James V. Irving was born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he majored in English and holds a law degree from the College of William and Mary. After completing his undergraduate studies at UVA, James spent two years employed as a private detective in Northern Virginia, where he investigated insurance claims and handled criminal investigations. In his early years as a lawyer, he practiced criminal law, which along with his investigative experience, informs this fictional account of Joth Proctor, an under-employed criminal defense lawyer. He lives in Arlington County with his wife and daughter.
Book Synopsis:
In Friend of the Court, the third book in the Joth Proctor Fixer series, business is slow for self-employed trial lawyer Joth Proctor. Burdened with guilt, and still in love with chief prosecutor Heather Burke, Joth is dragged into a shady divorce case with criminal undertones when he is hired to help a prominent member of the community avoid a blackmail sting. As the case progresses, Heather finds herself fighting to stave off personal and professional disaster. Joth teams up with recently reinstated private detective DP Tran to help her but finds that only gambler and career criminal Jimmie Flambeau has the tools required to solve the problem. Once again, the price of justice is high.