Brown Books Publishing Group Releases New Thriller by U. S. Judge Stacey Jernigan that Brings AI to the Crime-Solving Forefront

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stacey Jernigan has been a U.S. judge serving in Dallas, Texas, since 2006. Before that, she was a lawyer and partner at a large international law firm. Jernigan’s history as both a judge and a former lawyer lends an authentic voice to the legal process of solving a murder case in her new crime mystery, Mystic Spires Post-Mortem: A Cold-Case Legal Thriller (Brown Books Publishing Group; on sale this week). With a nod to Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, in this whodunit murder mystery, podcasters stir up lethal social media and influencer sensation amid societal true crime fervor.

“Mystic Spires Post-Mortem is a twisty, time-hopping legal thriller that reads like a prestige mini-series — smart, moody, and addictive. When a hotel heiress is found murdered, the investigation unspools across decades, slowly revealing a web of secrets, ambition, and betrayal. Chief Judge Stacey Jernigan crafts a sharp, propulsive story with vivid Dallas flavor, compelling legal drama, and characters who stay with you long after the last page.” —Amy Pease, Bestselling Author of Northwoods

“Part murder mystery, part legal thriller, and part social commentary, Jernigan’s Mystic Spires Post-Mortem is a truly unique take on the genre.” —Tamara Berry, Edgar-Award-Winning Author of Buried in a Good Book

In Mystic Spires Post-Mortem the sharp and resourceful judge Avery Lassiter is intent on getting to the bottom of an unsolved murder case at the Mystic Spires Hotel. When Lassiter hosts a Gigi Mesero–themed murder mystery dinner, each of her law clerks play the role of a murder suspect introducing evidence on themselves. Unable to come to a unanimous decision on the murderer, one of the clerks suggests asking a generative AI platform who it thinks murdered Gigi. This new lead inspires further research, reaching out to a few blogs and podcasts that previously covered the case. Overnight, a wave of media frenzy ensues. From social media attacks to leaked confidential information to a famed podcaster hunting down the new suspect for a livestreamed unsolicited interview — resulting in two more deaths — the case quickly spirals out of control. As the case comes to a head, readers, alongside Lassiter, must ask themselves in what ways AI and social media could be helping versus potentially harming the procedure of crime investigation.