Even when a shadowy syndicate enters the fray and bodies start to drop, only one thing matters. She must bring her son home, whatever the cost.

©2026 by Robert Bailey. (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Relentlessly suspenseful and full of heart, The Mediator is fresh, surprising, and packed with twists—and with fallible but gutsy characters to pull for. I couldn’t put it down.”—Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shadowheart

“Bailey delivers another winner. Relentless tension, razor-sharp legal maneuvering, and a protagonist whose determination burns through every page, this addictive thriller proves that a mother’s love is the deadliest weapon of all.”—Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series

“Max Ringo, disgraced lawyer turned mediator, is a heroine worth rooting for in this race-to-the-last-page thriller about a scheme driven by billionaire greed. But it’s Stephanie, whose quiet redemption as she takes back the reins on her life, that levels up this tale of two women pitted against forces conspiring to take them both down in different ways, bringing the story to its powerhouse conclusion and provoking cheers along the way.”—Jenny Milchman, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of the Arles Shepherd thrillers

Satch is back- Robert Bailey Fans!

Loved the intertwining of some of the other characters that were so interesting from previous books and seeing their character storylines continue.

Max

I loved everything about this book. It may be his best book yet!I could not put it down.

Very disappointed

The whole concept that her son could be missing g and her ex would never demand to speak to him during those three days is ridiculous

Not Bailey’s best.

Not a unique story. As a Bailey fan, disappointed in this book. The characters are not distinct. Very similar ti previous books.