The Suspect by Rob Finder

I'm always happy to hear what the author has to say when he appears on the t.v. , so it was interesting for me to read a book by him .
I didn't know that this was the 2nd in the series , so whilst I may have missed out on the introduction to the character ( Adam Green ) I didn't feel like I had missed out or couldn't enjoy this one without reading the other.
A great read that gave an insight to life as a junior barrister , and seeing ' the crime ' from the perspective other than a victim of a detective.

I normally avoid celebrity authors like the plague but decided to give this one a go and I'm glad I did! When a presenter is murdered on air, suspicion falls on the TV chef, who coincidentally is her ex-lover.. Adam an unassuming junior barrister is tasked with supporting the case. Not only was this novel full of intrigue and mystery, I liked the insight which it gave into life in chambers, which certainly isn't as glamorous as TV would have you believe! If you love courtroom drama, then this one is definitely worth a read!

This is the second book I have read by Rob Rinder and I have enjoyed it as much as the first. Adam Green has finished his pupillage and secured his tenancy. As a junior barrister in chambers he is working on a murder case. Jessica Holby is a presenter on a tv show, Wake up Britain. She starts to feel unwell after a cooking segment which requires her to taste food made by the regular chef, Sebastian Brooks. During the next part of the show she starts choking and dies before anyone can fetch her epipen. She has a well known allergy to soy. It seems an open and shut case but the more Adam researches for the defence the more he is convinced that Sebastian is hiding something from them.
Adam has also been asked to help out with another case regarding 2 brothers. The younger one is being coerced into being the fall guy for his older brother about hiding a stash of guns under his bed at home.
The slightly annoying part of the book is Adam’s relationship with his mother who appears to be a very overbearing presence in the book!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read this ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved The Suspect, it is fun, twist filled escapism. I love Adam, the legal details, the drama. It’s another five star read from me. If you loved The Trial, you’ll absolutely adore The Suspect.

I struggled to get into this but overall, I did enjoy reading this book. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read it

“While seeking revenge, dig two graves- one for yourself”

Jessica Holby, popular host of Wake Up Britain! savours the taste of the Ragu served from the cookery segment with regular chef, Sebastian Brooks. During the next part of the show, she starts to feel unwell, struggling to breathe and takes her final gasp in front of 1.2 million viewers. It becomes clear that her death does not have natural causes and the evidence points towards Brooks. #KillerChef starts to trend, it escalates becoming very toxic. Adam Green, our hero from The Trial is to be the baby Junior, on the Brooks case, another high profile case for him. Is it an open and shut case as the public believes? Brooks subsequent actions don’t look good and provides compelling evidence for the prosecution led by the formidable Patience Foster. However, Adam doesn’t think it adds up, and as more snippets emerge about Jessica, so the waters get muddier. What is the truth about her, wholesome presenter, or something else and entirely?

This is Judge Rob Rinder‘s second novel, and it’s an easy, entertaining, glide through read. I really like Adam, he’s one of the good guys, and as usual, he’s stretched a tad thin, working a side case for a senior colleague that he admires. This one becomes quite gritty and turns nasty at several points, sending Adam into an understandable spin. During this case, his inexperience leads to an error and he learns a valuable lesson. Luckily for him, it doesn’t have dire consequences. I thoroughly enjoy the inserts of phone conversations with his mum, which are very funny and give plenty of light relief. You won’t win any rounds with her, Adam! Although you don’t meet her in person, she’s very easy to visualise. All the chambers characters are well portrayed, and yes , QC Jonathan Taylor – Cameron is just as odious as ever, leopards and spots et cetera but not everything is going his way this time.

The Brooks case goes through multiple twists and turns, and the courtroom scenes are very good, well, you’d expect them to be. You can feel the tension as things bat back and forth between the lawyers and the various witnesses. The ending is good with the final comments giving food for thought and a reality check.

Overall, another fun read as you’re in good company with Adam. There doesn’t seem to be any end to Rob Rinders talents. It feels an authentic representation of chambers, life, and how tough it is for those on the junior end of the ladder and how stressful it can be. A recommended read for fans of courtroom mystery thrillers and I for one I’m already looking forward to number three. Although this is the second novel featuring Adam Green this can very easily be read as a standalone.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Random House, Cornerstone for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I loved the first book in this series, The Trial, and although I enjoyed this one, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first one.. Adam is now no longer in his pupillage, he has secured his tenancy at Stag Court but rather than being under less pressure than he was in his pupillage, he’s under more pressure. He now has to try to secure enough work to try to pay off his student debt and that requires attending schmoozing, networking events, something he is no better at than he was in his pupillage when he was shy, gauche and generally a bit socially inept.

The book concentrates on two cases in which Adam is involved, one through happenstance when his friend Rupert is signed off work with stress and Adam is asked to step in, it’s a high profile case where a celebrity chef is accused of poisoning a much loved daytime TV presenter by adding miso paste to a dish he has cooked despite knowing that she is severely allergic to soya. He maintains he didn’t do it, but refuses to give much needed information about who might have had the opportunity to tamper with his food. What’s he hiding?
The second case involves a young lad who has been found to have an arsenal of weapons under his mattress which he denies are his but won’t incriminate his brother who is a member of a local gang. The dilemma, does he carry the can himself or tell the truth and incriminate his brother and possibly incur the wrath of the gang.

This time around I found Adam to be a bit too ‘people pleasing’ for my liking, I had hoped that having gained his tenancy he might also have gained some confidence but it doesn’t seem to be the case. He is still mercilessly ‘mummied’ by his over-bearing Jewish mother whose sole interests are in him finding himself a wife and making sure he eats well. Are there educated, qualified lawyers who allow themselves to be subjected to this?? This time Libby has been added to the cast, she is the new pupil to the obnoxious Jonathan who was Adam’s tormentor in the last book. Georgina, the other female ‘potential girlfriend’ for Adam is now being flogged to death work wise by another ruthless powerful female lawyer and this pair are the opposing counsel in the case of the celebrity chef accused of murdering the daytime TV star.

The book still held my. Interest and was still enjoyable, I just felt myself willing Adam to ‘man up’ and stand up to his mother, ask out whichever of the two young lawyers he seemed to fancy and show some of the talent in the courtroom that he demonstrated in book one.

I hope there is a third book and in it Adam flourishes and shines and gets a bit of a break! I would still give this book four stars because I like Rob Rinder’s style of writing and I love the insight into the world of wigs and cloaks! You could read this as a standalone but I’d recommend reading The Trial first as you’ll have much more insight into the characters.
My thanks as always go to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced e-reader copy of this book.

Adam Green how I have missed you. Following Adam in his first year since his pupillage was exactly what you would accept from a barrister. I liked that the issues facing barristers were highlighted and so delicately written to give the reader a feel of how high-pressure the job is. I find the cases that were covered to be intriguing and captivating with plenty of twists and turns along the way. I adore the relationship between Adam and his Mam and the phone conversations will have you laughing. Hoping that we get to see Adam Green again shortly. A medium-paced book that will capture your attention from the very first chapter.

A very entertaining and enjoyable read. It's a real page-turner, with sufficient detail to be believable, without the reader getting too bogged down. The characters are well-drawn, and this is a great book for a bit of escapism. I look forward to the nest in the series.

I absolutely loved this book and also The Trial which was the first book. The author's voice comes through loud and clear but for me that is a bonus. It feels like he's telling you the story directly, face to face almost. The phone calls with his mum are absolutely hilarious. Just a one liner, almost off the cuff makes me cry with laughter. It's also fascinating to learn details of how chambers work and the judicial system in general by someone who actually knows.Intelligent writing can be a bit of a rarity in crime/thriller books but this has it in spades. Brilliant read

I enjoyed this although I found it very difficult not to imagine existing (or pervious TV presenters who have presented a long running morning show) and a TV duo who started off in Saturday morning TV and now present a long running Saturday night show, so I did find that a little distracting as I felt that I couldn't see them as characters in their own rights.

However, the story was engaging and moved on at a good pace and I liked the behind the scenes look into a barristers life.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

The Suspect by Rob Rinder

An easy and for me fairly quick read, but a bit like a drama on channel five rather than perhaps BBC or ITV, lacking some quality and substance. Too many characters with limited ‘input’ and a story of which at least one of the two cases had an obvious ending. Enjoyable but more depth required.

I hadn't read Rob Rinder's first book, and I really don't need to now as this book tells you what happens!

Jessica is a wholesome breakfast TV presenter, married to an ex footballer, she seems to have it all, but the whole nation goes into mourning when she dies on air, seemingly poisoined by celebrity TV chef, Sebastien who she had been having an affair with.

To be honest I found the story very drawn out, lots of minutiae which definitely didn't add anything, and if anything felt we were being steered to feel sorry for junior barristers who live in bedsits and get kicked out of chambers if they don't bring enough money in.

I thinkthe ending proves why the legal profession isn't always liked......

Not for me I'm afraid

Whilst I did enjoy this, it felt more like it was justifying how hard it can be for young barristers (or baby / junior) than about the plotline itself. The storyline itself was interesting enough and there were certainly enough suspects that Adam uncovered but I'd have thought that it would have been Adam himself (as the MC) who'd uncovered the real murderer, which wasn't the case in the end. I also thought that the police would have been far more thorough in their own investigations - but perhaps not, for who am I to know the ins and outs of law? Still the phone conversations between Adam and his mother were truly funny and light-hearted fillers.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

I don't feel this book is as good as the first one
I felt for some reason it was rushed
Which meant I couldn't get into it as much
I like the characters, do find his mum quite funny

On a lighter note I didn't guess who did it

Thank you, Rob Rinder, netgalley Random House UK

Disappointing. I found the plot weak and unbelievable. Are we to except the police investigated no one else or other that other leads were not followed up? Also the inclusion of a subplot, to me, spoke of the main story not being strong or full enough. While it read well and easily I thought the characters were hard to care for and quite shallow. Only the mother on the phone was likeable and someone who felt real.
I imagined a novel by Rob Rinder dealing with a world he knows intimately would be fast paced, engaging and full of insights. Yes, it had details that people not in that world would not know but in circumstances that are boring. In the end I wanted to know who and why, but it felt rushed and instantly forgettable.
I have not read the first so the plot spoilers were disappointing and has done away with the need to buy that book! A quick holiday read and then leave the book for someone else.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Another fabulous romp through Chambers and the British legal system as we re-join Adam for another courtroom drama.

This time a dramatic murder occurs live on air, on Britain's favourite morning TV show as it's much loved presenter is poisoned. The celebrity chef is immediately arrested and the outcome of his trial looks like a foregone conclusion, but to Adam, all is not what it seems.

We are reunited with a host of characters from Rob RInder's first book, and with his second novel I feel he has really got into his stride. It's a quick, easy read, perfect for reading on holidays, and I can't wait for the next instalment of this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Quite an easy light hearted read. Well written but a bit of a slow burner on the main murder plot and it is always good when you already 'know' some of the characters from a previous book. Adam is ok, a bit of a 'bimbler' but some of the others in the chambers are really unlikeable. It all came together in the end and kept me guessing to the end with me changing suspects constantly. The gang subplot was so sad, partially because it was so true to life.

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

A popular host of a morning show is poisoned live on air and it seems a slam dunk case. The legal teams for both sides pretty much agree. But turns out all is not as simple.

I found this really enjoyable. The main legal characters are likeable and believable, and the plot zipped along. The way they cared about each other, and really took pride in their work and outcomes was fun to read and I learned more about the British legal system too.

I do wish more time was given to the "why", that felt a bit rushed.

However, I felt this was a great representative view of working in a chambers, I thought the interactions with the mom were hilarious and really enjoyed reading it.

The three young barristers around whom the story revolved, Adam, Libby and Georgina, were a bit dull. The senior barristers seemed much more interesting, but kudos to Rinder for showing how over worked the young staff are. I had to skip the "phone call" chapters where Adam spoke to his mother at length. It's a cut throat world with Adam nearly sacked for his inexperience.
I found the Walthamstow OCG storyline a bit of a stretch.
The conclusion in the trial of a chef accused of killing a presenter on live TV was a letdown. The book came to life in the court room scenes, but ultimately they didn't rescue a book which was workmanlike but not gripping.