Jessica Holby, host of a popular morning TV show and much loved by the public, dies live on air following a cooking segment. Anaphylactic shock as a result of a serious food allergy is to blame and TV chef Sebastian Brooks is charged with her murder.
The Suspect by Rob Rinder is the sequel to the hugely successful The Trial and features the same characters. I was very impressed last year when I read The Trial as "celebrity" written novels don't always live up to expectations. With this sequel, Rob Rinder has created a gripping series, with believable characters, that has the potential to spawn a long and successful series, especially as I thought the second book was an improvement on the first.
Junior barrister Adam Green is the main character in both books. The story follows Adam as he supports a senior barrister defending the TV chef. By selecting this topic the author has hit a goldmine, the public infatuation with "celebrity" is boundless. Rob Rinder has created characters that have a passing resemblance to a number of real-life celebrities the media, and the public, seem to be obsessed with. It isn't difficult to figure out who some of the celebrities are supposed to be.
The glare of the media spotlight means that the barristers know it is going to be extremely difficult for a fair trial to take place. The situation isn't helped by the fact that Sebastian Brooks offers no defense other than "I didn't do it". Colleagues and friends of both the victim and the accused are tight-lipped and refuse to be witnesses at the trial. This immediately makes you wonder what secrets are being hidden. A further complication is that the prosecuting barrister is from the same chambers and Adam's friend, Georgina, is working under them, putting them on opposing sides.
While all of this is happening Adam is approached by the barrister he most admires, the man who ignited his interest in law, to assist him on another case. Adam is overjoyed to be asked but slowly realises that the case involves a moral dilemma; persist in a lie and the client faces years in jail, tell the truth and the client faces retribution.
Once again we witness the punishing workload for anyone who aspires to be a barrister. Adam's old pupil master, Jonathan Taylor-Cameron, makes a couple of brief appearances and is his usual misogynistic, lazy and pompous self. Thankfully, this character is more than balanced by the number of hard-working and conscientious barristers, although we learn that even the most successful among them have to make sacrifices.
There is a sprinkling of humour throughout thanks to the irregular phone conversations Adam has with his mother. She is still trying to run his life, and his love life in particular. Adam seems to be running a constant battle to stop her from turning up at his bedsit or place of work.
Dogged determination, exposing hidden secrets and realising that the image a celebrity displays isn't always a true reflection of their real character helps Adam to uncover exactly what happened on the fateful day Jessica Holby died.
The Suspect by Rob Rinder will be published on 20th June 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Century for a review copy.
Author Details
Rob Rinder is a barrister turned broadcaster and Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author. Called to the bar in 2001, Rob went on to specialise in cases involving murder, international fraud, money laundering and other forms of financial crime, while working in media to make law more accessible. He started his broadcast career with Judge Rinder for ITV winning a Royal Television Society Award before going on to host his own BBC 5Live series Raising the Bar.
Rob’s participation in Who Do You Think You Are? retraced the story of his Holocaust survivor grandfather and received a BAFTA. The BBC series he presented, The Holocaust, My Family and Me, was aired to wide critical acclaim and he has gone on to curate and present notable documentaries on a range of topics, from international conflict to medieval history and, recently, the history of prisons. In 2020, Rob was awarded an MBE for his services to Holocaust education and an honorary doctorate for his legal work.
A regular host on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Rob co-hosts BBC Two’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby and recently appeared in a new show about art and travel, The Grand Tour, which saw Rob and his co-host Rylan retrace the footsteps of cultural greats around Italy.
Rob’s novels The Trial and The Suspect are inspired by his experiences as a barrister.
Rob’s participation in Who Do You Think You Are? retraced the story of his Holocaust survivor grandfather and received a BAFTA. The BBC series he presented, The Holocaust, My Family and Me, was aired to wide critical acclaim and he has gone on to curate and present notable documentaries on a range of topics, from international conflict to medieval history and, recently, the history of prisons. In 2020, Rob was awarded an MBE for his services to Holocaust education and an honorary doctorate for his legal work.
A regular host on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Rob co-hosts BBC Two’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby and recently appeared in a new show about art and travel, The Grand Tour, which saw Rob and his co-host Rylan retrace the footsteps of cultural greats around Italy.
Rob’s novels The Trial and The Suspect are inspired by his experiences as a barrister.
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