Publication Date: April 28, 2026
Ivy Collins, a fourth-generation attorney, is the daughter her powerful father never wanted. After growing up chasing approval that never came, Ivy rebels by joining the practice of Lester “The Truth” Williams, a notorious criminal defense lawyer who once bested her dad in court. Ivy expects mentorship and mastery. Instead, she finds a burned-out cynic running a settlement mill where clients are pressured to plea bargain their cases because, as The Truth insists, “They’re all guilty anyway.”
Ivy plays along until she’s assigned to represent Sonia Cabrerra, a Guatemalan immigrant accused of unspeakable child abuse. The case seems open and shut with physical evidence and a devastating confession. However, Ivy uncovers some linguistic and cultural misunderstandings that could lead to a massive miscarriage of justice.
Up against a broken system, Ivy must decide how far she is willing to go to fight for a client when key evidence resides in dangerous, cartel-controlled regions of Guatemala and local witnesses live amidst the constant threat of deportation.
All Guilty Anyway asks whether, in a world built upon bargains and broken people, the truth still stands a chance.
Defense attorney Ivy Collins may not get the recognition she wants from her father, but she will do whatever it takes to learn the ropes.
Author Russell W. Johnson serves up a legal thriller featuring a bright young attorney and a case she refuses to let go in All Guilty Anyway.
Ivy pins her hopes on a jaded mentor who pushes her toward settlements instead of showing off the courtroom tricks that built his legendary standing.
Representing an immigrant mother in a horrific child abuse case initially appears to be more of a formality thanks to the overwhelming evidence. However, Ivy’s determination to do more than what is expected leads her down an unexpected path complicated by danger.
Communication and due process take on different meanings when applied to Sonia’s case. Ivy’s character, however, shines as a beacon of hope that the truth does still matter.
With fast-paced action and memorable characters, All Guilty Anyway delves into a young lawyer’s quest for justice.
Russell W. Johnson is a fiction writer and North Carolina attorney. His debut story, “Chung Ling Soo’s Greatest Trick,” was published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in January 2015 and won the Edgar Award’s Robert L. Fish Memorial prize for best short story by a new author. Since then he’s been published in a number of outlets and recently won the West Virginia Writers Association’s Pearl S. Buck Award, as well as first place for book length fiction.
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