A really good legal thriller.
A young boy Emmett has been charged with murdering a white boy. There are 2 witnesses, who claim they saw him do it. But he denies it all.
Young defence lawyer Rosa is the one whose Emmett's future depends on.
Did he do it? How will Rosa defend a boy who won't talk?

I really like legal thrillers. This one seemed to me to have all the accurate details of the jury, how lawyers work and does it really matter what they believe?

I didn't really get a sense of knowing many of the other characters except for Rosa and Emmett. But this book has great potential to be a series where the side characters could play bigger parts.

I hope there will be a book 2

I couldn’t have predicted how this story would unfold. The suspense was intense, and the ending hit me with a twist I never saw coming.

An authentic and thought-provoking legal thriller. A young black man is on trial for murder but he won't talk. As the evidence is presented and the courtroom tension mounts, can his ambitious black barrister save him? A gripping debut.

Rosa is a black barrister who is put on the case of Emmett a young black boy who was found kneeling next to a young white boy who had been stabbed numerous times and the police arrest him for the murder, Rosa`s boss thinks it is a open and shut case but Rosa starts to delve deeper to get some answers.
It`s a very slow start but then you can`t put the book down to find the ending.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Loved, loved, loved. A twisty and gripping page turner that kept me hooked and guessing.
Well plotted, excellent storytelling, fleshed out characters
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A very promising debut legal thriller, which covers many modern day issues. There plenty twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. I’ll definitely look out for the next book in the series.

The Witness - The most authentic, twisty legal thriller, from the barrister author of In Black and White by Alexandra Wilson is a compelling legal/ courtroom thriller that stares straight into the face of social steretypes and confronts them like a brick through a plate glass window

The case seems open and shut. A murder in a park, a young black man, a knife in his hand, must be the culprit according to two witnesses, it's an easy case to close. Or is it? Rosa is a Barrister who will not submit to the easy conclusion and defies all conventions to identify what really happened, and put herself in the firing line doing so

The writing style is dynamic, well-paced. A narrative helix that entwines the mind and leads all nodes to a belter of a a finale

Thrilling and fulfilling, absolutely loved this book

Thank you to NetGalley Little, Brown Book Group UK | Sphere and Alexandra Wilson for this excellent ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I enjoyed this book. Rosa is a barrister and has been tasked with defending a young black man who has been accused of murder. however, the case is far from cut and dried. The boy refuses to name the friends who were with him and who fled the scene, leaving him holding a knife. Rosa decides to turn detective in order to get to the truth. This is a real page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Rosa is a barrister fighting the prejudice of being a young black woman from a working class background, all of which has left her with debt and a chip on her shoulder. When she hears of a stabbing in a park close to her tower block home she is intrigued and then surprised when she receives instructions to lead the defence of Emmett, the accused. Emmett, like Rosa, lives with his grandmother and sees education as a way out but now he is charged with stabbing a white nurse and the two witnesses are a mother and a teacher. Rosa is determined to help Emmett but she needs a different witness to support her case.
There is so much to like about this book and it is clear that the writer is passionate about this book on a personal level. My biggest issue is that there is a lot of extraneous fluff in the the first half - gratuitous sex etc - and the book only really comes to life in the second half. The eponymous witness is actually quite underwritten, with a compelling motive. However, taken as a whole this is a really good first novel. The plot is clever, the politics worn on the sleeve but all the better for that.

A great Legal Thriller. I found this book really hard hitting and gritty. The trial was brilliantly written and the big twist I didn’t see coming.
If you are a fan of a court room drama then this book. Is for you.

Courtroom drama books are my absolute favourite and this one far from disappointed
the author is a practising barrister and you can definitely tell. The little intrinsic details that the author includes made me feel like this was an actual case I was involved with
in this book, Emmett is found with a knife, standing over a body, with blood all over his body. Emmett insists that he is not guilty but he will not tell anyone who actually committed the crime
Eosa, his barrister, is on a mission to have justice served and the real killer caught
Rosa is a main character full of flaws and at times I was so mad at her with her Nan!
the book engrossed me from the first page and I was trying to piece together the evidence to find out what the truth was. I was shocked by the reveal. I sincerely hope that this is the first of a brand new legal series!

A book I devoured in two sittings Interesting premise of white male murdered in London park by black youth defended by clever female black barrister. Lots of elements of stereotyping and and the role it plays in society and our judicial system. Above all a pacy thriller with a few unexpected twists and turns.

An interesting plot well told. There are a. couple of separate stories going on with one that added nothing whilst the other is a good mirror to elements of the main story.
I’m not sure how realistic the court happenings are but they felt right.

This book shares a lot with Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie. As in the aforementioned, the central character is a young female barrister, Oxbridge educated, newly appointed to the Bar and in need of establishing and distinguishing herself through tireless and successful case work. She too comes from a disadvantaged background and cannot count on the strong connections many of her colleagues, who were born into privilege can rely upon. Her name is Rosa and she lives with her little brother and her grandmother who raised her, since her estranged mother is doing time in prison.

Rosa takes on the defence of a black boy accused of having murdered a white man. Questions of race and white privilege lie at the centre of this novel. Rosa is determined to do everything to ensure that justice is done. This process gets her into moral dilemmas that challenge her sense of justice: she knows that the truth the court system establishes is not necessarily what really happened, but simply relates to what or what cannot be proven. Trusting her gut-feelings, she goes out of her way to find the witness that could make all the difference to her case. As this legal thriller with its many twists unfolds, we also witness Rosa’s personal drama, which pushes her to her limits.

Altogether this is a very credible story, told with compassion and at a reasonable pace. It does however rely on a few well established cliches regarding race, privilege, class and gender. It really comes into its own when these stereotypes get challenged, when for example her black defendant observes: ‘You are much more like them than me’. I would have liked to see a little more of this.

I am grateful to NetGalley and SPHERE for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m usually a big fan of this genre but I just didn’t enjoy this novel. I didn’t enjoy how it was written and found it didn’t hold my attention. Sorry h by it not one for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Alexandra Wilson for my ARC of “The Witness” in return for an honest review.

As a debut novel this hit the mark. Fast paced, clever, well developed characters and a fair few twists.

Recommended

This is a hard-hitting legal thriller which looks at race within the justice system.

I thought the beginning was a little slow personally, and it took time to connect with the characters as I got to know them. However, once the trial started, I felt the story really picked up. I enjoyed the twists and I wasn’t expecting the ending which is always a big positive.

I did struggle at times with some of the dialect and I had to really focus and read it back again to follow and understand the speech.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it was an insightful look into the legal system, covering various issues. I think it could be the start of a good series.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, it was fast paced and well written.
The racial side of it just gives it so much more and really makes you think and question.
What a great debut novel.
Would definitely read another.
Lots to think about and very thought provoking.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this but I don't think the books description mirrors the actual feel of this book. I enjoyed the trial elements, and you could tell it was written by somebody who understands the proceedings but I didn't feel sucked it by the story. I struggled a little with the dialect used for the grandmother, I had to re read a few of her sentences to try and make sure I'd understood what she had said, and some I gave up on entirely. But overall, it was a good story, and someone who reads more crime stories might have rated it higher.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for the eARC.

This was a great book. It made for a great read being a different vantage point into a murder trial than other thrillers. The pace was steady and amped up at the end in a good way. The ending was really good too, an unexpected twist.