The Lawyer and the Laundered Millions
Write about a corporate lawyer who uncovers evidence that the multinational corporation he works for is laundering money through international banks under the guise of legal settlements. As he grapples with blackmail, his own legal ethics, and the safety of his family, he must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice to expose the truth.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Let the reader know something the hero doesn't.
- Cut every scene the moment the tension drops.
- Put a clock on it: the hero has until midnight.
Writing thriller books
Something terrible is coming. Can they stop it in time?
Where a mystery looks back at a crime, a thriller looks forward at a threat. The reader often knows more than the hero, and the tension comes from watching danger close in. Short chapters, high stakes and a ticking clock are the tools of the trade.
What readers expect
- A clear, escalating threat
- A hero under pressure
- Twists and reversals
- Pace: little time to breathe
A tip before you start
Put a clock on it. A deadline the reader can count down turns every scene into a race.
More Legal Thriller prompts
- The Judge's Secret SyndicateIn a city where crime rates are at an all-time low, a renowned judge is accused of being the leader of an underground crime syndicate. A…
- The Defender's USB DriveIn a city rife with political corruption, a public defender receives a USB drive anonymously, containing details of illegal activities by the city’s…
- The Lawyer's CEO TrapA young, ambitious lawyer lands their first major case, defending an influential CEO in a high-profile corporate espionage trial. However, as they…
- The Lawyer and Foreign SecretsWrite about a legal thriller where a lawyer specializing in international law is caught up in a case involving a foreign government's hidden agenda.…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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