At 14 Hannah Rokeby found her Mother's old diary. She uncovers a secret about a man called Michael Dandridge.
In the present, Hannah is determined to join the Innocence Project in Virginia. She is hoping to join the legal team who will represent Michael for a crime committed and to make sure he never goes free.

I do like legal thrillers, but they have to grip me and flow quickly. This one started off fast and then lost some pace in the middle.

Although Hannah was not my favorite character I did admire her "grab and hold" side. She was so determined to uncover the truth. I also liked how she found a new set of friends and finally found her purpose.

I found that the ending really pulled this one across the finish line. It was full of twists and very satisfying.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this ARC.

The Murder Rule is the fourth novel by award-winning, best-selling Australian author, Dervla McTiernan. The audio version is narrated by Kate Orsini, Sophie Amoss and Michael Crouch. Law student Hannah Rokeby leaves her mother Laura in Orono, Maine and travels to Charlottesville, Virginia to study for a semester at UVA. She has a convincing cover story and manages to get herself a trial position with The Innocence Project. Professor Robert Parekh takes her on despite her fairly blatant attempt to blackmail him into it, but she will have to prove her dedication to the cause.

Parekh’s intimate team of three students is faced with an urgent case preparation: their latest client, Michael Dandridge, having served eleven years for the rape and murder of Sarah Fitzhugh in Yorktown is, due to certain technicalities, about to face trial once again. Within days, Hannah has manipulated the situation to her advantage, becoming one of Rob’s team.

What isn’t apparent to anyone on the team is that Hannah is not there to help prove Michael ’s innocence; rather, she wants to see him incarcerated for as long as possible, and to this end, sets about surreptitiously sabotaging their efforts; she knows something about Michael Dandridge that they don’t.

Laura Rokeby’s journal from 1994, the year she worked as a maid in a Seal Harbor Hotel, describes her summer love affair with a rich young man, an affair that ends with a shocking tragedy.

McTiernan’s first stand-alone novel has a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing right up to those jaw-dropping reveals. The felony murder laws and the inner workings of the Innocence Project add interest, and very little suspension of disbelief is required with this intriguing page-turner.

OMG how is this my first novel by this author and have I been missing out loads because I am kind of obsessed with this one!? Compulsive might just be an understatement in this scenario - I couldn’t put it down!

Hannah has managed to work her way on to The Innocence Project, on to one of the biggest cases going - the Dandridge case. The Innocence Project believe he has been wrongfully imprisoned for all these years, set up by crooked cops. But Hannah isn’t there to help free him - she has a lot to make him pay for…

So this is a bit of a dual narrative, moving between Hannah in the present day and her mum Laura’s diary entries from the 90s - which are the driving force behind what Hannah is up to. This is one of those where you think you know where everything is going and then BAM, you didn’t have a clue! It was so clever, and so utterly addictive that it will definitely be in my top crime novels of the year - honestly I just wish I could get to read it for the first time all over again!

It’s set in the US, and I also loved all the moral questions it raised about the justice system over there - not only was it one of those stories that has you hooked throughout, but it was also fascinating and shocking in equal measure! I realise I sound pretty hyped and that’s because I am - I haven’t been this hooked on a book in ages, gasping at all the twists and turns it took. Definitely recommend - another perfect holiday read to binge by the beach!

What a gem of a book and brilliantly narrated as well!! It is the first time I've listened to Kate Orsini, Sophie Amoss, and Michael Crouch and they did a stellar job!
I went in cold, not wanting to read anything about the book and I can honestly say I enjoyed every single minute of it! I binged it in 2 days and stayed up late to finish listening!
If you are a fan of courtroom thrillers with twisty plots this is definitely a book for you. It gives off vibes of Steve Cavanagh meets John Grisham. Eddie Flynn is 1 of the best con artist lawyer out there and I think Hannah can come in a close second. This has the potential of becoming a great series and I'm looking forward to more books by this talented author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.