Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $10.99

Save $5.00 (31%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Todd M. Johnson
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Fatal Trust Kindle Edition

by Todd M. Johnson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 166 ratings
See all formats and editions
Riveting Legal Suspense from Lawyer Todd M. Johnson

Ian Wells is a young criminal defense attorney struggling to build a Minneapolis law practice he inherited from his father while caring for a mother with Alzheimer's. Nearly at the breaking point, everything changes for Ian when a new client offers a simple case: determine whether three men qualify for over nine million dollars of trust funds. To qualify, none can have been involved in criminal activity for the past twenty years. Ian's fee for a week's work: the unbelievable sum of two hundred thousand dollars.

Ian warily accepts the job--but is quickly dragged deep into a mystery linking the trust with a decades-old criminal enterprise and the greatest unsolved art theft in Minnesota history. As stolen money from the art theft surfaces, Ian finds himself the target of a criminal investigation by Brook Daniels, a prosecutor who is also his closest law school friend. He realizes too late that this simple investigation has spun out of control and now threatens his career, his future, and his life.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    354 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Bethany House Publishers
  5. Publication date
    August 1, 2017
  6. File size
    8466 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A Simple Job. An Unbelievable Payout. But in Risking It All On Blind Trust, He May Just Lose Everything . . .

Ian Wells is a young, ambitious Minneapolis attorney struggling to build up a law practice while caring for a mother with Alzheimer's. As the stress and bills mount, Ian is nearing the breaking point when everything changes with a single new case. All Ian must do, the client demands, is judge whether three men qualify for nine million dollars of trust funds soon to be paid out by determining whether they've been involved in any criminal activity for the past twenty years. Ian's fee for a week's work: the unfathomable sum of two hundred thousand dollars.

The job seems too good to be true, and Ian wants to turn the offer down, but his needs weigh more heavily. He warily accepts the job--but is quickly dragged deep into a mystery linking the trust money to an illegal enterprise dating back to Prohibition and the greatest unsolved crime in Minnesota history. Ian soon finds himself the target of a swiftly tightening criminal investigation--realizing too late that this so-called simple job has spun out of control and now threatens his career, his future, and his life.

"[A] tangled legal thriller. . . . Johnson reveals one surprising secret after another."--Publishers Weekly

"With its dizzyingly twisty, engrossing plot, Johnson's latest legal thriller is a perfect match for fans of John Grisham and Robert Whitlow."--Library Journal

"Money and murder from the state's largest art theft and deep family secrets add to the action and intrigue. Surprising plot twists keep the pages turning."--Christian Market

About the Author

Todd M. Johnson has practiced as an attorney for over 30 years, specializing as a trial lawyer. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, he has also taught for two years as an adjunct professor of international law and served as a U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong. He is the author of The Deposit Slip and lives outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and daughter. He can be found online at www.authortoddjohnson.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N298OJ4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers (August 1, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8466 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0764212354
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 166 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Todd M. Johnson

Todd M. Johnson

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Todd M. Johnson has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years. Todd's passion for writing blends well with his legal career and his novels are drawn closely from his personal experiences as a trial lawyer.

A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, Todd taught for two years as an adjunct professor of International Law and has served as a US diplomat in Hong Kong.

The Deposit Slip, Johnson's first novel, debuted in 2012. His second novel, Critical Reaction, was released in October 2013.

A third novel, Fatal Trust, is set in Todd's hometown of Minneapolis and released in early summer 2017.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
166 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars he is able to present a legal thriller without bogging down a good story with too many legal details
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
As with John Grisham, also a lawyer, the author, while expert in legal proceedings and the dynamics of how disputes are resolved in the legal system, he is able to present a legal thriller without bogging down a good story with too many legal details. And he does a superb job of creating sympathetic but fallible herores pitted against thoroughly unlikable villains. In this novel, the author expertly weaves together and simultaneously traces a number of plot lines. They all come together at the end ways that are satisfying but not entirely predictable. Kudos to the author for writing such a gripping legal thriller with realistic characters that compel the reader to root for the good guy on a gut level.
Helpful
 Report
Tom Robinson
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, Counselor
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
This read had more twists and turns than I would have thought possible, an quite a surprising wrap-up, too. Still, a very enjoyable read. Good job, Todd!
Helpful
 Report
richdob
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
Fatal Trust is the third book by Todd Johnson. I have read them all and each one leaves me even more impressed with the talent of this superb author. He writes from a vast reservoir of experience that enables him to develop story lines that are suspenseful and also believable. This book captured my attention from the very beginning and held it until the end.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great read. Todd M. Johnson is now one of my favorite authors. I have also read two of his other books and was not disappointed.
Helpful
 Report
Laundry Whispers
4.0 out of 5 stars This book really does flow well, has engage-able characters, and takes the reader on a pretty good roller coaster ride.
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017
I first came across this book in a monthly Bethany House email. I was distraught and torn because I literally want every single book in that monthly email. Seriously, it's almost impossible to chose. But I found my loophole. I prayerfully pick one and then request the remainders from NetGalley and cross my toes that I get approved for the whole kit and caboodle. Which, as you can tell because you are reading a review right now, that I was approved! The fact that this was a legal mystery/thriller was right up my alley. The fact that it was from a Christian publishing house was like free coffee. Just a disclaimer, while this book is from a Christian publishing house it is not necessarily a Christian book. Outside of a couple of verses from 'Amazing Grace' there were no other faith elements. However, it is a clean book with no language, sexual scenarios and lacked overt violence.

I was excited to dig into the story of Ian, and the backstory he uncovered with this mysterious trust. Let me get the not so positive things out of the way before I tell you why I actually really liked this book. There were entirely too many characters! OK, there probably really weren't but for someone who struggles with names (seriously, I'd probably never remember my name but for the fact I've had it way too many decades!) I was frequently confused. I came so close to grabbing a notebook to write all these people down so I could remember who was who and what they did both past and present. I almost felt like the intensity wasn't as intense as I had hoped but I'm starting to think that it's just me. Almost like I'm looking for something that was there but I didn't connect with it. That I will not hold aganist this amazing story.

This book, on the positive side, had all the good stuff I look for in a mystery and/or thriller. Characters that that drew me into their conflict, a mystery that I couldn't figure out (this one really did well) OK yes I did figure out a few things but not in a way that in any way detracted from the story but actually helped it. My gravy there was one (there were several all told) bombshell that actually took me by surprise. The rest were figured out with story flow the way they should have been. I LOVE a mystery that I haven't already picked only partway into the book. Johnson gave me that so... This book really does flow well, has engage-able characters, and takes the reader on a pretty good roller coaster ride.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Helpful
 Report
Terri
5.0 out of 5 stars Will purchase from this seller again
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
Book was in fantastic shape. Never would’ve know it was used.
Helpful
 Report
Daphne Self
3.0 out of 5 stars Told in Grisham Style
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017
This was a book that took me a while to read. Not because of layers upon layers of plots or because of the writing style, but it was more of an interest factor for me.

While I do like some legal thrillers, and this one does remind me quite a bit of a Grisham novel, there were technical issues that kept me from truly enjoying the novel. The flashbacks, told in memory format, were quite irritating. It would bog the story down. In my opinion, it could have been handled in a brief summary or through dialogue. But pages and pages of memory lane tended to become old and boring.

At one point of the book, a scene with a clerk was used to alert us to crisp, old money. Of course this wouldn't be a strange occurrence, but it seemed out of place. And even the following scene of the man spying on the clerk to gain the passwords. These scenes more thrown in and not developed. A portion to explain a why, which I think did matter.

The ploys used in the book were the same old routine used in other books and movies: set a file aside and forget it, narrowly missing running into a bad guy, bad cop-good cop routine, etc.

I think I was hoping for a fresher take on a legal thriller. While it may not have been the best story I read, it was an okay read and I'm sure there are many Grisham fans who would love to read this story.

***I was provided a copy from Bethany Publishers in exchange of an honest review***
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Bev Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2017
Verified Purchase
Loved it from start to finish.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report