Katherine’s debut novel, Judge’s Waltz, is available now at Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, N.C., and at This ‘n That in Oxford, N.C. Read her recent release Burning Up the Highway with Betty Jo now in Issue 17 of Sky Island Journal. 

Debut Novel

Judge's Waltz

Burnette’s debut legal suspense novel is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, N.C.

 
 
 
Federal Judge Patrick O’Shea is found swinging from his courtroom chandelier clad only in his robe. Everyone wanted him dead. FBI task force officer Katie O’Connor and her team work with the FBI and others to untangle the ever-growing lists of suspects including his estranged wife and judicial colleague. Small town attorney and former federal law clerk, Buck Davis, helps the court by identifying vengeful litigants and overseeing the law clerks during the turbulent time. Davis juggles his small town law practice with his budding romance with Katie, and rebuilding his relationship with his opioid addicted brother. 

  • "In The Judge's Waltz, author Katherine Burnette reinvents the notion of the Hanging Judge with a twist and a vengeance, taking readers on a rollicking mystery ride through a small-town South as achingly familiar as Maycomb or Mayberry, one where the ancient monsters have left the woods and taken up residence in the corridors of power.  Sweet, funny and surprising."

    —David Payne, author of Barefoot to Avalon and Ruin Creek
  • I have been a fan of Burnette's poetry and short stories, so I was eager to read JUDGE'S WALTZ.  After reading her debut novel, I have to say, John Grisham, watch out! Burnette's legal suspense is one of the best to come along in a long time. Burnette deftly depicts life in a small North Carolina town and its courthouse. Her richly drawn characters deliver a page-turning story of intrigue, betrayal, abandonment, and redemption. From a federal court judge to the bachelor lawyer's faithful dog, the characters and story hooked me.  I could not wait to turn the page and see what happened next. 

    —Allegra Jordan, Author of Amazon best-seller THE END OF INNOCENCE
  • Katherine Burnette brings her own considerable experience as an attorney and former prosecutor to this poignant and compelling mystery. Judge’s Waltz is rich with the charm and grit of ailing small towns like Oxford, North Carolina, and abounds with unforgettable characters. In a word: unputdownable.
    —Naeem Murr, Author of The Perfect Man  
Order Your Copy on amazon
Order Your Copy at Barnes & Noble
Order Your Copy from target