An interesting read with lots of twists and turns in the plot.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I feel bereft after finishing this book! It was certainly unputdownable and extremely enjoyable.
All of the legal stuff was explained in an easy to understand manner.
I was rooting for the good guy who was a believable character.
I feel there is scope for a second Adam Green story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be engaging and informative. Well paced with authentic characters, the storyline flowed easily. I loved some of the acerbic comments that were artfully dropped in along the way!

What a smart, cleverly put together read. Rob Rinder is, whilst best known nowadays for his TV career, he's also had a hugely accomplished career as a criminal barrister, and that background is put to fantastic use here. A brilliant thriller that also explores what goes on behind the scenes of a trial - this is a fascinating thriller and I hope the start of a series

Hugely enjoyable book by tv judge Rob Rinder. Basing his novel in the courtroom environment that he knows, we meet pupil barrister Adam Green as he tries to forge his way in a cutthroat environment and defend an old lag charged with the murder of a well loved policeman.

Really well written with great characters and dialogue. Kept the interest throughout and the twist at the end was one I didn’t see coming. Hoping there will be more from him in a similar vein.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. I hope there are many more to come.
Adam is a pupil at Stag Court. His pupil master is Jonathan, and what a horrible man he is.
I loved getting an insight into what barristers do.
Adam works like a demon, trying to please Jonathan, who treats him like something he stepped in.
The trial is Jimmy Knight, who is accused of murdering DI Cliveden, who was an outstanding policeman.
There is nothing straightforward about the case, and Adam has other cases to work on too.
Plenty of drama and lots of twists this I'm sure will be a winner.
Thanks to Random House Uk for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book written by Rob Rinder by I loved it. I really enjoyed the way it was written and the suspense and characters kept me gripped all the way through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cornerstone for the opportunity to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

I struggled to stay invested in this. I found there wasn't anything that fully gripped me. While I did enjoy the book, I just wasn't wowed.
I think maybe if this had a mix of detective and barrister it may have worked better. Since Adam was trying to be a detective almost. While I understand why it was done the way it was. It was just missing a little something.
I'll still check out future books by Rinder.

As a Brit I appreciated the “in-house" references to popular TV presenters/programmes, newspapers and current affairs. I enjoyed the slight poking fun at the somewhat stuffy legal chambers procedures. The actual murder mystery storyline, which is the basis of the trial, is well written, exciting and compelling. You can genuinely feel Adam's frustration with the case, his colleagues, and the aftermath, as well as his personal past. The comic relief in the form of mum's matchmaking phone calls is brilliant. Absolutely enjoyable book.

With the attention to plot detail and a true understanding of life at the bar, this is an exceptionally flawless tale. I loved the protagonist, especially his relationship with his mother. Lovely intricate plot with a satisfying end. I truly hope there will be more.

Pupil Barrister Adam Green is about to work on the biggest case in the country.
Jimmy Knight is accused of murdering DI Grant Cliveden in the Old Baily. Jimmy claims he is innocent and has asked for Adam’s Pupil Master, Barrister Jonathan Taylor-Cameron, specifically.
Jonathan doesn’t want the case, he believes Jimmy is guilty and doesn’t stand a chance so he tells Adam that he will have to do all the work. Adam begins to look into who else could have wanted Cliveden dead and is stunned by what he discovers.
I usually read books where they story is told from the police or forensic side rather than the legal side. This is well written and what could have been a bit of a dry subject was brought to life in a very clever way that had you engrossed from the start.
You can tell it's written by someone who knows and understands the system and how hard it is to succeed in that world.
I really hope this is the first in a long line of books from Rob Rinder.

Thank you to the author, publishers Century and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Trainee barrister Adam Green has always felt like he has something to prove. He doesn’t come from the same background as the barristers he shares chambers with or who he meets in court. But, when he’s given an opportunity to work on a headline grabbing case, helping defend the man accused of murdering a beloved public servant, Adam knows this is his chance to prove that he deserves to be there. Only who would have guessed that his commitment to finding out the truth would out his law career at risk.

A decent legal thriller. The main characters are well written, and Adam is a worthy protagonist that it is easy to root for.

The author’s personal experience as a barrister shines through with the book feeling believably grounded in the reality of the courtroom world, without getting too bogged down with the technical detail.

It does however feel a little on the long side. A second parallel case gets a little but too much attention and felt like unnecessary padding just to make the point that Adam’s senior barrister partner cares more about money than defending a potentially innocent legal aid case. Pruning that plotline back, if not deleting it entirely, might have helped the pacing of the novel.

Still overall a worthwhile read. Not sure if it’s a standalone or the start of a series, but I would definitely make time for a return of Adam Green.

I'm just going to say it. I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, full of humour and, in Adam Green, with a protagonist who appears every bit as green as his moniker. But despite his lack of experience and that fact that the evidence seems to be stacked up against his client, there is a certain determination and conviction to Adam that makes hims a completely addictive character to spend time with and made this a really entertaining, and enlightening, read.

Adam is a pupil barrister assigned, with his pupil-master, Jonathan Taylor-Cameron, to defend a man accused of murdering one of the countries most celebrated and revered Police Officers. No-one has a clear up rate like Grant Cliveden and, having once saved the life of the Queen, his infamy ensure that this case hits all the headlines. By contrast the accused, Jimmy Knight, has a somewhat checkered past and, at least in the eyes of the police, all the reasons in the world for murdering Cliveden. But if life were that simple this would be a very short, and dull, book. Because Cliveden's life is far more complicated than first appears and with a career that long, there is surely more than one person with the means and motive to commit murder.

I really liked Adam. He has a complicated background himself and has had to fight for everything he has achieved. There is a reason he feels a kinship towards Jimmy Knight, something which the author explores throughout the course of the novel, drip feeding details into the story in just the right places. Adam is enthusiastic, if somewhat backward in coming forward compared to his colleagues. I liked his insecurity and how that, and his past, drove his determination to prove Knight innocent. He faces plenty of opposition in his quest to investigate, including from his own pupil-master, who would rather focus on clients who will keep in well paid and leading the lifestyle he loves. Whilst I hope there is no barrister quite so cynical or mercenary as Taylor-Cameron working in our justice system, I have no doubt that he has been fashioned from more than the odd character the author has met over time.

There is a whole load of mystery piled into this novel, lots of questions posed for which the answers are not immediately clear. We are slowly fed the clues, discovering facts alongside Adam that serve to cement, or derail, our understanding of the case and Knight's alleged guilt. There are also many asides, including the moments between Adam and his mother, which add some light to what could otherwise be a rather dark case, Murder by poisoning is no laughing matter after all. That said, after just the opening chapter in Cliveden's presence, I wasn't sure if I was shocked by, or applauding, his very abrupt demise. And mixed in with the humour, and the serious investigation, we are granted a behind the scenes view of life as a pupil barrister and the way in which the system works. Whilst much may have been exaggerated for dramatic, and comedic effect (I hope) there is no doubting the author's pedigree or his ability to make this most traditional of careers accessible to readers.

The book has great pacing and some emotional and unexpected undertones which really did keep me completely invested in the outcome of the case. And, in fairness, in Adam's career. I'm hoping it's not the last we see of him as he's a thoroughly entertaining chap and with some of the cases Rob Rinder must have seen in his time, both on and off screen, I have no doubt he has an absolute wealth of material to draw from and keep us all entertained. If you like a great courtroom based novel with a perfect blend of mystery and humour, definitely give this one a try. Totally hit the spot for me, just what I needed at the time, and absolutely recommended.

I'm not usually a fan of "celebrity books" but this was very good! I do feel as though more "celebrities" are trying their attempts at being authors since Richard Osman and not all are hitting the mark and relying on their name. I do enjoy a legal thriller and this was great.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I thought this was a great read - I liked the fresh perspective of the story being told from the point of view of Adam, the trainee barrister. I enjoyed that this crime fiction was focussed around the time of the run up to and the duration of the trial rather than the initial investigation.

Rinder’s storytelling was excellent and he has the balance between using his expertise and experience to develop a well thought out and serious narrative and injecting lighthearted humour and reality to hold your engagement.

In all this one had me gripped throughout and it was a cleverly thought out story with a satisfying conclusion. I hope we’ll see more from Rob Rinder in the fiction market!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Extremely enjoyable. So many 'celebrity' books are disappointing, but this is a really good read. I'm no fan of Rinder on television but his detailed knowledge of the law courts makes an interesting read. Adam Green, a trainee barrister, is socially inept but passionate about the law. Apart from being a good legal who-done-it, Rinder explores the difference between the law and justice. The final twist in the story was a little far-fetched but tidied everything up. Hopefully this is the first of a series.

They say that everyone has a book in them, and that's probably near true. Most literate people could, with enough time and effort, produce a novel. But only a small proportion of people have the talent to write a good one. Rob Rinder, despite being intelligent and entertaining in person, is not one of them. Sadly 'The Trial' is one of those novels penned by a celebrity that you doubt would ever have been published if the manuscript had come from someone unknown. It isn't terrible. It's just not particularly good.

The main character is idealistic junior barrister Adam, who gets to work on a high profile murder case, defending a man accused of killing a beloved celebrity policeman. The media has already decided he's guilty, and his defence is not an enviable task. But Adam is convinced that he is innocent, and prepared to play detective in an attempt to prove it. Which might turn out to be a dangerous thing to do.... Meanwhile he is driven by his own demons around his father's death after being accused of a crime (falsely, Adam believes), and is under pressure to perform well in order to obtain a permanent job at his chambers.

The writing style is pedestrian with no flourishes or nice turns of phrase. It's a shame as barristers are famously eloquent and funny so you assume Rinder can be so, but that only comes across occasionally in the reported speech of the barristers in court, never in the narrative. The plot is unsurprising and I found myself rolling my eyes and marking time until the next obvious thing fell into place. In a very overcrowded genre like this, you need something really original and special to stand out. 'The Trial' has nothing like that.

Adam is a reasonably likeable character, but not a loveable one. I didn't strongly care whether he won his case or got his job. The characters around him are almost universally unpleasant and make me very glad not to work in the legal profession. Some of them are caricatures, which sit oddly in a book that comes across as earnest rather than satirical. The chapters detailing phone calls/messages from Adam's mum were just strange - I'm not sure if they were there for comic effect, but they weren't funny.

I wouldn't recommend this novel - it's just not strong enough. There are dozens of better courtroom and mystery/whodunnit novels out there, and no one's life is long enough to waste reading average books when there are plenty of excellent ones to choose.

I always feel a slight sense of trepidation when I read a book from a well-known person who has steered into fictional writing. You want it to be good, but you are fearful it could flop and your estimation of them will fall.
I am delighted to say I was blown away by Rinder’s debut, which was authentic, impressively layered and cleverly executed. In writing about what he knows, this is the story of Adam Green, a pupil barrister, striving to be accepted at the end of his tenure, expecting not to as he thinks he is failing to impress. He with his pupil master is given a case acting as the defence for a murder case. Jonathon, is bombastic, lazy and more interested in opportunities to make money and sustain his extra marital affairs, than a hopeless defence case. Adam therefore ends up doing most of the leg work and upturning stones, often irking Jonathon as his passion for justice presides.
The death of Adam’s father has been a driver for Adam’s interest in law. Coming from a background of humble means, he has fought hard for everything and takes nothing for granted. As such he is a modest, sincere character that you instantly like and back. His Jewish mother is an hilarious antidote against too much seriousness, as she prattles about trivial gossip, eating enough and getting a girlfriend. The depiction of the Chambers he works for, the tough work ethic and brutal expectations feels entirely authentic.
The story is gripping from start to finish, I barely put the book down. I had a clear vision of all the well portrayed characters. There is work pressure, personal risks, mystery, awkward work relations and clever connections that hook you. Further books featuring Adam Green must follow and if so, I will be chomping at the bit to read. An utterly excellent read.

The Trial is a well-written courtroom drama by Rob Rinder who, as as well as being a TV personality and former contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, is a British criminal barrister so certainly qualified to bring a courtroom to life through the medium of a novel.

It’s a decent debut novel and I was pleasantly surprised as being famous does not necessarily mean they are a good author too.. I enjoyed the story but did find it a little long at times as most of the action is in the court room which is not my favourite setting for a novel. The main character is Adam Green who is doing his pupillage (apprenticeship) under pupil-master Jonathan Taylor-Cameron who is quite unlikeable. There were quite a lot of characters in the books and I did struggle at times to remember who was who and who had known who in a former life. A list of characters would have been helpful. It was a good story though with twists and turns and a resolution that I hadn't expected,

All in all a very good debut novel and grateful thanks to NetGalley and Cornerstone for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Adam Green is a trainee barrister who is assigned the role of junior barrister in a high profile murder case. Despite the evidence, Adam is convinced of his client's innocence. However, his pupil master, Jonathan, does not agree and Adam is worried that their disagreements will prevent him being offered a place in chambers. Adam is motivated by his own history: his own father was falsely accused of a crime, and he attempts to solve the crime himself. What he finally discovers comes as a huge shock and, as a reader, I did not see the twist coming. In the background is Adam's mother whose main aim is to see him married to a nice Jewish girl. But Adam's Mum also knows a secret... I found it difficult to get into this story and found it a little slow. Rinder has used his knowledge of the law courts to create a realistic background but the plot lacks pace. I enjoyed reading the story but it took me longer than usual to finish.