Lily Forrester Books In Order

Publication Order of Lily Forrester Books

Lily Forrester is the chief character of the Lily Forrester series of novels by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, the American author best known for the writing of mystery and thriller novels. The first novel of the Lily Forrester series was “Mitigating Circumstances” that was first published in 1992 to much critical acclaim. The first novel was so popular that Jonathan Demme, the award-winning author bought the film rights to the work in 1993. The first novel in the series was meant to be a standalone novel, and Rosenberg would not write another title in the series for eight years. In 2010, she wrote the second novel in the series “Buried Evidence”, which was followed in quick succession by two other novels in the still ongoing series. Rosenberg worked for the Dallas police Department, the New Mexico State office, and the Ventura Police Department as an Investigative Probation Officer. As such, she has all the experience necessary that makes it possible for her to write excellent investigative and crime fiction novels in the series. The lead character in the series is Lily Forrester, a strong willed woman climbing the ranks of the legal system while dealing with past demons in her life. With over a decade worth of experience in the legal system, Rosenberg writes the series from the judicial and enforcement perspective, and offers great insights into the workings of the system. The novels have fast paced action, dramatic and intense suspense, and authenticity inspired by the author’s years of experience in the legal system.

Lily Forrester the lead character in the novels starts out as an ADA recently appointed to head the Sex Crimes Division. With her appointment to the post, she is on the fast track to becoming a judge and over the course of the novels, she does make a judge putting her in an excellent position to pursue her goals of justice. However, while she makes great strides in her professional life, her private life is falling apart. She cannot get over the fact of her childhood abuse, the trauma of which only gets stronger when she watches her daughter being raped. She becomes something of a vigilante, and uses the legal system both as assistant district attorney and later judge to seek justice for herself, her daughter rand other persons in similar circumstances. However, it is not all doom and gloom, as she is involved in a relationship with a fellow ADA who joins her in her quest for justice. In the midst of all that happens in Lily’s life what keeps her grounded is Shana her quirky thirteen year old who she would do anything to protect and seek justice for. Given her love, determination, and drive for vengeance, she is not beyond going outside of the law and she uses everything in her power in her quest. She starts out seeking revenge by legal means as the ADA before she spirals out of control adopting a vigilante stance against her adversaries. Spiraling out of control, she becomes a judge but that will not stop her from diving into investigations to protect those that cannot protect themselves.

The Lily Forrester series is a story of a woman living in a sexless marriage for the sake of her daughter who finds escape in her job. Writing about the struggles of women, the novels follow the life of Lily who experiences resentment from her husband and sexism at work. Although she gets her much deserved token, it is watered down by the fact that she gets it much as a token rather than as a reward for her ambition, abilities, and drive. The lead character is assaulted because they desire and enjoy adulterous sex and are ready to leave abusive relationships. Through Lily, the vulnerability of women is put into focus as she becomes more vulnerable to abuse once she decides to leave her husband. She only does find redemption by getting into a relationship with another man, taking up her role as a protective mother, foregoing her ambitions, and being proactive in seeking justice for herself, and her daughter. The men are painted as predatory monsters that do not care about the feelings of their partners, even when they undergo traumatic events such as rape. All of these aspects are perpetrated by a dysfunctional and cynical legal system that is very inefficient. Through all of it, Lily Forrester is the embodiment of resistance to the corrupt legal system through her actions to seek justice outside of it.

“Mitigating Circumstances” the first novel in the Lily Forrester series of novels is a brutal and unflinching novel dealing with psychologically and ethically insoluble issues. Lily Forrester the California ADA gets promotion to head the Sex Crimes Unit, which eventually leads to the breakdown of her marriage. Freed from her abusive husband she quickly climbs the ladder to become judge only for a man to break into her house and force her to watch while he rapes her daughter. She soon finds the address and picture of the man in a bunch of case files she was working on. She has the option of either avenging her child as a vigilante or taking the criminal to court for legal justice. The novel addresses the subtleties of a traumatic event that leaves the lead character in a tight spot. “Mitigating Circumstances” is a gripping novel that portrays the universal battle between vengeance outside the law, and following the inefficient or corrupt legal systems that may be in conformity with ones feelings, but highly inefficient in delivering justice.

“Buried Evidence”, the second novel in the series opens to Lily Forrester as the DA in Santa Barbara, California. She is separated from her husband John Forrester who has custody of their eighteen year old daughter. Forrester is in jail for vehicular manslaughter having killed a man while driving Shana’s car while drunk. John will not take it lying down and decides to blackmail Lily into paying his bail in exchange for him not making her secret public. Six years past, Lily had pursued and shot the wrong man who she believed had been responsible for the rape of her daughter Shana. The real culprit is now getting parole and is once again on the trail of Shana and Lily. By chance, Lily meets with Richard Fowler a former flame who offers to represent her in her case. The novel addresses issues of conscience as Lily had shot a man that was not responsible for the crime even as he was a serial killer. Does she have to be prosecuted for murdering the serial killer even as he was innocent of the crime in question?