Nazir Afzal knows a thing or two about justice. As a Chief Prosecutor, it was his job to make sure the most complex, violent and harrowing crimes made it to court, and that their perpetrators were convicted. From the Rochdale sex ring to the earliest prosecutions for honour killing and modern slavery, Nazir was at the forefront of the British legal system for decades. But his story begins in Birmingham, in the sixties, as a young boy facing racist violence and the tragic death of a young family member – and it’s this that sets him on the path to his groundbreaking career, and which enables him to help communities that the conventional justice system ignores, giving a voice to the voiceless.

This read is pretty indescribable, as well as being insightful and an absolutely fascinating insight into the justice system and some of our most infamous crimes. I have had the pleasure of attending a talk by Afzal and was eager to read this and learn more about his pretty illustrious career. I was not to be disappointed. Afzal gives just the right amount of detail and ensures this is a gripping read and one that is very educational and thought-provoking.

As you might suspect, this is at times a very difficult read and there are some brutal crimes discussed. Nothing is sensationalised but this is a distressing read at times. Having said this, I was gripped from the beginning and raced through this exquisite read. As well as using examples, Afzal outlines his life history as well as his thoughts on the justice system and justice in general; how it has changed, how it could have changed and what is needed for the future.

'The Prosecutor' is both a highly enjoyable read as well as a factual, fascinating read too. I for one will be recommending this to a lot of people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an advance copy.

This was an amazing portrayal of life in Birmingham at a time when racial hatred was rife. We follow Nazirs life from being beaten up while walking home from school to becoming a prominent prosecutor in our legal system. His meteoric rise from a poor and humble background, as a son of Pakistani parents is nothing short of miraculous and deserves every accolade this book can being him.

I grew up during the same era as the author and I was aware of the National front and their attitude to people of other cultures and faiths. But we lived next door to an Indian family, an Irish family and a Bajan family and my mother could be friends with anyone so I never really understood the extent of the struggles for those communities. We all got on well enough although I did wonder why they kept to themselves so much.

The Prosecutor is opening my eyes to the struggles those communities went through: externally from people who were prejudiced against them, and internally as often cruel traditions (such as forced child marriages and honour killing) from their homelands clashed with living in modern Britain.

The book shows me how far we have come in addressing these issues while making the wheels ofjustice run more smoothly (and boy have we come a long way) but also how one man sought to make the world a better place - and over time succeeded. Inspires me.

Nazir Afzal's memoir of 25 years with the Crown Prosecution Service is both interesting and highly readable. Dipping in and out of some of the biggest crimes of my lifetime, Afzal shines a light on both the biggest victories for the criminal system and some of the worst mistakes, all from the point of view of a man who fought the 'system' which he was a part of for much of his life. As a Muslim man taking on prosecutions for so-called Honour Killings, human slavery and the grooming of poor white girls by gangs of Pakistani men in places like Rochdale, he walks a fine line between the communities of his childhood and the establishment. Whilst he's proud of many of his achievements, he doesn't slavishly toe the line for the CPS and admits that his decision to retire was based on having insufficient staff and funding to do the job the way it needed to be done.

Absolutely fascinating and highly recommended. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Brilliantly written account of a meaningful and varied career in the law. Afzal's compassion for his clients, dedication to the pursuit of justice and fervour for improving the legal system are very inspiring.

This is an incredible memoir from Nazir Afzal, an outstanding CPS chief prosecutor, central to driving the heart of the pioneering evolution of law and justice in Britain, particularly in protecting communities, and the vulnerable, developing cutting edge practices to ensure there was some measure of justice when it came to domestic violence, forced marriages, the horror of so called 'honour' killings, modern slavery and trafficking. It is usually defence lawyers who are celebrated in our society, but Afzal is the perfect case study of the prosecutor as hero, groundbreaking as he goes out of his way to engage with victims of the most harrowing of crimes, neglected and abandoned communities, the police and other relevant agencies in the pursuit of effective change in a archaic, largely privileged and white profession, not noted for its ability to adapt or change, its diversity or in its promotion of inclusivity when it comes to making sure that justice reaches all corners of society.

Afzal is the son of Pakistani Muslim parents that were remarkable community and civic role models to a boy who faced relentless racist abuse and assaults growing up in Birmingham at a time when getting justice from the police was a joke. This background drove his interest in the law, moving from being a defence lawyer to becoming prosecutor in London with the establishment of the CPS in 1986, a dysfunctional fledgling organisation that took a little while to find its feet, operating on a shoestring, and insufficient number of lawyers, a chaotic, messy madhouse in the court system in the 1990s, but Afzal loved it, he was excited and in his element. His successes were noted but he was feeling hemmed in, which led him to becoming the Chief Prosecutor for North West England, a position and place that proves to substantially more amenable for lateral thinking and radical change than London could ever have been, blessed as he was with a fantastic can-do team and a terrific partner in the Manchester Chief Constable.

Afzal was involved in some of the most high profile legal cases in England, including the Rochdale grooming gang scandal, where he shows real courage in acknowledging the CPS had been wrong in not prosecuting the men earlier, taking responsibility for decisions made by others. It is distressing to hear how deep budget cuts to the service ensures that it becomes well nigh impossible to do his job in an environment where justice as a concept for all was disappearing, unless you happened to be wealthy and privileges. This leads him to quit in 2015, an incalculable loss to the CPS, an extraordinary man, instrumental in shaping the law to meet the grim realities to be found in the darkest corners of modern Britain. So much of this memoir is heartbreaking, such as with the revelations of misogyny, abuse, coercive and controlling attitudes from men, families, a culture and communities, directed towards women and young girls, the gender terrorism and murder, is pure horror. Afzal's response is so compassionate, so human, so understanding, with his rock solid determination to find new, original ways to ensure the most vulnerable and powerless gain access to some form of justice despite the obstacles that stand in his way. One of the most amazing memoirs I have ever read, and should be turned into a film or TV series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Ebury for an ARC.

I loved this. I hadn't read a non-fiction book in a while. It felt very relevant and topical to today's political and climate of justice.

An easy book to read given it's about the UK's criminal justice system. The Prosecutor gives an insight into what the job was like for Nazir as a Chief Prosecutor and having to deal with high profile cases. Definitely worth a read!

The Prosecutor was a detailed and insightful read and was so much more than what I expected from this book.
It begins with the story of Afzal’s childhood and the difficult and heartbreaking experiences he came across in his childhood and it was good to see his backstory.
Afzal’s insight into the world of justice is honest and should be recommended reading for all with an interest in criminal justice and the law. Some of the most covered cases are a difficult read but I felt this was needed for an honest depiction of how the criminal justice system works.
I found the writing moving yet harrowing in some parts, but in many ways uplifting and hopeful. One of the best non fiction books I have read in a while!
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing for my ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to Nazir Afzal, Penguin Random House UK/Ebury Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This book from the early chapters is not an easy read.

When a Court case makes the news, I have to be honest and say I am ignorant of the work that it has taken to get to that point.

This book opened my eyes to just what goes on behind the scenes. There are some high profile cases discussed in this book and they are covered in detail.

It was very easy to warm to Nazir Afzal right from the early chapters. This book is incredibly sad in places and extremely thought provoking.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting. It might not have been an obvious pick for me if I had been browsing in a bookshop but it was definitely a worthwhile and riveting read which I enjoyed despite the sad nature of the book.

This book gives lots of information about the crime prosecution service including individual cases that were high profile and Paducah written about them I n the press.
Nazir worked hard to get to his high ranking position and it is good to hear of his success really against the odds as he is the son of immigrants that came from Pakistan to make their home in the UK.
I found the sections about trafficking of children and violence against women difficult to read but very interesting to hear how the CPS convicted the people committing these crimes and how committed Nazir is to bringing the criminals to. justice to help communities and individuals.

The Prosecutor wasn’t the book I thought it would be, I thought we would be getting an account of a few cases here and there from a prosecutors point of view in the UK but in fact, we go so much more.

We begin by reading about some of Afzal’s childhood and some of the events he experienced as a kid, these were heartbreaking in some instances but I was so glad when both his parents were fighting for their community.

After qualifying and spending some years working before becoming involved with the Crown Prosecution Service and continued to fight for justice in the UK. Starting in London then Afzal moved to my home town of Manchester. Afzal shows the inflexibility of a number of government services in working together to solve crimes and the reluctance to change.

The book covers his involvement in some very famous cases and large scale operations including the Rochdale scandal, the murder of PC Hughes and PC Bone, the death of Mark Duggan and the following riots among many others.

When leaving the CPS Afzal continued to work in justice but in other ways, I was glad to read his support of the schools teaching LGBT relationships.

The background of early life puts the legal career in to context but wow. The birth of the CPS. One of the hidden legal division. Very little press apart from criticism. A wonderful look into this department from its inception, the reasons for its inception and regional development. Headline grabbing cases and the affect it had on legal repercussions and other cases. Having read the secret barrister, defence barrister accounts, forensic services accounts and pathologist accounts in recent months, this book more than holds its own. It should be mandatory reading for anyone studying law or criminology.

Afazal manages to make this immensely readable without ever either sensationalising the cases he works on or making it all about himself. He tells his story - the son of 1960s Pakistani immigrants who went on to become one of the top prosecutors in the CPS - with enormous humility and gravitas, paying tribute to his colleagues (one of his bosses for a time was Keir Starmer) across the justice system, community leaders and the brave victims who spoke out, sometimes at enormous cost to themselves.

There are some harrowing stories told here (the 'honour killings' where women know they will be murdered by their own fathers are especially difficult to read), but they are balanced by Afzal's relentless and determined work to effect change despite being put on an al Qaeda death list at one point *and* feeling a constant outsider to the British establishment, even being exploited as the only brown face in the room to provide a photo op for David Cameron.

For all his successes in prosecuting child sex abuse, organised gangs of grooming rapists, slave traffickers and others, it's dispiriting to see that Afzal ends his career feeling disheartened by our present: Tory/coalition 'austerity' cuts have undone much of the good work achieved over the previous twenty-five years, and the brief pointing finger at Boris Johnson's leadership that Afzal allows himself highlight's BJ's pride in surrounding himself with people who will bow to, rather than challenge, the status quo, and stifle the kind of innovative thinking that Afzal personified and respects.

Still, a fascinating story about a man who has quietly but persistently been fighting for social justice and cultural change.

I stayed up all night to read this straight through. A powerful important book by the former Chief Crown Prosecutor.

Nazir Afzal's memoir covers the nature of justice, a career moving from defence lawyer to prosecutor, the effects of crime on communities, the role of the Criminal Prosecution Service, the challenges of public service, the desire to protect the vulnerable, the desire to cultivate trust in the police and the courts, and the drive to ensure laws are fit for modern Britain.

Afzal discusses high profile cases, he details occasions when he and his team had to clarify the law or seek new legislation, he explains how certain crimes - so-called 'honour killings; child grooming cases; human trafficking and slavery; - that were ignored or misunderstood bubbled under the surface and had to be confronted.

Afzal is honest about the current dire state of our Criminal Justice System, in desperate need of reform, and the growing risk averse nature of our institutions, but he retains hope in the power of the individual to effect change.

I found this inspiring, informative and ultimately hopeful. One of the best nonfiction titles I've read in a long time.

This was an illuminating and inspiring account of the criminal justice system by a man who knows it intimately.

Nazir Afzal has forged a well deserved and immaculate reputation for his dedication and brilliance as a prosecutor and reading his account of how he overcame childhood adversity and discrimination to get to here he as I can well believe and understand his success.

He is dedicated, well prepared and relentless and is a formidable prosecutor who is determined to see justice done.

Nazir Afzal has had an amazing career in the law, progressing from a criminal defence solicitor to Chief Crown Prosector and Chief Executive of the UK’s Police and Crime Commissioners. What amazed me reading this book, is discovering how hard Nazir fought to change the system and how passionately he cared about the victims and survivors of the crimes he prosecuted.
It must have been incredibly difficult for Nazir being born in Birmingham in the early 1960’s to parents who had just moved from Pakistan and where he was subjected to racial abuse on a frequent basis. He overcame this and believed in fighting for justice so wanted a career in the law, opting for the criminal law at an early stage.
His story is amazing and so well told. He dealt with numerous well-known cases that hit the headlines and achieved changes in many areas of procedure, focusing primarily on child sexual exploitation, forced marriages and honour based violence, gender terrorism and domestic abuse.
It is dreadful to hear such a pioneer in the law to say that Britain’s criminal justice system is broken, and to have him retire from work after such an illustrious career due to overwork of his colleagues and frustration at the system.
This should be a compulsory read for all MPs in the same way that The Secret Barrister’s book was sent to all members.
A totally riveting and informative read.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.