Debut author Gary Fields joins the Spotlight to chat about his historical thriller
Author Name: Gary Fields
Book Title: The Book of Judges
Book Genre: Thriller, historical fiction
Release Date: 2/24/26
Welcome, Gary! How would you describe The Book of Judges?
A young lawyer is thrust into a deadly search for an ancient secret—a quest that leads him across millennia.
What sparked the idea for this book?
I love modern-day thrillers that weave in historical fiction. Books like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Katherine Neville’s The Eight. After my wife finished a novel in this mixed genre, she looked over at me and said the four words we all need to hear from time to time from our significant other: “You could do this.” Three days later, relying on my background as a lawyer, I had a kernel of an idea. What if there was some powerful secret that judges across history discovered—a secret that could change our world for the better today?
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
I’ll answer the second question first. My modern-day thriller is interwoven with eight stories of historical fiction, stories that take place across the globe over the past two thousand years, each one involving a judge heroically seeking justice in a life and death human-rights trial. I based each story on actual laws that existed in different cultures, so yes, this required quite a bit of research.
I started this book twenty years ago. It took three years to finish the first draft (writing and researching mostly at night, when my wife, kids, and golden retriever were asleep—this was particularly challenging as I am a morning person). My early pre-readers were encouraging, but I knew the book (and my craft as a writer) required far more work. So I put it aside until recent years when I had more time. I wrote many more drafts, took some masterclasses, and found an amazing editor, Tanya Egan Gibson. Several years, and a few more drafts later, it finally felt ready.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
I love everything about writing. Conceiving a story idea (both for my main story and for each of the historical vignettes); getting deep into my characters’ heads (“being them” as I write); revising and revising to make every chapter, paragraph, and sentence more intriguing and smoother-paced for the reader.
The most challenging thing for me in crafting The Book of Judges, is the transition from the modern-day thriller into each of the historical stories. I want two somewhat contradictory things: first, something in the modern-day story my readers definitely want to go forward for, and second, a compelling, concise, tightly knit historical story, that will hold them on its own and have its own rewarding ending, while tying into the overall plot and sending my readers back to the modern-day story somewhat quenched but far from satiated.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read The Book of Judges?
Because it is an intelligent, fast-paced, uplifting portrayal of multiple acts of heroism in the face of daunting challenges. Some quotes from others:
“A masterful blend of modern-day thriller and historical fiction that rivets you from page one and never lets go.”
—Sheldon Siegel, New York Times bestselling author of Special Circumstances
“Fields delivers a twisty thriller with a delightfully unusual plot that takes readers from 11th-century Normandy and England to 13th-century Beijing and beyond.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Fans of which authors or books might gravitate toward your book?
Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, The Secret of Secrets), Katherine Neville (The Eight), and Geraldine Brooks (People of the Book).
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
An appreciation of the heroism necessary to take on the forces that conspire to crush human rights. And considering the possibility of an alternate theory of destiny.
What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
The most surprising aspect of all this arose in the research. Time and again, ideas that came into my head (from where, I have no clue) somehow found support in actual history, law, religion, and spiritual beliefs.
Any words of wisdom you would give to a new writer?
First and foremost, if you have an idea you believe in, go at it hard. Perfect it as best you can. Relish researching (if applicable) and revising. Once you’ve got a draft you feel pretty good about, put it aside for a week or two, then read it with fresh eyes. Make any necessary changes and, as best you can, catch any remaining typos. Try to find some other writers or friends and family willing to be pre-readers. They’ll help point out things like character flaws, plot holes, and unnecessary exposition that you may have missed. Once you’ve cleaned that up, consider hiring a professional editor. My editor was invaluable in taking me through the additional drafts my novel needed.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
I’m working on a sequel to The Book of Judges. It will be the second book in The Words Series, continuing the modern-day thriller two years later, with a new batch of historical vignettes woven into its seams.
What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?
Strangers in Time by David Baldacci. A sweet and moving story of a street-rat boy, a once-entitled girl, and a bookseller, surviving the horrors of The Blitz and its aftermath.
Where can readers find you?
My website is www.garyfields.com. There you’ll find more about The Book of Judges, news, my bio, more Q&A, and an opportunity to read an extended version of one of the historical stories from the book.
Thank you, Gary! The Book of Judges is out NOW.
The Book of Judges
After a beloved judge whose virus-infected laptop holds an ancient secret is murdered, young lawyer Joshua Sutton, doctoral candidate Samantha Bollinger, and tech wizard Mark embark on a deadly three-day quest for answers—a quest that leads them across millennia.
As Mark extracts clues from the computer, Josh and Sammi are chased around Florida by the hulking murderer and others who desperately want the laptop. Then Josh and Sammi realize they’ve both been haunted by dreams about historical judges: in Mongol-ruled China, Imperial Rome, Byzantium, post-Renaissance Venice, Henry VIII’s England, and Charlemagne’s Frankish kingdom, judges heroically seek justice in life-and-death cases that come to define human rights.
The trio must race to NYC to stop the murder of another judge, one who could potentially save humanity.
Author Bio:
Gary Fields earned his law degree from the University of Miami and his degree in mathematics/computer science from SUNY Albany. He has designed computer systems for Fortune 500 companies and built a law practice specializing in community associations. He’s written hundreds of songs, performed professionally as a solo acoustic artist, been a leader in civic activism in his community, and coached youth sports for 18 years. The Book of Judges is Gary’s first novel. He is currently working on a sequel. Gary and his wife, Debbie, now live in the Los Angeles area, close to the rest of their family.