The Mediator
Published on 12. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
351 pages
978-1-6625-3413-3 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
The Mediator"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
The Boomerang
"Breathtaking! A brilliant concept, brilliantly told. The Boomerang sets the standard for big, palm-sweating thrillers, with the added extra that it positively brims with that element often missing in such books: heart. Word of warning: Before you start, clear your calendar-I guarantee you won't want to stop until the very last page. Bravo!" -Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author and creator of Colter Shaw, from CBS's Tracker
"The stakes couldn't be higher in this compelling and character-rich political thriller. As much about the shocking secret truths buried deep in the annals of power as it is about fatherhood, friendship, and the things we'll do for the people we love most, The Boomerang is thought provoking, riveting, and action packed. Don't miss it." -Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10
"The Boomerang is much more than a fast-moving thriller with a unique premise. It is a powerful story of family and friendship that will touch the heart of anyone who has had a loved one with cancer." -Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of An Insignificant Case
Rich Justice
"Sturdy legal thrills for readers willing to go the distance with a flawed hero in an even more flawed world." -Kirkus Reviews
Rich Waters
"Small town, big story-Rich Waters works like magic as a mystery and a legal thriller, but what I loved best was Robert Bailey's attention to the details of character and place. I'd ride with Jason Rich to a courthouse anywhere!" -Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A compelling dive into the life of a lawyer out way past his depth." -Kirkus Reviews
Rich Blood
"Rich Blood is a deliciously clever legal thriller that keeps you turning pages fast and furious. Robert Bailey's latest is wildly entertaining." -Patricia Cornwell, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Well-drawn characters match the surprise-filled plot. Phillip Margolin fans will be enthralled." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The Wrong Side
"Bailey expertly ratchets up the suspense as the plot builds to a surprise punch ending. Readers will impatiently await the next in the series." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Social tensions redoubled by race intensify a workmanlike mystery." -Kirkus Reviews
Previous Praise for Robert Bailey
"The Professor is that rare combination of thrills, chills, and heart. Gripping from the first page to the last." -Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump
"Robert Bailey is a thriller writer to reckon with. His debut novel has a tight and twisty plot, vivid characters, and a pleasantly down-home sensibility that will remind some readers of adventures in Grisham-land. Luckily, Robert Bailey is an original, and his skill as a writer makes the Alabama setting all his own. The Professor marks the beginning of a very promising career." -Mark Childress, author of Georgia Bottoms and Crazy in Alabama
"Taut, page turning, and smart, The Professor is a legal thriller that will keep readers up late as the twists and turns keep coming. Set in Alabama, it also includes that state's greatest icon, one Coach Bear Bryant. In fact, the Bear gets things going with the energy of an Alabama kickoff to Auburn. Robert Bailey knows his state, and he knows his law. He also knows how to write characters that are real, sympathetic, and surprising. If he keeps writing novels this good, he's got quite a literary career before him." -Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys/October Sky, a New York Times #1 bestseller
"Bailey's solid second McMurtrie and Drake legal thriller (after 2014's The Professor)...provides enough twists and surprises to keep readers turning the pages." -Publishers Weekly
"A gripping legal suspense thriller of the first order, Between Black and White clearly displays author Robert Bailey's impressive talents as a novelist. An absorbing and riveting read from beginning to end." -Midwest Book Review
"Take a murder, a damaged woman, and a desperate daughter, and you have the recipe for The Last Trial, a complex and fast-paced legal thriller. Highly recommended." -D. P. Lyle, award-winning author
"The Final Reckoning is explosive and displays every element of a classic thriller: fast pacing, strong narrative, fear, misery, and transcendence. Bailey proves once more that he is a fine writer with an instinct for powerful white-knuckle narrative." -Southern Literary Review
"A stunning discovery, a triple twist, and dramatic courtroom scenes all make for a riveting, satisfying read in what might well be Bailey's best book to date...Legacy of Lies is a grand story with a morality-tale vibe, gripping and thrilling throughout. It showcases Bailey once more as a writer who knows how to keep the suspense high, the pacing fast, the narrative strong, the characters compellingly complex, and his plot full of white-knuckle tension and twists." -Southern Literary Review
"Inspiring...Sharp in its dialogue, real with its relationships, and fascinating in details of the game, The Golfer's Carol is that rarest of books-one you will read and keep for yourself while purchasing multiple copies for friends." -Andy Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of The Noticer and The Traveler's Gift
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Publishing group
Amazon Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 139 mm
Width: 215 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
360 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6625-3413-3 (9781662534133)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Robert Bailey is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Boomerang as well as the Jason Rich series (Rich Justice, Rich Waters, and Rich Blood), the Bocephus Haynes series (The Wrong Side and Legacy of Lies), and the award-winning McMurtrie and Drake legal thriller series (The Final Reckoning, The Last Trial, Between Black and White, and The Professor). He also wrote the inspirational novel The Golfer's Carol. The Mediator is his twelfth novel.
A retired attorney and registered mediator, Bailey lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with his wife, Dixie. They are the proud parents of three children, two dogs, and two cats. For more information, please visit the author's website at www.robertbaileybooks.com.
A retired attorney and registered mediator, Bailey lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with his wife, Dixie. They are the proud parents of three children, two dogs, and two cats. For more information, please visit the author's website at www.robertbaileybooks.com.