Books by Gerard Shirar



When the Rules Don’t Apply
In this gripping legal thriller, boyhood friends are drawn together again as adults when the reckless behavior of one of them finds him accused of murder, and he asks the other to defend him. A principled lawyer must navigate a complex moral web of loyalty, justice, and truth.
When The Rules Don’t Apply is a winner of the 2024 International Impact Book Award for Crime Fiction, the 2019 Feather Quill Book Award for Adult Fiction category, and the 2019 Mystery & Mayhem Finalist CIBA Not-So Cozy Mysteries Finalist.
Gerard Shirar brings authenticity to this narrative with his background as a lawyer who practiced in the Boston area for many years.
" After Donny violates the army’s rules, he receives a dishonorable discharge and afterwards begins to work for Percy Dwyer, a notorious Boston crime boss - think Whitey Bulger. When Donny’s poor choices ultimately lead him to be charged with murder, he turns to his boyhood friend, Timmy, to defend him. Timmy is Initially reluctant to take on a murder case, but is cajoled into it by Donny. When evidence is discovered proving Donny’s guilt beyond a doubt, Timmy finds himself trapped between his obligation to a boyhood friendship, the morality of defending a murder and his oath to represent a client with fidelity. But what no one knows is that the case is about to take a surprising turn that will change everything."


