Florida State University’s College of Law is proud to spotlight the written work of rising 3L student David Glasser. Inspired by a trial Glasser observed, his firsthand legal insights shape his novel The Death of Justice and tell a gripping story of criminal law, skewed ethics, and wrongful convictions.
FSU Law Student Puts Justice on the Page with Debut Legal Thriller
For David Glasser, a rising 3L at Florida State University College of Law from Tampa, Florida, the pursuit of justice isn’t just a career goal—it’s a personal mission. His passion for criminal law began at a young age, with a trial experience he had during law school serving as the catalyst that led him to write The Death of Justice, a gripping legal thriller.
Glasser authored The Death of Justice during the first semester of his second year of law school. Crafted between classes, case prep, and countless late nights, and shaped by the practical insight gained through real-world legal work, Glasser turned his lifelong interest in the justice system and how it affects people’s lives into a project he hopes leaves a lasting impact.
In the following Q&A, Glasser discusses what led him to FSU Law, the case that inspired his book, the writing process, and how he hopes his work challenges readers to rethink how justice is pursued—and who gets to define it.
Q: Tell us about yourself and what led you to law school.
A: My name is David Glasser, and I’m a rising 3L at FSU Law. I also went to FSU for undergrad, initially majoring in risk management and insurance before switching to political science and economics. As for what led me to law school, it was a combination of things. Early on, I thought I might pursue a career in politics, but that interest shifted over time. What truly sparked my interest in criminal law was a personal experience when I was 14. A classmate was suddenly absent from school. Days later, I saw his face on the morning news at breakfast – he had been arrested for murder. It was shocking and unsettling. It made me confront, for the first time, the idea that people are going through the system every day. And the real-life power of the justice system—the fact that it can take away someone’s liberty, or even their life. So, having that personal connection to it was additional fuel for my interest and became the catalyst for my path into criminal law.
FSU has one of the strongest criminal law faculties in the state. I took Criminal Law with Professor Eisler in my first year—he’s philosophical, which really resonated with me. We talked not just about the law, but also ethics, philosophy, and justice. Those perspectives influenced the book.
Q: Can you give us a brief synopsis of The Death of Justice?
A: The book is about how the justice system can be used for two very different purposes. At its best, it’s about truth and justice. But it also has the potential to be misused—to prosecute and even convict the wrong person. The justice system is run by people, and people tell themselves stories about what they do and why. Those stories can lead to both positive and dangerous outcomes. I hope the book makes people—especially future lawyers—think deeply about that. I want it to resonate with law students, practicing attorneys, and readers who are simply interested in what happens when justice is misapplied.
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: I’ve always had a passion for writing and thought I’d write a book eventually—though I didn’t expect it to be about law. The inspiration came while clerking at a criminal defense firm. We had a case last summer that we took to trial, and the first quarter of the book draws heavily from that experience. The client was ultimately convicted, but the case raised a lot of questions for me about how courtroom dynamics—presentation of evidence, narrative structure—can influence outcomes more than the truth itself. I did a lot of preparation for that trial, and given the evidence, it was very difficult for me to see how that verdict could come out. But I realized that the way in which things are presented and the sort of choreography of the courtroom and of the way that evidence is gathered, or not gathered, that can really influence the outcome more than what's true and what's not. Tom Cruise says in A Few Good Men, “It doesn't matter what I believe, it matters what I can prove.”
Sometimes, you believe something, but you can't prove it. Other times, you may not necessarily believe something firmly, but you may be able to convince somebody of it, especially when it's an allegation they are viscerally appalled by – like the one at the start of the book. And so that was what initially inspired me.
Q: Why did you choose to set the book in the late 1970s and early 1980s?
A: Today’s world is so digitally connected—there’s DNA, surveillance footage, and cell phone records that are all part of the investigative process. Back then, none of that existed in the way it does now, which made it more believable for certain things in the book to unfold the way they do.
I chose that era because I understood it well enough to write about it authentically, and because the justice system operated very differently, relying more on personal credibility than on technology. In the cases at the heart of the book, there may have been exculpatory evidence that simply couldn’t be found or presented due to the limitations of the time. Without modern tools like DNA testing or digital records, key facts may have gone undiscovered, ultimately affecting the outcomes.
So, it was set in a decade that feels familiar enough to grasp how systems functioned, yet distant enough from the present to highlight how much we now rely on contemporary technologies to uncover and verify the truth.
Q: How did you balance law school with writing a book?
A: A combination of inspiration and realizing that I'm going to do this, I’m going to have to allocate my time efficiently. I wrote the first draft in about two months, between October and December. I was also in school and clerking part-time. It meant cutting out almost all social media and free time. But I was inspired—and that made it doable. I’d tried writing other big things before and couldn’t finish them. This time, I was motivated by something real. I was writing six to eight hours on weekends, and at night after classes and work. It took discipline, but the inspiration carried me through.
Q: Can you share more about the inspiration behind the book’s themes?
A: The inspiration goes back to a trial I observed while clerking one summer. It involved allegations that naturally provoke a strong emotional response—especially crimes involving children. That reaction is completely understandable, but it can also cloud judgment. People can become convinced of someone’s guilt even when the evidence doesn’t fully support it, and that dynamic really stayed with me.
While the book begins in that real-world space, the second half branches into fiction, including a storyline where the main character is framed for murder. I didn’t want to spend 300 pages retelling a single trial—I wanted to explore the broader consequences of what happens when the justice system is manipulated or weaponized.
Some of the early readers—my parents and their friends—have said, “Wow, this is heavy,” and it is. That’s intentional. The themes are difficult because they’re meant to challenge how we think about truth, fairness, and how emotion can shape perception in powerful ways.
Q: Tell us more about the book’s protagonist.
A: The main character, John Duggan, is a criminal defense attorney who graduated from FSU Law. He’s not a perfect hero—he’s flawed and a bit prideful, which I think makes him more realistic. He believes in justice and due process, but he also wrestles with the ethical grey areas of the work. His background was something that I had to develop from scratch. I drew a little inspiration from myself, from others I’ve observed, and from what it might have been like for someone practicing in that era. I wanted him to reflect the complexities of being a defense attorney—someone who believes in the system but also sees how easily it can break down.
Q: How has your experience at FSU Law shaped your journey?
A: It’s been a great experience. I’ve been able to balance school, work, and writing thanks to the opportunities and community here. I’ve made close friends, and it’s been rewarding to share this project with them. I feel that I made a lot of important connections here that will benefit my career going forward and continue to benefit me as I'm going through law school. While I didn’t discuss the book much while writing it, I’ve felt supported. I've really enjoyed being able to develop the connections I've made while I've been here, including with professors. I believe FSU is the number one school in the state when it comes to criminal law.
Q: What are your post-graduation plans?
A: Right now, I’m continuing my work at Pumphrey Law, the defense firm down the street. I’m doing everything short of arguing in court—trial prep, motion work, you name it. It’s been incredibly helpful in building my skills. I plan to start at the same firm after graduation. I’m also interested in appeals and civil asset forfeiture—that’s something I’d like to explore more. Beyond that, we’ll see. Maybe another book will come out of my future experiences. I’m just staying open to what inspires me.
The Death of Justice is now available on Amazon. Click here to order the book.