This novel was all over the place. It made it hard to follow in my opinion. I found myself wanting to skim some parts in order to get to the end quicker which isn't great. Overall I would give it a 3/5.

The Verdict is a great psychological novel, told in alternating chapters between 1994 and the present. It involves the disappearance of the resident of a house who is many years later found dead and the housemates arrested for murder. Julia, the lone female arrested, is the protagonist of the story and it is her life that we have a window into. The book is very well written and full of little twists that add flair to the tale. This would be a great book for book clubs to discuss.

This story slipped between the past and the present. A mother accused of cheating, but was she capable of murder? An interesting storyline which developed. I enjoyed the courtroom scenes given a perspective of 20 years previously. I did not see the development coming so quite enjoyed that twist. An enjoyable romp. I will keep my eye out for others by this author!

An enjoyable domestic murder mystery/criminal trial hybrid.

I felt that the book began a little slowly and it was a little unbelievable (Julia buying a burner phone from a drug dealer) but I quickly got into the swing of it. The narrative switching between the early 90s and current day works really well as we slowly find out how past events affect what is happening in the present.

Some surprising twists made me say "ahhh now that changes things" and, while the ending wasnt unexpected it was surprising how we got there.

Julia's life feels bleak and I do hope beyond the pages of this book it would have got better as I felt a little sad for her. However, that shows I really connected with her character. Some of the other characters are better formed than others but they all have a clear identity.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

#TheVerdict #NetGalley
Disturbing and surprising.
A cheating wife. An estranged mother. But is she guilty of murder?
When a body is discovered on the North Downs, it hits local headlines. But for Julia, the news is doubly shocking because the body was buried just opposite the house she lived in over twenty years ago. And it is one of her former housemates.
Up on the stand, Julia’s not the only person to have secrets that are unearthed during the trial. But the evidence against her is overwhelming.
And yet one question remains: is she the murderer, or the victim?
A disturbing and surprising psychological thriller. A must read.
Characters were awesome. I felt connected with each of them.
Narration was delicious.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me an advance copy of this book.

I'm a sucker for a courtroom trial, so the blurb drew me in instantly. It was quite some time before the story got to the trial stage and I did think I'd missed something key in that summary to the effect that there would be no trial ...and then it came. Oh happy days! It was worth the wait, well worth it.

The story runs along multiples timelines, primarily 1994 and 2018.
In 1994, Julia Winter has broken up with her boyfriend, Christian, and needs to starts afresh somewhere new. Unfortunately, she can't get over the fact that he dumped her for another girl, and so in her haste to get away, prove she is strong and independent, she takes a room at the home of Genevieve D'Auncey in Guildford. It is here that she meets Brandon Wells, the man she is later accused of killing. Other tenants are also included in this act - Alan & Gideon - and the three are on trial for Brandon's murder when his body is found in 2018.

Genevieve is a strange lady, grieving for her missing son (she clings to the fact that he may still be alive following an accident in the Alps) and, as a result, she takes a shine to Brandon. This favouritism leads to some animosity between other tenants, and her sister, Ruth, is particularly concerned about his affect on Genevieve.

When Genevieve takes her own life, the tenants eventually disperse and carry on with their lives. But the situation left behind comes back to haunt them.
initially, Brandon is accused of theft and his disappearance explained as such, but when his remains are found on the Downs some 23 years later, then the mystery is reignited.
DNA points to Julia being involved, and Alan and Gideon are accused too. The three of them face trial, theirs legal defences all agreeing that none should testify.
The trial that follows is fascinating and dramatic as twists and turns reveal yet more secrets and potential scenarios. It is here that the reader finally learns the truth about the events leading up and after Brandon's murder. It is here when the real personalities of the three tenants are revealed, none of them are hugely likeable, some more monstrous than others, but the way the author delivers this information is sublime and kept me hooked. delivering
There is a very clever twist at the end with an unexpected yet satisfying outcome.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and have to express my thanks to the author, Oliver Isaac-Henry for such an entertaining read, and to the publishers, Avon and One More Chapter, imprints of Harper-Collins for enabling this chance to read such a fabulous book.

When I read the premise for THE VERDICT, it sounded so intriguing I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it. But the characters and the slow burn story did nothing to engage me that I felt as if I was just flipping pages to reach the end. While there was a surprising twist, I'm not sure if it was enough to save the story as a whole.

A body is found on the North Downs and Julia Winter is living her somewhat average life oblivious to the discovery...until she receives a text with a link to a news report warning her. Who is it from? Who knows her secret? Suddenly, Julia is awash with the knowledge that somebody must know the secret she's kept buried for so long. When the body is soon identified as one of the housemates she had shared a house with over 20 years ago, Julia realises she is caught in a web of lies and deception from which she can find no escape.

Julia was 23 when she fled London to quiet Guildford after her long-time boyfriend passed her over for another woman. Devastated, distraught and looking for an escape, she ends up sharing a grand house with the owner, Genevieve, and four other tenants - Lucy, Gideon, Brandon and Alan. Tensions ran high in the household and not everyone got along. When their house-sharing comes to and end, they all go their separate ways. Or do they?

Twenty three years later and Julia and two of her former housemates are on trial for murder.

Now 48, Julia is living in a bedsit after an affair resulted in the collapse of her marriage. She is insecure and at times rather irritating. And now she finds her character is under scrutiny after cheating on her husband and being estranged with her son. But is she a killer? Will this paint a darker picture of her and cloud the jury's judgement? There is such overwhelming evidence against her, will they believe her story?

None of the characters are particularly likable but they were interesting. Genevieve claimed to be a classically trained actress but rumoured to have been a "hostess". Mourning the loss of her son she refuses to acknowledge his death and latches onto Brandon, making him a sort of pet. She's mysterious, inventing dramas for the sole purpose of attracting attention. Of all of them, she was the most entertaining. Brandon is thoroughly unlikable who uses people for his own gain, Alan is a nasty backstabber, jealous of everyone else while Gideon is one of those slimy people who fit in anywhere, anytime...blending in and making friends. But is that just an act? Is he just a wolf in sheep's clothing? And Julia? She's a woman with a loose relationship with the truth, cheating on her husband more concerned with her climbing the corporate ladder than caring for her husband and son, in my opinion. But has she just been swept along by a course of events through which she has had no control? Or is she more calculated?

Set across three timelines, THE VERDICT got a little confusing at times trying to place the sequence of events in order but once you do, it's fairly straight-forward to follow. Though it would have been better had the story been told in a simpler timeline rather than all over the place. It was refreshing to note that events from all three timelines made sense in the end, as there is nothing worse than a confusing conclusion that leaves you up in the air with loose ends.

I found THE VERDICT to be slow moving and difficult to be enthralled by anyone or anything. It completely lacked excitement that by the time it began to get interesting it was too little too late, in my opinion. By that time I didn't really care what happened to Julia - whether she was guilty or not. And for this reason, I hate slow-burns. I like books to keep you engaged from the first page...and unfortunately THE VERDICT failed to do that.

A reasonably good read, if you like slow burns. Just not for me.

I would like to thank #OlivaIsaacHenry, #NetGalley and #HarperImpulse, #KillerReads and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #TheVerdict in exchange for an honest review.

The Verdict is a great thriller that kept me guessing until the very end!! Such an awesome HUGE twist that I did not see coming!

I love a great thriller. The character development is really great with this one and the story line was one that kept me hooked. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes twist and turns.

It was a little confusing at first, but once I got into it was great. I really enjoyed the suspense and the characters were very likeable. hope to read more by this author.

Julia has lost everything that matters to her - her husband, son and job, all because of a stupid affair. She's in a bad place anyway, when she hears on the news that a body has been discovered and realises it's that of an ex housemate. Julia is arrested and put on trial for his murder - I don't want to go in to more detail than that as I don't want to leave any spoilers. This was a great psychological thriller, and I enjoyed it.

For fans of a courtroom based drama, this book was brilliant.

We follow the story of Julia, with chapters in alternating timelines; her past, after "Guildford" and then the present based in the court room. I love books that have alternating timelines when they are easy to follow, and I thought the process in this book was well done.

Most of the characters are pretty unlikable. At first I couldn't warm to Julia but as the book progressed I grew to like her more, and even more so during the court case. I have to say the stand out character for me was Genevieve though, a larger than life character who just made me smile.

Whilst I did guess the ending, I wouldn't say this was a predictable ride. There was a huge twist that I didn't see coming and I loved the book even more for that.

Gripping novel from the first page. I loved the premise and felt that the plot was timely and relevant.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for my digital copy.

A slow burn mystery suspense which traversed 20 years of the main character Julia's life and came to a banging finish.

An affair at work broke down Julia's family. A message with a link led to a body buried twenty years ago when 5 tenants lived in a house owned by an eccentric landlady. And only 4 set forth in the world. One was buried. And a trial was set for that murder which she had to undergo today. The biggest question was - a murderer or a framed victim - what was she?

My second book by this author, though a slow start with multiple confusing timelines, the story picked up midway and ran with the suspense. A courtroom drama pulled my interest in. I didn't like any of the characters, but I have to say they were highly complexed with layers to them. They appeared close-mouthed, but the chapters soon peeled off the layers.

The writing style was initially a bit difficult for me, I soon got into the rhythm of it when the pace picked up. I loved the twists hidden in the story, they got my pulse racing. For me, it was the court case and the arguments which closed the suspense in. I found myself reading it all in one go just to get to The Verdict. And boy, was it flammable with hidden secrets.

Overall, a fun read on a Sunday morning.

This book is a bit tricky to review. It was an interesting story and quite well written but parts of it were so slow and didn't seem to add to the story, for example the endless conversations that didn't really go anywhere. That being said it was a decent story and I would read more by this author.

When you are already known as the cheating wife and a bad mother, you are also accused of being a murderer. What will happen to you then?

The thing I liked about this book is the interlocking chapters between the past and present. The alternate chapters were good enough to understand the nature of the story as well as the characters.

The characters are well written that you can actually picture them doing those things while reading. We have both likeable and unlikeable characters (Boy! Do I hate Gideon?). The plot was action-packed and it never sagged throughout the book.

The struggles of a woman being cheated by her long term boyfriend and her coping mechanisms are actually relatable. What went wrong with Julia's life(protagonist) was analysed to the point in the story. How living with an abusive and manipulative husband can change your life is the highlight of this book (according to me). Overall, it maintained the mystery with a typical plot-twist.

I recommend this book to all mystery-loving fans.

Wow! This was an excellent thriller. The chapters alternate between past and present and are very clearly marked so it's not confusing. Julia was a broken mess and I think that's what made me really like her. She was so relatable. The characters were all kind of messy but that made them believable. There were several twists and turns that I did not see coming! The author did an excellent job and I will definitely read her other book. I highly recommend if you like British thrillers such as The Girl on the Train. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Excellent book, the story had me from the first chapter. Full of twists that keep you guessing till the end of the bool. Found myself unable to put the book down it was that good!

Character Driven Suspense.....
Julia Winter finds the past coming back to haunt her in the worst possible way. Compelling, character driven suspense - set across a dual timeline with short, snappy chapters - culminating in a tense Courtroom drama. Characters are numerous and, perhaps understandably, mostly unlikable. Plot is tightly woven with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

The Veridict gets off to a strong start as Julia's life disintegrates on being discovered having a fling with her son's rugby coach, by her son. Things don't improve as a body found on the downs belongs to her old housemate.

All things considered this should have been an absolutely gripping read but unfortunately the past present split broke some of the tension built in the present as the explanation about the past was too slowly revealed.