It's only January but have an inkling this is going to be my favourite book of the year. Engaging, beautifully written with very well drawn characters. The plot has been carefully thought through and has plenty of twists, and the link between the case and Adam Green's past is a stroke of genius. The thought and knowledge behind this book is obvious, could have made this a bit heavy going but instead it is woven through each page bringing an honesty to the book which is so often lacking in this genre.
My sole doubt is whether Adam Green is going to knock Rumpole off the top spot as my favourite fictional barrister......can't wait for more!

I really enjoyed this trial novel but unfortunately didn't have the ending I would have liked. It is certainly informative about the justice system and I look forward to reading more by Robert Rinder and am hoping he keeps following Adam Greens career.

Found this to be a gripping first book by Mr Rinder
Plenty of twists and turns and who doesn't love a good courtroom drama
It also as a nice flow to it, making it an easy read with believable characters, plot and storyline

Can't wait for the 2nd book to meet Adam Green again
Hint Hint

Thank you netgalley, Rob Rinder and Random House

I had noticed that Judge Rinder was releasing a fiction book and wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t have high expectations as it seems like a lot of TV personalities are jumping on the bandwagon and writing a fiction book.
However, I was pleasantly surprised and found the book to be very readable.

The story centres around Adam Green, a young student barrister. Grant Cliveden, a well known policeman, drops dead in court just before he’s due to give evidence. Adam’s supervising barrister is made to take the case defending Jim Knight who’s suspected of Cliveden’s murder. Jonathan, the defence barrister, is not happy at having to defend Knight as he’s sure he’s guilty. It seems like too much effort to defend him properly. Adam isn’t convinced of Knight’s guilt and tries to persuade Jonathan. It transpires that Cliveden isn’t as squeaky clean as he portrayed.

I really warmed to Adam’s character and liked him a lot. The interactions with his mum were funny and brought some humour to the story. The book explores a past incident with Adam’s dad, which explains Adam’s determination to get justice for his clients.

The ending was fine but I did think there was a loose end in that the post mortem never revealed what Cliveden had choked on? I wasn’t sure what the point of Kavanagh was either. I wondered if he was a red herring as being involved in the poisoning?

Overall I enjoyed this book and Adam’s character definitely made the story. I’m not sure if there will be a series but I would read another book featuring Adam. I would recommend the book which is released in June 2023.

3.5 stars rounded to 3.

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for my advance copy.

I was a little nervous before I started The Trial. Sometimes a well-known personality writes an ill-advised work of fiction and it absolutely bombs. For every Richard Osman book flying off the shelves, there are lots of charity shops full to the brim of other writer's unloved novels.

Would Rob Rinder deliver? The answer is, wholeheartedly, yes! The Trial tells the story of a young student barrister, working all hours to try and get a permanent job. He is surrounded by fully qualified lawyers who help and hinder him as he takes on the biggest job of his life.

There are twists and turns aplenty in this book. I found myself guessing and second guessing throughout. One character irritated me beyond belief, in a good way.

Rinder has a great future in crime writing. This will be a smash hit!

Many thanks to Rob Rinder, NetGalley, and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this copy.

I raced through this book and enjoyed every gripping page. It's a great twisty, turny plot and I really empathised with our hero as he was determined to find out what had happened and not settle for the easy answers. Set in the Inns of Court and at the Old Bailey, it is clear that Rob Rinder is the master of his subject and his knowledge shines through but always as part of the story.
I hope there will be more in this series.

Crime fiction has never been at the top of my list but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Was a bit of a slow start initially and felt a bit too unnecessarily wordy but once in the swing of things it was a thoroughly good read!

If you miss BBC TV series Silk, this book is definitely for you!

This is a murder mystery through the lens of the legal system and follows Adam a pupil barrister.

I found myself gripped throughout, not just because there is a murder to unravel, but in the twists and turns of the justice system that have to be navigated.

The whole book is coddled in an air of authenticity, which makes this a really engaging read.

Everything is quite neatly tidied up by the end, even if it involves a little bit of luck, so I wonder if there’ll are any more tales to come out of Stag Court Chambers, I certainly hope so.

Wow, what a surprise this book was. I am familiar with Rob Rinder as a TV personality and knew he had been in the legal profession, but this book was an absolute delight. I found Adam to be a very engaging pupil barrister. I could relate to his worries and vonxerns regarding who to trust in the workplace, who his colleagues were supporting him and who only their own agendas The issues of corruption raised by the trial and the other client he was representing felt very much true of what we hear in today's media.
The book is well written and clearly has a deep understanding of both the legal profession and modern policing, and modern society. I highly recommend this book to all readers. Thank you for allowing me to review an advanced copy. I look forward to reading further books by Rob Rinder.

I'm aware of Rob Rinder, though I've never seen his TV show. He was likeable on Strictly Come Dancing, which gets a name check here. And I love a courtroom drama, so this book definitely appealed (no pun intended). Rinder can be assumed to know his way around a courtroom, so the legal background here has the ring of authenticity.

Grant Cliveden is a hero cop, having once saved the life of the Queen, and a minor TV celebrity. Everybody loves him, apparently, so when he suddenly drops dead in a courtroom, it's hard to understand why anyone would want to poison him. But Jimmy Knight, a man Cliveden once sent to prison, has been caught bang to rights, and pupil barrister Adam Green is given the unenviable task of defending this new public enemy number one, as part of his legal team.

Adam's convinced Jimmy might not be as guilty as he looks - unfortunately, not everyone agrees, including his own senior barrister.

The plot was good, and I didn't guess where it was going until late on - near the end, I did guess the twist regarding the involvement of a certain person. I enjoyed the range of major and minor characters, such as solicitor Nisha and Adam's fellow (rival) pupil Georgia - and, of course, Adam's mother, determined to fix him up with a nice Jewish girl. There's no significant romance in the book, though, aside from a couple of vague hints at possibilities.

I liked Adam, but didn't necessarily need the background about a tragedy in his own past which, while unrelated, gives him a particular passion for the case. I'm happy to believe that someone can have a passion for justice and fairness without having had a personal experience of the opposite.

This does feel like the beginning of a series featuring Adam Green and Stag Court Chambers, and I for one would be very happy to read more - it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

(Having read an advance copy in January (for which many thanks), I did wonder if Rinder had to do a spot of last minute editing in the light of the Queen's passing, as there are various references to the late and current monarch - not least changing all the QCs to KCs!)

I was expecting this book to be full of cliches, and very predictable, but I was pleasantly surprised, and read it in (almost) one sitting. It's well-written, with very believable characters (in my experience of barristers) and the story is both gripping and clever. I certainly didn't expect the ending. I will definitely be looking for more books by the author.

In some ways The Trial by Rob Rinder is a bleak look at the English legal system, by one who knows it from the inside. Clearly my single year of Jurisprudence at a Scottish university leaves me in no position to judge how accurate he is! However dispiriting the impression of how justice is meted, the novel itself is by no means dismal.

Adam is a pupil in a prestigious firm, hoping to be taken on permanently. His pupil master (forgive me if my legal terminology is wobbly) is little help and when a high-profile case is handed their way, Adam is daunted. I found it fascinating to watch the case unfold alongside Adam's life. And Rob Rinder's writing made it very inviting. In spite of my lack of background knowledge, I found myself enthralled and engrossed. And, for me, the lack of a neat ending made this a very satisfying read.

As soon as I saw Judge Rinder had a book out. I knew I immediately needed to read it. It did not disappoint. The cover made this look a cosy crime so I was a bit reluctant, but that couldn't be further from the truth. A great barrister and court room drama with some tricksy characters at the heart of it, that you cannot wait to get to the bottom of. Fast moving and interesting blend of characters to keep you on your toes.

I’ll be honest, I started this book and initially worried that it was going to be a flop and I hate leaving poor reviews. However, a few chapters in, I began to find that I was struggling to put it down. It’s an easy read, with likeable characters and a few villains and was perfect to curl up with over Christmas., with a sherry and a selection box.

MURDER AND DECEPTION IN THE OLD BAILEY.

Meet Adam Green. Misfit. Purveyor of justice. Barrister-in-training.

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 . . .

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you for the ARC, I was really excited to read this.
This famous name lives up to his name, I always worry about reading books from people in the public eye has it only been published cause said person is famous and book lacks bla bla …Am super glad to report this not the case here at all this a great novel that will be a winner for all not just Rinder fans.

Told purely in the 3rd POV from Adam, the main character, after the prologue, we follow this classic whodunit but in a new setting told with great wit and skill. The main plot keeps you guessing although I did work out some of it in part but the fresh setting, twists and background stories more than made for up for that. Adam as character is well developed he is a bit hapless but undeniably likeable you are rooting from him from the get go. The small chapters that are the phone calls between him and his mother add a great touch and develop his character to something more. Adam’s ongoing personal mystery was just as engaging as the main story and acted well as a side line plot and explained some of Adam’s more outrageous actions. Rinder can write people all the characters in the book were well written with quirk and heart .I hope this is the first in a series of books featuring Adam and his chambers. Rachael the court clerk made me howl.

There is really clever political and topical observations within the book while most flawless fit in some did appeared dropped in out nowhere and seemed forced, this was also the case with the celebrity name dropping that was the only time I remembered I was reading a book by a so called tv personality for me that was a fault in what a good novel. A good all rounder that kept me entertained and made me giggle . There was some wicked sly digs which if you have ever seen Rob on tv you will know are said with class but so cutting and funny, I loved that, the Botox chat was funny and interesting. As is the case with most whodunits there was underlaying touch of the queen of crime Agatha Christie within the plot I think she would have loved the use of Botox here. I loved the setting within old Bailey, the court chambers and the locations around London.

Great first outing here I highly recommend this for fans of Graham Norton, Richard Osman and Robert Thorogoid it’s a classic cosy crime with a fresh edge.

Amazing book.
Crime fiction is my new genre and I loved this book. it was gripping.
Hero cop Cliveden Is brutally poisoned whilst on the stand at the old Bailey. This is told by student barrister Adam who is working towards getting a regular position at the law firm he works for alongside the other pupil Georgie. The plot was great and I really was gripped until the end. The accused was warm and you could feel that Adam had faith in him. Brilliant brilliant book.
Another please
This arc was provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read quite alot of crime fiction but this book is a bit different to most. It is mainly a murder mystery, but instead of being a police procedural, it is told from the point of view of a pupil barrister.

Adam Green is a pupil barrister at a prestigious London chambers. He has two six month placements during which time he needs to impress the heirarchy in order to be offerred an ongoing tennancy at the chambers. During his 'second six' his mentor is requested as barrister to defend someone in a murder case. The barrister thinks the person is guilty and doesn't make much effort in his case, so it's up to Adam.

I loved this. It's reasonably fast paced. Good storyline and the author's knowledge of the legal system is clear. Adam is working on another big case alongside the one described above. They seem completely unconnected, but I did think they would come together somehow. I was slightly disappointed that the timeline skips a whole year towards the end. I thought there was an opportunity here to continue into a second book and possibly a series following Adam's career. It is not clear whether there is a plan for this or not, but the ending made be feel it is likely this is a stand alone novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rob Rinder won me over on Strictly Come Dancing and now he's written a fine courtroom drama thriller. It's a well-planned, cleverly written story about the dilemmas facing a barrister wannabe in terms of both cases and office politics. There are twists, surprises and a satisfying end.

Mr Rinder's debut novel gets 4 stars from me.

A hero police officer dies. Who is willing to defend the chief suspect in court,when it seems clear that the British public and media have already found him guilty?

The exciting and well told debut novel from Rob Rinder takes the reader on a journey through the good and bad of the criminal justice system to uncover how police officer Grant Cliveden ended up dead in the witness box. Rinder is a practising barrister, although perhaps more widely known for his TV appearances, and this gives a great authenticity to the story and its many twists and turns. It also, in a light touch way, highlights why it is important to defend those who many might already have decided are guilty.

I found the book a genuine page-turner and the tension built as the book progressed to its conclusion. Despite the full circumstances of the death slightly streching credulity, it was an enjoyable and satisfying read and a great debut novel.

An excellent read. Rob Rinder gives us a detailed insight into the court legal system in a most entertaining way with interesting and diverse characters. Adam is a pupil desperately trying to find his place in a fast paced, demanding workplace. He faces monumental challenges as he battles for justice and I defy any reader to guess the final outcome when all is revealed.