Book Review - The Trial by Rob Rinder

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Title: The Trial

Author: Rob Rinder

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 22nd June 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

An unputdownable murder mystery by Britain's best-loved criminal barrister Rob Rinder.

ONE MURDER. ONE IMPOSSIBLE CASE. WHO IS GUILTY?

When hero policeman Grant Cliveden dies from a poisoning in the Old Bailey, it threatens to shake the country to its core.

The evidence points to one man. Jimmy Knight has been convicted of multiple offences before and defending him will be no easy task. Not least because this is trainee barrister Adam Green's first case.

But it will quickly become clear that Jimmy Knight is not the only person in Cliveden's past with an axe to grind.

The only thing that's certain is that this is a trial which will push Adam - and the justice system itself - to the limit .

Well they say write you know, so it makes complete sense that Rob Rinder's debut novel is set in the world of law and features a huge courtroom trial that had me gripped. 

I was enthralled by the big trial at the centre of this story, and certainly didn't anticipate how things would work out.  

It was a fascinating story, from the point of view of Adam, who is trying to pass his pupillage at his chambers and become a fully fledged barrister. There is a long hard look at just what justice is, and I loved Adam's determination and his journey. 

I wasn't so keen on his pupil master Jonathan, who was a bit of a nightmare, and certainly not who I would want representing me in court (should I ever need a barrister). 

Digging into the case and learning all about all the key players, in preparation for the trial and then seeing how the trial played out, was thrilling. I also enjoyed hearing about some of Adam's other cases, one of two of which made me laugh, and some of which was also quite interesting. 

What also made me laugh and what gave some light relief on the whole from the main story were the intermittent phone calls between Adam and his mother. His mother is a typical Jewish mother, wanting her son to date various local Jews, and constantly wondering if he was eating enough. The familiarity of the character really made me smile.  

I wasn't sure what to expect from this story, other than the blurb had caught my eye, and I'm over the moon that it did, for I felt this was a fabulous book, and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it.  I'm rather hoping this may not be the last we have seen of Adam, as I loved his passion. 

Thank you to Century and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.