Vernon James, self-made millionaire, is in trouble - when he left his
hotel suite, the amenities included a dead blonde. Legal clerk Terry Flyte is one of the team who
have to try and defend him, ignoring the fact that VJ ruined Terry's Cambridge career twenty
years ago ...
This legal thriller was a
real page-turner from the word go. The
opening tells us what happened in the hotel suite - neatly ended by the reminder
that this is VJ's version. Then Terry
takes over the narration. He's a
likeable guy with a drink problem in his past, a lively, believable family and
his own memories of VJ - including, we discover, having helped give him an
alibi for the murder of the father VJ hated.
The details of how a legal case is put together, and the interplay
between client, barrister, junior and clerk was interesting, and, as Stone has
worked as a legal clerk, convincing - it's gone on my 'background research'
shelf. There were vivid descriptions of the London police stations and courthouses. Underpinning all this is a fast-moving,
twisty plot where Terry is constantly being drawn into trouble, and can never
tell who to trust. The final quarter of
the book is a tense courtroom scene, and here again it's fascinating looking at
judge, witnesses and jury from the lawyer's point of view.
A twists-and-turns legal
thriller, with interesting characters and authentic background. Highly recommended.
------
Reviewer:
Marsali Taylor


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