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.