The second in this series. Easy reading and very enjoyable. The series centres on pupil barrister Adam Green and Rinder describes life in Chambers and in Court very well, bringing his expert knowledge to the fore.

The cases are interesting and not predictable. I look forward to the next and hearing more humorous conversations between Adam and his over-fussy mother.

I read a copy supplied by the publishers and NetGalley.

This is my first book by the author and luckily did not feel the need to read 'The Trial' to read this one. Two cases, seems straightforward but then nothing ever is. If there is a third in the series then I will definitely be reading it.

Rating: 3.2/5

"The Suspect" is Rob Rinder's follow-up to his impressive debut, "The Trial". The good news is that if you could easily read this one without needing to have read the previous book in the series. However, the slightly disappointing downside is that this sequel does contain a number of spoilers relating to its predecessor, so if you had plans to read "The Trial" after reading this, then you may well have your enjoyment of it marred to some degree.

My review of "The Suspect" won't be dramatically different to the one I wrote for "The Trial". That is essentially because it follows the same formula that worked so well for Rob Rinder the first time around. Junior Barrister, Adam Green, returns as the central protagonist as the author follows the old adage of "writing what you know". Once again, Rob Rinder makes a good job of utilising his in-depth knowledge of the legal world without becoming so highbrow that he alienates his audience.

As with book one, there are echoes of John Mortimer's "Rumpole of the Bailey" series and the stylistic positioning is very much towards the cosier end of the genre. In fact, this is even marked this time around than it was in "The Trial". The central mystery at the heart of the story is engaging and there are supporting cases going on simultaneously that work well enough too. However, everything about this sequel feels a touch more lightweight than it did in Rinder's debut novel and there is a constant sense of having been there before - which is always the danger of following a tried and tested formula. Another returning feature is the inclusion of intermittent chapters featuring telephone conversations between Adam and his archetypal Jewish mother. As previously, these chapters perform the dual function of building Adam's backstory outside the central thread of the narrative, while also providing some comic relief. That said, with the overall tone of "The Suspect" being somewhat lighter than it was in "The Trial", the comic relief aspect doesn't make for such a clear contrast this time around.

Overall, Rob Rinder's "if is isn't broke, don't try to fix it" sequel makes for another entertaining read in this developing series. I am sure there will be a third book in the offing and I have little doubt that I will be back to read that too. However, I do hope that Rob Rinder and his editorial team take care not to be too blandly predictable, whilst maintaining the appealing essence of the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Adam recently became a baby junior Barrister. He becomes part of the defence team in a high profile celebrity case.
I really like Adam and the pace of the book. It is a easy read. And the plot makes sense. You do not have to have read the previous book to enjoy this one.

Having really enjoyed the first novel featuring Adam Green, I was happy to read the sequel in the series. Adam is now a junior barrister and, as always, is overworked and there is lots about his time at Chambers, with all of the different characters and the pressure they are under.

There are two storylines. The first involves the death, on air, of Jessica Holby, a daytime television presenter on, ‘Wake Up, Britain!’ Sebastian Brooks, chef, is accused of giving her something which included an ingredient she was known to be allergic to. The second involves a young man whose brother is in a gang, and he is pleading guilty to something his brother did.

The plot is lightened by the scenes in television studios and with the interspersed phone calls from Adam’s mother, still desperate to find him a girlfriend. Overall, a well written, enjoyable mystery. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

A breakfast TV host is murdered live on air in what seems like an open and shut case. Barrister, Adam Green is part of the defence team. The suspect is refusing to offer a defence but Adam feels something is wrong. He has limited time to find out the truth before the case goes to trial. This is a great murder mystery set in the glamourous world of TV. It also gives a fascinating insight into the world of a barristers’ Chambers and the characters who work there. I enjoyed the parts about Adam’s other case, a young man dragged into gang activity and the exploration of whether justice delivers the best outcome for those involved. I haven’t read Rob Rinder’s first book, The Trial and wish I had read this first as there were quite a few references to Adam’s past that I didn’t get, hence 4 stars rather than 5.
Thanks to Cornerstone and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. I think it is even better than the last one from Rob Rinder.. So I hope the author keeps writing.
When a TV Breakfast presenter dies on morning TV, it appears she is having an allergic reaction after eating the mornings cookery demonstration dish. The chef is suspected and charged with murder. he was aware of the presenter's allergies. The junior barrister Adam Green, on his first case, realises it is not all that straight forward.
I loved the suspense and could not put the book down. I was mesmerized by the story and the characters. I read it eagerly, yet I didn't want it to end.

Intriguing story from Rob Rinder who combines his two areas of expertise, TV and the courtroom, into an absorbing murder mystery. I hadn’t really remembered the supporting characters from the first novel, so would read well as a standalone even though there are some spoilers for the first book. Some of the jeopardy around failing to successfully negotiate the pupillage is absent although Adam is far from out of the woods professionally. Looking forward to the next instalment. Recommended.

The Suspect by Rob Rinder

This second book by Rob Rinder was most definitely better than the first and, although I was unsure at first, I ended up finding this an enjoyable read. Unlike the first book, I found the plot in 'The Suspect' to be much more plausible and well crafted. These books, although technically a murder mystery book, obviously do focus more on the courtroom drama than the investigation, although I do enjoy reading Adam's side quests looking for evidence. As someone who works in a Court, I do appreciate how accurate the court procedure is depicted and, although I'm still annoyed about Judge Wickstead, I enjoy the tension and drama that the courtroom scenes give to the book. I also quite enjoyed the random inserts of Adam's phone calls with his mum, which acted as a way to lighten the otherwise intense, dark atmosphere to the book. There were, perhaps, more than necessary, but the light humour they brought to the story was an overall nice addition.

Rinder has a skill for creating funny, relatable and fully-formed characters. In particular I love how much I hate the character of Jonathan, as it shows the author has done a good job at portraying a cynical, self-absorbed and narcissistic man which I personally could relate to (as I have met many people like this) and found hilarious. I enjoyed watching his slow down-fall and how Adam finally stood up for himself, even if it was just by not doing his laundry (haha). Libby is a sweet character, and Georgina is definitely making a come-back from the nasty person she was portrayed to be in the first book. Although some of Adam's choices are questionable, I like that he has a strong set of personal morals and fights for what he believes in.

Overall I did enjoy this book, yet it didn't necessarily stand out above other books in it's genre. I will, however, definitely continue to read Rob Rinder's novels, as he definitely showed improvement in this second installment and I do enjoy the contrast between the tongue-in-cheek humour and the tense courtroom drama. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars (it would have been 3.5, but I've rounded up). Thank you to Netgalley and Rob Rinder for this ARC.

It's so long since I read the first book in the series that I had forgotten most of the recurring characters in The Suspect by Rob Rinder. However, they came back to me fairly quickly. I found the book slightly strange and felt as though everything were happening at a distance. It was clear that there had to be more to the trial than first appeared but there was a definite lack of drama about the revelations. I do like the fact that Rob Rinder doesn't try to pretend that the course of the law is perfect. There are no happy endings here.

I really enjoy books that focus on the police investigation but this is the first time reading from the perspective of the defence team.

This Suspect is the second book by this author and does contain spoilers for the first book. Having not read that one did not affect my ability to enjoy this one however.

The calls between Adam and his mum were not my favourite part of the story. They felt like they weren’t really needed, and I found them to just be a distraction from the story.

There was a lot here I liked. I really enjoyed the “only the suspect could’ve done it but it doesn’t feel like he did it” aspect of the mystery. I thought the ending reveal was good and the lead up to it made for an interesting read. I also really enjoyed the under-lying question of whether justice as an ideal is always the right thing when considered against the reality of life.

Characterisation could have been much stronger. We spend a lot of time in Adam’s head and he is likeable enough. The other characters are all mainly just background noise and I found it hard to really connect to any of them. It is possible that this is in some part due to me not having read The Trial first.

This was overall still a solid read and one I would recommend. I will be looking to read more books by the author in future.

If you want a little light relief away from the Post Office Inquiry and prefer the courtroom setting then the second Adam Green novel by Rob Rinder might fit the bill. It's a who dunnit but witnessed by millions. Other than for the Russian FSB they say a woman's choice of weapon is often poison. In this particular novel it was poison in the form of an allergenic that did for a female daytime TV presenter, seemingly administered by a celebrity chef! Adam Green wants to find out what the chef is hiding and at the same time he tries to steer the brother of a gang member in to telling the truth but for the young man it's Hobson's choice.
An enjoyable read but lacking in clues as to who the poisoner was, plus Adam should take his mother's advice about finding a woman.

I was eager to read my first book by Rob Rinder, having missed out on the first one, The Trial. I have to say that I was expecting much more from this novel. The crime at the centre of the narrative sounded intriguing, just perfect for a junior barrister like Adam. Unfortunately I found this really hard to get into. So many characters are introduced in the first chapter, some of whom I would presumably know had I read the first book.
I battled on, but it becomes so bogged down in minute detail around the office, who was doing what - shuffling papers, photocopying, arranging for drinks after work - but nothing that gives any insight into the life of a junior barrister, except that they are overworked and exploited by their pupil master.
Having read to 40%, Adam is too busy juggling tasks, worrying about his junior colleagues, and taking ridiculous calls from his mother. What age is he?! I felt I had strayed into an episode of East Enders each time he took yet another call from his mother, consisting of utterly puerile dialogue.
I’m sorry to say I have given up on this one, as I am bored with it all. The characterisation is weak, there is no one who is relatable and I find I don’t care what happens to any of them.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. I wish I had enjoyed it more.

A follow up to The Trial but I believe it could be read as a standalone.

This was a great story. Rob is a great writer and always holds readers attention and creates great twists.
The book starts up slow to build up setting, scene etc but then it is fast paced.

Loved the characters and the fame/day time tv aspect.

Would definitely recommend.

Adam Green is back in Stag Court, thanks to Bobby Thompson. And this time he got pulled into a high profile murder of Jessica Holby.
Adam Green is a budding barrister and is astute in the new book as well. Since the events of the previous book, he has been trying to put his best foot forward. It is tricky to solve it when you have whole country has witnessed the murder on live television.
The story is gripping from the first page and the readers realises who the alleged killer is! The story moves with perfect pace and engages the reader. Adam and his telephonic conversations with his mom are absolutely adorable.
The ending of the book felt a little rushed and it did not convince me completely. But, I hoping to read from the author and more of Adam Green.

My rating for the book is 3.5 stars.

Thank You, NetGalley and Random House for the copy of the advanced copy.

When the UK's favourite tv breakfast presenter dies on live tv, the country is left shocked what happened to her and it was soon discovered she ate food she was allergic to. It wasn't an accident it was done on purpose, the reason now is why? Junior barrister Adam is assigned the case and it is not as straight forward as it seems.
Second book in the series I haven't read the first one but it didn't matter this can be read as a stand alone. A very well written book witty in parts and I loved the chapters titled Phone call.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.
I have not read Rob Rinder's first novel so I had no preconceptions when I started this. There is just something about it that I didn't like. There were too many times that real events were altered just enough to make them fictional and different which I found unpalatable. Not for me I am afraid, I did not get to the end. That said I note that lots of other people really enjoyed this book so don't be put off by my review - give it a chance !

Jessica Holby is an extremely popular TV presenter, the darling of morning television so that when she dies in screen her multitude of fans are baying for blood. The subject of their wrath is celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks who had cooked for Jessica on screen prior to her death and know about her allergy to soy.
When it transpires that Jessica had ingested soy the police look no further than Sebastian and he declines to give any alternative to their theory.
Junior barrister Adam Green is assigned to his defence team but can he uncover anything to help Sebastian?
Adam is also helping Bobby Thompson to defend a teenager caught up in a gang feud. He wants to plead guilty to a crime he didn't commit but would this keep him safe despite him being incarcerated?
This story is entertaining, with believable characters and scenarios.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. It was a great follow up to The Trial. Adam is now in his first year as a junior barrister who is given teo challenging cases to work on. The first a murder case, with a popular TV presenter killed on a live broadcast. The sec case is yo help defend a vulnerable man who has been set up by his brother. He is working as hard as ever. This book is every bit as well written as the first one. I couldn't put it down and didn't want the dory to end. I can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A great follow on from The Trial. Hopefully there will be another instalment!