The Suspect by Rob Rinder
| The Suspect by Rob Rinder | |
|
| |
| Category: Crime | |
| |
Reviewer: Sue Magee
 | |
| Summary: The second book in the Adam Green, junior barrister, series is as good as the first and a gripping read to boot. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 336 | Date: June 2024 |
| Publisher: Century | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1529196405 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
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.
For more from a celebrity chef, you might enjoy Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Suspect by Rob Rinder at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You could get a free audio download of The Suspect by Rob Rinder with a 30-day Audible free trial at Amazon.co.uk.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Suspect by Rob Rinder at Amazon.com.
Check prices, read reviews or buy from Waterstones. Waterstones currently charges from £2.75 for orders under £20, over which delivery is free. You may also click and collect from a Waterstones bookshop at no charge.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
