A Trial In Three Acts by Guy Morpuss

 

Hollywood star Leo Lusk is on trial for murdering his ex-wife. Charles Konig, the leading barrister in the country is engaged to defend him. Konig has his work cut out for him as Lusk refuses to deny he carried out the murder which took place in front of a theatre audience.

I love murder mysteries. I love legal thrillers. Combine the two and I'm salivating. Throw in a little bit of historical information and you have a surefire winner for me. A Trial In Three Acts by Guy Morpuss offers all three of these. With an effortless writing style, engaging characters, touches of humour and a plot line that is at once utterly ridiculous and in another moment almost plausible you have a thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

Leo Lusk, movie star, has spent the past year in London starring in a play alongside his ex-wife, Alexandra Dyce. Following an acrimonious divorce, Dyce managed to turn the couple's daughter against her father and Lusk had hoped that the three of them working together on the production would allow him to rekindle some father-daughter bonds. Unfortunately, Dyce has continued to pour poison into her daughter's ear. When she is gruesomely murdered in full view of the audience suspicion immediately falls on Lusk.

Working alongside Konig in defense of Lusk is an American attorney, Yara Ortiz. The interactions between Ortiz and Konig highlight how different the legal systems are in America and the UK. The author has managed to write a story that flows easily and is immensely readable, avoiding all the boring stuffiness that takes place in the British court system.

I found the book impossible to put this down. The pace never let up and there was lots of misdirection. I had figured out the "who" very early on but was completely in the dark regarding the "how" until the big reveal. Let's hope that we see more of Charles Konig, KC, in the future.

A Trial In Three Acts by Guy Morpuss will be published on 6th March 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books for a review copy.

Author Details

Guy Morpuss worked as a barrister for thirty years, on cases featuring drug-taking cyclists, dead Formula 1 champions and aspiring cemetery owners. Much like his fictional creation Charles Konig he was a celebrated King's Counsel, and enjoys writing letters to The Times to see how many they'll print. He is the author of Five Minds and Black Lake Manor, and his upcoming novel, A Trial in Three Acts, will be published by Viper in 2025. Guy lives near Farnham with his wife and two sons.