When the flames finally died down, the questions had only just started. Invasive Legacy by Richard Malmed isn’t just a murder mystery—it’s a clever, cutting, and absolutely addictive legal thriller wrapped in estate law, family drama, and some sharp-as-hell humor. You think you’re stepping into a quiet case about a man who died grilling steaks in the woods, but before you know it, you’re tangled up in forged wills, backstabbing heirs, political favors, and one seriously shady death.
Richard Malmed gives us Peter Stern, a lawyer who was just looking for a routine estate case and got handed a flaming mess instead. When wealthy and eccentric Harry Horton dies under strange circumstances, everyone wants a piece of the estate—and no one wants to talk straight. But Peter, along with his fiery paralegal Carmen, starts digging. And the deeper they go, the more sinister it all looks.
“He may have been carried to the scene. He may have been administered something by needle. Like I say, may have.”
— Invasive Legacy, Autopsy and Body View, p.22
Secrets Hidden in Smoke
This book is packed. You’ve got a dead man charred to the bone, a missing will, family members with motives, and a legal team trying to figure out whether this was just a tragic grilling accident—or a cold-blooded murder. Harry Horton wasn’t just another guy with a cabin in the Poconos. He was obsessive, clean to a fault, and weirdly secretive. His death doesn’t add up. The house is spotless, the shoes are clean, and there’s a big chunk of insurance money sitting on the line.
Malmed spins a fast-paced narrative through interviews, bar gossip, shady deals, and forensic questions that don’t go away. Every chapter peels back a layer: a glamorous maybe-girlfriend who knows more than she says, a sister vacationing in Cuba who might be up to no good, and a will that somehow vanished into thin air—right when it mattered most. The deeper Peter and Carmen go, the more tangled the whole thing gets, until the real question becomes: how far will someone go to erase the past and rewrite the legacy?
It’s not just about solving the crime—it’s about watching the legal system try to dance around privilege, money, and family ties while a small team of lawyers tries to make sense of it all. The courtroom doesn’t save the day here—sharp thinking, persistence, and knowing when to trust your gut do.
Author of Sharp Legal Thrillers
Richard Malmed is a name worth remembering. With a background in law and a sharp eye for the flaws in people and systems, he crafts stories that are just as much about human behavior as they are about legal twists. He’s written several novels, but what stands out in Invasive Legacy is how tightly he pulls together wit, suspense, and real legal insight.
Malmed doesn’t write for the sake of drama—he builds plots that feel like they could happen in any firm, any courtroom, any family torn by secrets. And yet, he keeps it entertaining, laced with dry humor and a whole cast of characters that feel all too real. If you’ve ever worked in or around law, you’ll get it. If you haven’t—you’ll still love the ride.life. Goodrich writes with it—dirt on his boots, sun in his eyes, and a wild story always up his sleeve.
So here it is: Invasive Legacy is a must-read. The book invites you into a world where trust is fragile, motives are murky, and the truth is buried under layers of lies—just waiting to be found.
Invasive Legacy
Grab your copy and dive into a legacy that won’t go quietly.