If you’re fancying something, gritty, taut and compelling, this book should do the trick nicely. It centres on the jury members that 10 years ago had found a defendant of murder not guilty. The case was so big that all of them were left affected in some way.
Maya is the protagonist who had swayed the other jury members, (just like in the film 12 Angry Men), and who had then gone on to become a successful defence lawyer. Only things are due to change as the case raises its head again – Rick one of the jurors is suggesting he has come across evidence that challenges the acquittal and he wants to bring the jury back together in the most sensational way…
The writing is incredibly confident and compelling. Maya is a very likeable and respectable character, with a good heart. Each of the jurors play a significant part that supports rather than crowds the story as everyone’s back story and views come to light. All have flaws. Some are more complex and layered than others. Then one of the jurors is killed and they pull together to solve the matter once again.
Whilst an extremely well written book that flows well, and has lots of good twists and turns, which I must say had me gripped most of the way through. The latter third of the book then became just a bit too contrived and moved from being entirely believable to hard to swallow. Whilst ingenious and still entertaining it meant the quality dropped and why I dropped a star. Notwithstanding this, it is an exceptionally high quality read than I would encourage be read.

Hi and welcome to my review of The Holdout! Massive thanks to Tracy Fenton for the tour invitation and to Orion for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

Heavens above, what a book! That’s really all I have to say, just, buy the book, it’s a doozy, don’t ask questions, buy it, read it, thank me later!

Need more info? Well okay then, let’s go into a bit more detail. The Holdout is part crime thriller, part psychological thriller, part legal thriller, spread over two timelines, namely 1999 and present day.

In 1999 there is a major court case and it’s this case that forms the foundation for the present-day events. A wealthy white teenage girl has disappeared, presumably murdered, but no body has been found. The little evidence there is seems to point to her teacher, a young black man with whom she apparently had some kind of inappropriate relationship. Fifteen people are drafted into jury duty, twelve of them will have to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not. When the trial is over and the jurors convene, there is only one juror who refuses to convict a man on such uncertain grounds. Her name is Maya and she manages to sway the other jurors. The defendant walks, only he walks out into a country convinced of his guilt…

Fast-forward to ten years later. Maya has become a successful defence attorney. She has put to excellent use her experience as juror and the criticism her decision evoked in friends and strangers alike, but she’s nonetheless convinced that she’s put that whole ordeal behind her. Until one of the jurors contacts her to tell her about new evidence, inviting her to a reunion for a true crime documentary, and Maya starts to realise that bygones might not be bygones after all. When one of the jurors is found dead at the reunion, Maya is the main suspect. How to prove her innocence? And who would want to kill one of the jury members now, and why?

With the court case in one storyline and its repercussions plus a murder investigation in the other, both storylines are teeming with questions I needed answers to and there is mystery galore! Presented with the evidence such as it was I had to agree with Maya, in my opinion there just wasn’t enough of it to convict. But was Maya right? Was I? The Holdout raises a lot questions about court proceedings and justice. It made me wonder what I’d do if I were selected for jury duty, which side do you err on: you don’t want to convict an innocent person, but you don’t want a guilty one to get away scot-free either, do you? How do you live with setting a man free without truly knowing if he was in fact innocent, what if you let a murderer walk? Ten years after the trial the jurors still don’t know if they did the right thing and Maya finds herself not only trying to find out who killed one of the jurors now, but also if she was right in 1999.

For those of you who can’t live with uncertainty: all is revealed and well, truth be told, I was left reeling! This is such an excellent thriller start to finish, sucking you in from the start, very entertaining but also thought-provoking, and the finale is the juicy cherry on top of a glorious sundae! The combination of various subgenres of the classic thriller really worked for me, and the reveals took me by surprise, although, looking back, I suppose I could have worked them out, the clues are there, I just never recognised them as such. Highly recommended!

Set in Los Angeles, The Holdout tells the story of Maya Seale who was on the jury of a murder trial in 2009. Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, whose father Lou owned a large percentage of real estate in the county, went missing on her way home from school and the prime suspect was her part-time English teacher, Bobby Nock, aged 24. The jurors all found him not guilty after Maya persuaded them that there wasn’t enough evidence – Jessica’s body was never found.

Ten years later, Maya is an attorney after her experience on the jury encouraged her to follow a career in criminal defence. All of the jurors were affected by the case, especially when their names were revealed to the public, and one man, Rick Leonard, has spent his life regretting his decision and trying to find out the truth. He approaches Maya and the other 10 surviving jurors and asks them to take part in the Murder Town podcast, a docuseries for Netflix, which aims to reveal the truth once and for all.

Maya had been romantically linked to Rick during the trial but, afterwards, he wrote a book about their experiences, apologising for the jury’s decision and blaming Maya, so she initially refuses when he asks her to take part. She then reluctantly agrees when her boss, Craig Rogers, senior partner at Cantwell & Myers, persuades her to be involved, and when she discovers that Rick has vital information – new evidence that will definitively incriminate Bobby Nock – that he’ll share during his segment of the podcast, the final one.

For this 10-year reunion, the jurors all meet at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles, which was where they were sequestered during the trial, when their names were revealed to the press three weeks in and they were forced to move into suites at the hotel. Before the podcast interviews can start, one of the jurors is found dead in Maya’s hotel room and she is thrust headlong into another murder case and must investigate to save herself.

In two timelines, we learn more about Jessica Silver’s murder and Bobby Nock’s trial in 2009 from the points of view of all the jurors and follow Maya’s progress in 2019 as she investigates the juror’s murder while on bail, much to her boss’s dismay as she’s hired him to be her defence attorney. As the various stories unfold, we discover more about all the jurors and both cases and things start to get rather intriguing!

I found it awful how much the original murder trial had seriously affected all the jurors’ lives – each and every one of them was changed by it and most were unable to continue with their lives in the same way and couldn’t leave it behind. They didn’t complete their education, were forced to leave their jobs or changed their careers, all because they were unfortunate enough to be chosen to be on the jury and made the decision, rightly or wrongly, of finding Bobby Nock not guilty.

I liked the main protagonist, Maya Seale, as she was a strong woman who had taken something positive from the difficulty and traumas of the original trial by becoming a defence lawyer. She’d taken part in the system and wanted to use her insider knowledge of how a jury makes its decisions to help others. She is successful and determined: she finished high in her class at UC Berkley Law, was partner in three years at Cantwell & Myers and has done well in her career with many plea bargains negotiated, plus acquittals in all her cases that have gone to trial.

It was intriguing and disturbing to discover, though, that it seems most defence lawyers/attorneys don’t really care whether someone has actually committed an offence or not; they just want to get them off by constructing the best defence and dismantling any evidence that has been put forward. It all sounds rather a complicated game and the team that plays it best is the one that wins, irrelevant of the truth and whether someone is innocent or not!

Overall, I really enjoyed The Holdout – it was a complex, well-layered, entertaining legal thriller and I liked how the story unravelled. It would definitely make a great film with its Agatha Christie style (she is even mentioned in the book!). The well-written, enthralling plot was cleverly split between the two time periods and it was twisty and full of suspense and tense moments.

It’s a fascinating read and I enjoyed getting to know all the jurors – such an interesting mix of people – and learning their secrets. They all had something to hide. Half the time I didn’t know which way things were going to go as new information was revealed and things took yet another unexpected turn. Will definitely be looking out for more from this author and checking out his screenplay, The Imitation Game!

Bobby Nock, a young black man and teacher, is on trial for the murder of 15 year old schoolgirl, Jessica Silver, with whom he’s said to have had a sexual relationship. Jessica’s body has never been found, but the evidence against Bobby is so strong that everyone believes he’ll be found guilty…until he isn’t. So why wasn’t he? Because one lonesome jury member thought that Bobby was innocent. And that’s all it took, one juror, one person to change the minds of all the others. And Bobby walked free.

This book alternated between the present day and the time of the trial, which took place in 2009. It’s no secret that stories told from different time periods are always a big hit with me, and this was no different. The story set in the present day was told from Maya’s perspective, being the one juror who believed that Bobby was innocent, and the story from the past was told by a range of other jurors. As normally happens, readers tend to prefer the story set in one time period over the other, and I preferred the story set in the past. I loved that part of the story because I loved the different view points from the different jurors. Also, that part of the story highlighted the actual trial, it’s where we got the courtroom scenes, and where we got the interactions between the lawyers and the witnesses.

Ultimately this book deals with two mysteries – one that’s set in the present day, and then the mystery of the past, of whether Bobby did actually kill Jessica. One of my criticisms of this book is probably that I wasn’t quite as interested in the present day story and it lagged a little bit compared to the mystery of the past. But perhaps I’m being overly critical here. Also, some of the story was a little far-fetched, and I found Maya’s apparent lack of concern about her arrest also unbelievable. I doubt there are many educated, professional and decent people who wouldn’t be scared beyond measure if they were arrested for a crime that they didn’t commit. She seemed like she couldn’t care less.

On a positive note, this book has a number of twists and turns in the second half that I really enjoyed. I was also super eager to find out what had happened to Jessica, as well as to the individual-who-shall-not-be-named (in the present part of the story), so as not to give anything away.

This story was a good one and I enjoyed it. It wasn’t so much court room drama as it was murder mystery, and so don’t be put off if you’re not traditionally a fan of long drawn out court room scenes and legal wrangling. And I really did like the ending with its twist. It was a solid read. Nothing spectacular, but solid.

3.5 stars rounded down. Maya is now a successful lawyer but her life has been overshadowed by being part of a the jury for notorious murder case ten years before. At first, she was the only juror to believe the defendant not guilty but she persuaded the others to vote with her. What she didn’t change was public opinion and she has been vilified ever since. At the ten year anniversary of the trial, she and the other jurors get back together for a TV programme where one of them claims he will be able to prove they were wrong. Unfortunately for Maya, he is found dead in her hotel suite. The story flashes forwards and backwards and you learn more about each juror, many of whom have secrets of their own. I was really enjoying the book until the very end which finished quite suddenly and the final twist was not a surprise as I had hoped it would be. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Despite guessing the end within about ten minutes (and I'm a useless armchair detective!), I found plenty to enjoy here - some complex relationships, a tense premise and some good puzzles and red herrings along the way. The writing is evocative and pacey - definitely worth a read for fans of the crime thriller genre.

The holdout is an interesting premise of how trying to do the right thing can have !ong lasting consequences for all involved, it starts 10 years ago when a group of random strangers are chosen for jury duty on the supposed murder trial of a rich white girl by her black teacher lover, even though no body has been found. 10 years on the jury meet again to discuss the impact that the verdict had on their lives when one of them is murdered, who did it ? There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you gripped right to the final page.Definitely worth a read.

I wasn't as blown away by this book as other readers seem to have been and I don't really know why! I found it a bit confusing in parts and it didn't really go the way I thought it would at the beginning. It was enjoyable enough but not amazing. I wasn't entirely convinced by the twist at the end either. An okay read.

Maya Seale is reluctant to re-visit an infamous murder trial on which she was a juror. That was ten years ago and she has had to live with her decision ever since. For she was the one who convinced her fellow jurors that Bobby Nock was innocent.

Convicted and on trial for the kidnap and murder of schoolgirl Jessica Silver, Bobby Nock's defence had failed to sway the majority of the jury. who were firmly on the side of the prosecution and it's largely circumstantial evidence.

Maya's closest ally during that time was fellow juror, Rick, and although he apparently turned on her after the trial in favour of 'seeking justice' for Jessica Silver and published a book condemning himself and other jurors for making the decision they did, Maya still trusts him inherently.

He is the reason that she says 'Yes' to a reunion of the jurors for a television documentary ten years on from the original verdict and he is the reason that she herself is the subject of a murder investigation. After an argument in her hotel room, Maya storms out leaving Rick alone, and comes back to find him dead, assumed murdered with herself as the prime suspect.

As she fights to clear her own name, she discovers things about her fellow jurors and the original trial, that could have changed everything back then.

But is that knowledge enough to save either her or Bobby now?

This is the first novel I've read by Graham Moore and it's both gripping and thrilling!

Told partly in the present, and partly from a decade ago, this is the story of the jurors in a murder trial; what occurs now is inexplicably connected to what happened then - and it makes rather fine reading! As the one juror who believed the accused's innocence, Maya Seale managed to convince eleven people who considered him guilty to reverse their decision and release the defendant. Ten years on, Maya is a top lawyer, successful in her career until the case from the past rears it's ugly head again . . .

What a story! Wrapped up tightly, this unravels slowly as we get to know everything about Maya's past and how it relates to the present. Raising questions of racism amongst others, this is an intrinsically complicated tale which, with skilled writing, comes across so easily! It grabbed my attention from the very first and kept me fascinated until the very end. There is so much that I never saw coming but, in all honesty, I was so invested in events that I just never thought about things. A marvellously complete story, beautifully written and I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author. A cracking thriller, highly recommended and one I consider fully worthy of all five sparkling stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I love discovering new authors and Graham Moore is definitely a new author for me. I read the synopsis for 'The Holdout' and it certainly sounded like the kind of legal thriller I enjoy. I started reading and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed reading this fantastic book.
It didn't take me long at all to get into this story. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first half dozen or so pages I knew that this was going to be one book that I would struggle to put down. I must by psychic because that's exactly what happened. I made the fatal mistake of picking the book up not long before I went to bed. Let's just say that bedtime was delayed and I had a sleep hangover the following morning. I went to sleep thinking of the book and I woke up looking forward to being able to pick the book up again. I would say that I read the book in just under 18 hours which is good going for me. I usually have the concentration span of a gnat and I am easily distracted but not in this case. I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of this story.
I admit that I did chuckle to myself towards the beginning of the book. I know that sounds bad but I don't mean it that way. There's a part in the book that discusses a video played to jurors before the case starts and the film is introduced by the actor Sam Waterston, who played the legendary Jack McCoy in the long running television series 'Law & Order'. McCoy is one of my television heroes and I started to read the book whilst watching, you guessed it, 'Law & Order'. I reached the part about Sam Waterston at the same time that McCoy stood up to take on the suspect in the courtroom. It was just a coincidence but it made me smile.
'The Holdout' is brilliantly written. The author has created a tight and unique (well to me it is anyway) plot that will stay with me for a long time to come. He grabbed my attention from the synopsis alone and then once the story started, that was it. Through Graham's realistic and vivid storytelling, I did feel as though I was part of the story myself and I got a real insight into the complexities of the American legal system. In fact at times I thought that I was watching (or reading) an episode of 'Law & Order'. I was totally gripped by the plot and on the edge of my seat throughout.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Holdout' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I look forward to reading more of Graham's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

A fantastic read. At the start I decided that I knew who had murdered Jessica and it fitted right until the last few pages. What amazing characters, Described so fully in a very intense way. All the way through the reader is faced with the moral dilemmas that the characters faced.
So much could be said about this exciting read but a lot would involve giving spoilers and so I must recommend this as a read not to be missed. Unusual, having an unique plot full of interesting people who are all full of intrigue.

A legal drama and a very good thriller. A real page turner and a very clever plot. Full of misdirection and prepare to play cat and mouse. This book had me thoroughly entertained and engrossed. Thought provoking, great pace and a story that will stay with me long after I have turned the last page. Almost five stars and highly recommended.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is an absolutely fascinating legal thriller that held my attention from the very first page all the way to the surprising conclusion.

I loved following the individual jurors and how their thoughts were so varied. How influenced subliminally they were by different factors and how race, religion and wealth make you judge differently.

This has two different timelines, then and now, but they are easily distinguishable. I had always fancied jury duty but after this I think I will give it a miss. It really hits home the absolute responsibility of someone else’s freedom being in your hands.

The narrator Maya, after being a jury member on the Bobby Nock trial, became a lawyer herself and after a fellow juror had written a book condemning her decisions back then, making her a social pariah, she refuses an invite to a ten year reunion for a podcast called Murder Town. However, the juror/author points to having new evidence and Maya’s boss persuades her to attend.

So the original jurors are all together for the first time since the trial and then before you know it another murder has occurred. Dun dun dun ……..

This is heavily Agatha Christie influenced with the author even referencing some of her works. Word of warning if you haven’t read them the author puts in all the twists so it contains major spoilers. I kept thinking this was a subtle hint on what was to come and it was ingenious but what the author did was even cleverer. (If the author can use handsomer I can damn well use cleverer).

This isn’t slow or fast paced it’s both in the right places. You need the slow build of character development and then faster as you race towards the answers. In law you get answers with the trial and sentencing but are they really answers or just what you are led to believe are by clever lawyers and a jury of complete strangers. The only people who really know are the victims and the culprits. In this book the readers are on the jury and the author is one clever lawyer who will lead you to believe he’s telling the truth.

Well I give my verdict beyond any reasonable doubt that this book is guilty of being a surefire bestseller.

The Holdout by Graham Moore is an absolute page-turner, and the first book I’ve said that about in 2020! The plot was absolutely fantastically plotted, the multiple points of view piqued my interest and kept me hooked until the last page. This could have been one of those novels that fell foul to having one too many reveals, but the pacing kept it exciting and the book didn’t feel rushed at all. Moore has surprised me, as it’s the first I’ve read of his and I devoured it.

The story
Maya and eleven other jurors set Bobby Nock free from jail when they declared him ‘not guilty’ ten years ago. What led them to that conclusion when the rest of America believed him to be guilty? Rick, one of the members of the jury along with Murder Town podcast, with whom he has teamed up to reveal ‘top secret’ evidence that proves Bobby Nock’s guilt. But what does he have on her? What does he have on everybody? They are about to find out when a member of the jury’s body is found in Maya’s hotel room.

Why I loved this book
The Holdout by Graham Moore is my top book of 2020 so far, because of the way it is carefully crafted, with equal emphasis on plot, character and mystery. The woven in political issues and mindset from 2009 added a nice touch which was reduced in the present, and I feel this nicely reflected today’s society. Moore’s understanding of the issues surrounding race and the ways people attempt to insert themselves into situations to ‘help’ and end up doing more damage than good is impeccably well done. Maya’s judgement because of her views on race and attempts to not be perceived as racist is definitely clouded.
The characterisation in this book spoke volumes. Maya was the protagonist and probably the most stereotypical character in terms of being a ‘white saviour’, as well as slotting into the role of amateur sleuth rather well and being a badass lawyer. Rick had his complexities, however felt like he was slightly built to be the antithesis of Maya; a black man who sees the difference between himself and Bobby, but maybe a bit too much. Rick’s resistance to acquit Bobby comes from a questionable place for sure.
Continually, we have the rest of the jurors, some of whom are featured more prominently than others. Some standouts for me included Wayne, Peter, Kathy and Lila who I felt either had interesting stories from the original trial or played a unique role in the present day unfolding of events. The roles these characters filled offered intrigue and ways of moving around the story that are completely unique to this plot. Had Moore been less attentive, these plot devices could have been cheesy and made for the downfall of the book, but he uses them in such a way that you cannot help but keep turning those pages.
I loved the modern day mystery element of this as well. It felt partially Agatha Christie style, in that there were a limited number of suspects, many motivations and opportunities and the backstories of each of the characters from the time of the trial offered different ways to look at each and every event. While the book isn’t difficult to follow, I certainly didn’t find much time for speculation, which is a real treat in a crime novel, as I was constantly trying to list the various facts received the whole way through. This made it seem as though I was the one on the jury and Maya was certainly right in that there’s sometimes no value in taking notes, as they can end up contradicting themselves.

Overall, this is a fantastic book and my favourite 2020 novel so far. The Holdout by Graham Moore will take you on two court case adventures, so have fun keeping ahead of the game! Thank you to Moore, Orion and Tracy for organising this tour and allowing me to read an ARC. Highly recommend – five stars!

Really enjoyed this, there were a couple of "really?" moments but on the whole it was really entertaining.
Some really interesting plot twists and I loved the complexity of how the characters slotted together. It was told in a very clever way, and I think that the different flashbacks are what made it so good.

A now and then, courtroom thriller - well crafted with loads of twists and turns. Lots of seeking out truths, ensuring justice is done and looking after the little people. A very satisfying read - can't really say much more without spoiling it - go and enjoy!

The Holdout is an intriguing thriller, a courtroom drama that slowly sucks you in until you become completely involved in the action. I have always loved jury based thrillers as they deliver a cast of very different characters who would never normally come together and that mix usually proves to be very explosive indeed! And that’s exactly what happened in The Holdout. There is a dual timeline going on throughout which follows the jury members of a murder trial as they lead up to their verdict. Maya Seale bravely convinces the other jurors of the innocence of the accused but ten years later another juror wants to go over what they all did to “put right” what he considers to be a wrong decision by them all. But when he himself is found dead, Maya becomes a suspect herself.

I really enjoyed the courtroom scenes in The Holdout and the way in which we are gradually introduced to each juror, looming beyond the number given to them, to see their backstory. The relationship between Maya and Rick became a point of focus for my curiosity as I wondered how much it impacted on events both then and now. And as the book gathered speed, the final third threw up some very shocking twists indeed, none of which I had seen coming.

If you love a courtroom drama with a healthy bite of realism then The Holdout is definitely the book for you!

The Holdout is published by Orion and is out now.

I went into this book knowing little about what it was all about and I’m really glad I did as it really enhanced the reading experience. So twist upon twist we have here and a story that really does keep you guessing right to the end it’s an intense and complicated legal type thriller yes but it really is a whole lot more besides.
Brilliantly written the characters are all believable some likeable, some not Graham Moore has written a riveting and thoroughly enjoyable book set in two timelines with absolutely loads going on. I’m not going to say more as this book benefit’s for going in blind in my option. A book I can highly recommend and one to keep any lover of mystery thriller’s glued to the page.
My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’d like to thank Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Holdout’ by Graham Moore in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Bobby Nock is charged with the murder of fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver despite her body never having been found. The evidence points to him being guilty but Maya Seale believes he’s innocent and talks the rest of the jury into seeing it her way. Ten years later the members of the jury are brought together in the same hotel they were sequestered in during the trial as one of them says he has new evidence. When he’s found dead in Maya’s room the police arrest her as prime suspect but Maya knows she hasn’t harmed him, so who has?

‘The Holdout’ is a legal thriller that moves effortlessly between what happened in and outside of the courtroom ten years ago to the present time when the members of the jury are brought together again. It has a promising start with a well-written storyline, tension and drama, and concludes with a thought-provoking and surprising finale that I wasn’t expecting. It isn’t as gripping as I thought it would be and I lost interest slightly in the middle section but nevertheless it’s still an acceptable read.