Technically this book is a sequel to The Trial but it stands alone perfectly well in terms of plot and character.

Junior barrister Adam is back and trying to live up to his mentor’s ideals, juggle work with a (reluctant) social life and avoid his mum’s thorough phone interrogations. Oh, and he also has a couple of cases on his plate: one that leads to him being threatened by a local gang and the other that involves national celebrities and is assumed to be a clear open-shut case, which Adam strongly believes may be ‘shutting’ on the wrong suspect… but what can one baby barrister do against the whole machinery of the justice system?

Rob Rinder opens the chamber doors once again to give an insider view of the legal and/or justice system and explore the morality between whether the two are one and the same. The mystery plot is solid and kept me hooked in and guessing throughout, and there is definitely plenty of excitement – Adam’s work/life struggle alone is going to give me ulcers-by-proxy! I don’t know how he even survives the kinds of stress levels that his personal life and career engender.

But, regardless of the dangers to my digestive health, I would 100% read more from this series!

Loved the first book and this was just as good! Liked the lightness of the book and story! Well written and an easy read.

Meet Hannah Holby, a TV host that has captured the world's heart. When she dies on national and live television, the nation are distraught, especially considering the evidence points to the tv chef Sebastian. Enter Adam, a junior barrister, who is put on the case to shadow, yet forms opinions of his own. After a big of digging, he begins to feel that it is not as black and white as initially thought and begins to realise the amount of enemies the 'dream host' really had.

From the moment I started reading this book, the world felt so real and familiar to be. I warmed to Adam a LOT and enjoyed how sure he was of the decisions he made and opinions he formed. Despite the evidence pointing towards Seb, he stuck to what he believed to be true. We love a strong-minded protagonist.

I struggled a bit when meeting all the characters as there were so many at once. They were easy to identify as time went on and I was able to puzzle the pieces together quite well by the end of the novel - something which I thoroughly enjoyed doing.

Was I expecting the twist? No... which is very rare.

I liked that this novel felt rich with context and I enjoyed how Rob Rinder used his law background impeccably in this novel to showcase his understanding, but in a way that felt accessible to those of us who have never had experiences in this field (but adore reading about them). A hit in my eyes.

Entertaining enough, but The Suspect is a little too light entertainment for my tastes. This whodunnit, legal story feels superficial and too easy; it's as if there is a brilliant book waiting to get out, but there's not enough "back at the chambers"' legal work to be seen to make it convincing and not enough complexity of plot to make it genuinely thrilling or satisfying.

If you want a straightforward quick holiday read, then it probably gets five stars. It moves along nicely, there's no one to dislike (apart from the horribly stereotypical comic book Jonathan) and it's easy to read. The big "but" is the frustration that there might be a cracker of a book inside Rob Rinder that would test the reader's view of the current UK justice system and media coverage of major court cases. I'll look forward to that one.

When beloved TV star dies of anaphylactic shock in front of millions it is going to be a very big trial when they find the culprit. Adam Green is struggling to cope with all the work that goes with being a junior in a court. Having got past his first hurdle of betting past his pupillage he now works to prove himself. TV chef is the person that is charged for her murder. He knew her allergy, he provided the ingredients. When another of their team need time off Adam gets put on the defence team although their client does not seem to be helping himself.

This is the second book in the series & I loved meeting Adam again. These books are so much more than a courtroom drama. The peep into Chambers makes me glad I never thought of entertaining the idea of Law as a career (not that I'd have passed the exams) At times it could become overwhelming if it wasn't for the brilliant conversation Adam has with his mother!!! A well written entertaining book & I am already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I was able to follow along despite it this is the 2nd book featuring Adam Green and it being 1st one I’ve read.

I liked the structure of the book, with the occasional short chapters, which added humour. I engaged with the characters and am keen to read more.

I really enjoyed this there wasn't a great deal of plot and substance but it was so fascinating to have a link into the world of tv and chambers. You can really tell the knowledge.

Although it was the second book in the series it didn't really matter.

Great light read

This is the first book by Rob Rinder that I have read and so I speak as I find.

A very Curate's egg sort of a book bearing in mind that I believe this was supposed to be a serious work of fiction? Whilst the book was very informative regarding all sorts of things legal, I did find the stereotypical conversations between Adam's mother and Adam an annoyance and totally irrelevant; never mind Rob Rinder's family tree.

I would also like to think that members of Chambers and the Police are rather more perceptive than those that populate The Suspect. I am not a Barrister or policeman but spotted the incredibly large hole in the "logic" of the plot.

Overall, worth a read but it is far from flawless.

This is the second book that Rob Rinder has written following the career of junior barrister Adam Green, but it is the first one that I have read. Not being familiar with the characters was not a drawback as I found it quite easy to pick up the relationships within the chambers.
This is a simple whodunit written from a different perspective, take it on holiday and read it on the beach, it is an easy unchallenging read.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - plenty of reviews like that out there already!

Having read Rob Rinder's first novel, I was looking forward to reading this, his second - I was not disappointed.

The author's knowledge of the legal profession makes his writing authoritative - it's interesting to see how things work behind the scenes. The plot of this novel is well thought out - with a few red herrings to throw the armchair sleuth off the scent! I suspected several people - including the actual culprit, though not until a few others had been ruled out...

The characters are well written and believable. I was pleased that several characters from the first novel appeared here too. I find the interactions between Adam Green and his mother amusing and authentic. I hope that further books are planned in this series.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

When a beloved TV personality dies from an allergic reaction in front of millions, her celebrity chef lover is arrested. With overwhelming evidence against his client, Adam Green is merely on the defence team to watch and learn. However, as Adam digs deeper he finds that the nation’s sweetheart wasn’t that sweet and that his client may be innocent. Alongside this he is asked to speak to a vulnerable accused boy, the fallguy for an organised crime crime.
This is Rinder’s second novel and I enjoyed the first enough to pick up this one. Again it is very much in the ‘cosy crime’ genre and works well in its lane. However Rinder also tries to introduce something a little more challenging with the subplot around organised crime and influence versus moral duty. That’s the more interesting part of the book but unfortunately is the less successful as it is not as well-developed and feels more of an experiment. The main plot is the thing that will sell in droves.

Fantastic! Even though this is the second book in the series, it didn't feel like it and I got drawn in right away. I love when authors can bring their 'day job' details into a book, it really rounds it out and adds to the authenticity. No way could I ever be a solicitor, but it's not to say I don't like reading about the day to day stuff they do. I'm glad there are folks who love it.

Easy to read and the characters well rounded and fleshed out, and I read this in just a couple of days. Brilliant!

I'll be going back to read the first and will be keeping an eye out for the third in the series.

Rob Rinder is the master of all talents. Here he has given us a great book and a riveting read. The book centres on Adam. A young barrister called upon to help on the trial of the century. A celebrity chef has killed a presenter live on air following a cookery segment. Is the case as slam dunk as it seems.
Not only do we get to find out about the investigation in detail we also get to take Adam to heart.
A brilliant read and I await the next instalment.

After reading the first book in the series, The Trial, I was looking forward to reading the second book. If you haven’t read The Trial, The Suspect works well as a stand-alone.

In The Suspect, we’re back in Chambers with Adam Green, now a Junior Barrister. He finds himself working on a high profile case of the on-air poisoning of a morning TV presenter. He’s also working on another case where a vulnerable young man is under threat from a gang. In between his work he’s still fielding calls from his mother.

On the whole, I like Adam and the conversations between him and his mum are so funny and bring some light hearted humour to the story. However, I think Adam became more of a wet lettuce in this book and he needs to be more forthright. I thought the suspects and new characters involved in the case were a bit meh and I didn’t really connect to them.

The story is readable enough and mostly follows Adam and his investigations into the case. There are hints he may fancy his work colleague but this doesn’t come to much.

For me, the plot was lacking in pace and because I couldn’t connect with the characters involved in the trial, I wasn’t really bothered if they’d done it or not. It seemed to take a while for much to really happen and even then I found the ending very underwhelming and almost lazy.

I think this book was missing something and I’m not sure what it was. I was expecting a pacy, quick read to keep me hooked but unfortunately it didn’t deliver for me. I think Rob Rinder comes across as a lovely and charming man and if he writes another book I would read it.

2.5 stars rounded to 2.

The Suspect is the second novel from Rob Rinder - yes, Judge Rinder - and seeing as I love that man I was thrilled when I was approved to read ahead of publication.

Last year’s The Trial introduced us to junior barrister Adam Green, and The Suspect follows him as he realises the case before him is not as straightforward as it seems; the nation’s sweetheart morning TV presenter dies live on screen, a celebrity chef is the prime suspect for her murder, and a web of deceit and lies is uncovered in the quest for the truth.

I find Rob Rinder to be a completely charming man; he is funny and intelligent and successful, and comes across as a genuinely lovely person who I’d love to be friends with. I’m stipulating this because a ‘however’ is coming…

However, I wasn’t utterly thrilled with The Suspect. It seemed a bit fluffy, a bit predictable, a bit lacking, somehow, in a way I still can’t put my finger on. Adam is a likeable character, and the book being written by someone with the lived experience of being a barrister adds a richness to the story and a genuineness that you’d not get from someone who’s simply researched that world. But I don’t care for the phonecall chapters between him and his mother - to me they add nothing and feel very unnecessary - and, likeable as Adam is, for me I prefer the focus to be on the main whodunnit plot.

I was expecting more from The Suspect and I’m disappointed that it fell flat for me. It’s a good way to spend a day reading, but it’s not groundbreaking and not particularly memorable. I hope book three returns to form.

Book 2 about junior barrister, Adam Green. You could read as a stand alone though.
A presenter on a daytime TV show is given a dish containing soy which she is allergic by the TV chef who made it. He brings the ingredients, looks after them cooks the dish and doesn't leave the studio. He's adamant that he didn't do it, so who did.
.Adam's barrister is defending the chef whilst his chambers are providing the prosecuting barrister so he is against his friend, Georgina. Adam's mum provides some Jewish mummy light relief. A nice touch.
I really like how the legal process is portrayed. The story holds up and the twist works.

The nation's favourite daytime TV presenter, Jessica Holby, was murdered live on television and it seems that there's only one suspect. He's celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks and his contract stated that he must not serve anything containing miso to Jessica Holby. She's seriously allergic and carries an EpiPen in case of emergencies. Everything seemed as normal - as normal as they can be in a busy, live television studio - and Brooks served a ragout to Holby. Her EpiPen was nowhere to be found and she was dead within minutes. It was soon clear that this was no accident.

We first met Adam Green and some of the other members of Stag Chambers in The Trial and you can be forgiven for thinking that the format of the two books is very similar. Rob Rinder can also be forgiven for thinking that if it isn't broken, don't fix it. The characterisation is strong but not subtle. The real backbone of the book is the plot.

Adam Green, now a tenant rather than a pupil at Stag Chambers, works as the 'baby' junior barrister in two contrasting cases. The first is the murder of Jessica Holby where Stag Chambers is supplying both the prosecution and defence teams. I've no idea if this happens regularly in real life - but Rob Rinder is a barrister and we're in safe hands with him. Adam's other case is a young man with learning difficulties who has difficulty understanding the implications of what is happening to him. He doesn't seem to think it unreasonable that he should plead guilty to a crime for which he wasn't responsible and which will carry a heavy custodial sentence as his brother has offered him an X-Box for doing so. Adam discovers that he has to be careful about what he says to the accused as misinterpretation could end his career. There's also an interesting situation when it becomes clear that encouraging someone to tell the truth might not be in their best interests.

There's light relief in the form of Adam's mother who phones regularly (and certainly more often than Adam phones her) to enquire if he has a girlfriend and if he is eating properly. Too many eggs cause bloating, you see. Egg mayonnaise should be avoided. In The Trial, I found the character annoying but warmed to her in The Suspect.

As well as reading the book I listened to an audio download, narrated by Josh Dylan, who also narrated The Trial. He has an excellent range of voices and I enjoyed listening to him.

The second Adam Green novel in this cosy court crime. Enjoyed the development of the characters in the Chambers and the parallel trials. More to come I hope.

Barrister Adam Green is back when a TV host has been killed live on air and the TV celebrity chef is the prime suspect.

The Second book from @robrinder and was just as good as the Trial. It’s such a good inter-connected standalone and I loved seeing all the returning characters and where they’ve progressed in their law career. Speaking of returning characters. Adam’s mum still melts my heart and I found their phone call chapters so funny and such a palette cleanser.
It’s such a quick fast paced book, I didn’t know where the story was going to go and I love how in-depth Rinder goes with the trial aspects of the book as you know its coming from experience.
Such a cosy crime novel that I would recommend to everyone

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Suspect by Rob Rinder in return for my honest review.
When I started reading this I didn’t realise it was the second book in the Adam Green series so I went back to the beginning and read The Trial first, Im glad I did as it gave me a better insight to the characters which appear in both books. I really enjoyed the story line and the characters and can’t wait for the next instalment.