Rob Rinder is the master of all talents. Here he has given us a great book and a riveting read. The book centres on Adam. A young barrister called upon to help on the trial of the century. A celebrity chef has killed a presenter live on air following a cookery segment. Is the case as slam dunk as it seems.
Not only do we get to find out about the investigation in detail we also get to take Adam to heart.
A brilliant read and I await the next instalment.

After reading the first book in the series, The Trial, I was looking forward to reading the second book. If you haven’t read The Trial, The Suspect works well as a stand-alone.

In The Suspect, we’re back in Chambers with Adam Green, now a Junior Barrister. He finds himself working on a high profile case of the on-air poisoning of a morning TV presenter. He’s also working on another case where a vulnerable young man is under threat from a gang. In between his work he’s still fielding calls from his mother.

On the whole, I like Adam and the conversations between him and his mum are so funny and bring some light hearted humour to the story. However, I think Adam became more of a wet lettuce in this book and he needs to be more forthright. I thought the suspects and new characters involved in the case were a bit meh and I didn’t really connect to them.

The story is readable enough and mostly follows Adam and his investigations into the case. There are hints he may fancy his work colleague but this doesn’t come to much.

For me, the plot was lacking in pace and because I couldn’t connect with the characters involved in the trial, I wasn’t really bothered if they’d done it or not. It seemed to take a while for much to really happen and even then I found the ending very underwhelming and almost lazy.

I think this book was missing something and I’m not sure what it was. I was expecting a pacy, quick read to keep me hooked but unfortunately it didn’t deliver for me. I think Rob Rinder comes across as a lovely and charming man and if he writes another book I would read it.

2.5 stars rounded to 2.

The Suspect is the second novel from Rob Rinder - yes, Judge Rinder - and seeing as I love that man I was thrilled when I was approved to read ahead of publication.

Last year’s The Trial introduced us to junior barrister Adam Green, and The Suspect follows him as he realises the case before him is not as straightforward as it seems; the nation’s sweetheart morning TV presenter dies live on screen, a celebrity chef is the prime suspect for her murder, and a web of deceit and lies is uncovered in the quest for the truth.

I find Rob Rinder to be a completely charming man; he is funny and intelligent and successful, and comes across as a genuinely lovely person who I’d love to be friends with. I’m stipulating this because a ‘however’ is coming…

However, I wasn’t utterly thrilled with The Suspect. It seemed a bit fluffy, a bit predictable, a bit lacking, somehow, in a way I still can’t put my finger on. Adam is a likeable character, and the book being written by someone with the lived experience of being a barrister adds a richness to the story and a genuineness that you’d not get from someone who’s simply researched that world. But I don’t care for the phonecall chapters between him and his mother - to me they add nothing and feel very unnecessary - and, likeable as Adam is, for me I prefer the focus to be on the main whodunnit plot.

I was expecting more from The Suspect and I’m disappointed that it fell flat for me. It’s a good way to spend a day reading, but it’s not groundbreaking and not particularly memorable. I hope book three returns to form.

Book 2 about junior barrister, Adam Green. You could read as a stand alone though.
A presenter on a daytime TV show is given a dish containing soy which she is allergic by the TV chef who made it. He brings the ingredients, looks after them cooks the dish and doesn't leave the studio. He's adamant that he didn't do it, so who did.
.Adam's barrister is defending the chef whilst his chambers are providing the prosecuting barrister so he is against his friend, Georgina. Adam's mum provides some Jewish mummy light relief. A nice touch.
I really like how the legal process is portrayed. The story holds up and the twist works.

The nation's favourite daytime TV presenter, Jessica Holby, was murdered live on television and it seems that there's only one suspect. He's celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks and his contract stated that he must not serve anything containing miso to Jessica Holby. She's seriously allergic and carries an EpiPen in case of emergencies. Everything seemed as normal - as normal as they can be in a busy, live television studio - and Brooks served a ragout to Holby. Her EpiPen was nowhere to be found and she was dead within minutes. It was soon clear that this was no accident.

We first met Adam Green and some of the other members of Stag Chambers in The Trial and you can be forgiven for thinking that the format of the two books is very similar. Rob Rinder can also be forgiven for thinking that if it isn't broken, don't fix it. The characterisation is strong but not subtle. The real backbone of the book is the plot.

Adam Green, now a tenant rather than a pupil at Stag Chambers, works as the 'baby' junior barrister in two contrasting cases. The first is the murder of Jessica Holby where Stag Chambers is supplying both the prosecution and defence teams. I've no idea if this happens regularly in real life - but Rob Rinder is a barrister and we're in safe hands with him. Adam's other case is a young man with learning difficulties who has difficulty understanding the implications of what is happening to him. He doesn't seem to think it unreasonable that he should plead guilty to a crime for which he wasn't responsible and which will carry a heavy custodial sentence as his brother has offered him an X-Box for doing so. Adam discovers that he has to be careful about what he says to the accused as misinterpretation could end his career. There's also an interesting situation when it becomes clear that encouraging someone to tell the truth might not be in their best interests.

There's light relief in the form of Adam's mother who phones regularly (and certainly more often than Adam phones her) to enquire if he has a girlfriend and if he is eating properly. Too many eggs cause bloating, you see. Egg mayonnaise should be avoided. In The Trial, I found the character annoying but warmed to her in The Suspect.

As well as reading the book I listened to an audio download, narrated by Josh Dylan, who also narrated The Trial. He has an excellent range of voices and I enjoyed listening to him.

The second Adam Green novel in this cosy court crime. Enjoyed the development of the characters in the Chambers and the parallel trials. More to come I hope.

Barrister Adam Green is back when a TV host has been killed live on air and the TV celebrity chef is the prime suspect.

The Second book from @robrinder and was just as good as the Trial. It’s such a good inter-connected standalone and I loved seeing all the returning characters and where they’ve progressed in their law career. Speaking of returning characters. Adam’s mum still melts my heart and I found their phone call chapters so funny and such a palette cleanser.
It’s such a quick fast paced book, I didn’t know where the story was going to go and I love how in-depth Rinder goes with the trial aspects of the book as you know its coming from experience.
Such a cosy crime novel that I would recommend to everyone

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Suspect by Rob Rinder in return for my honest review.
When I started reading this I didn’t realise it was the second book in the Adam Green series so I went back to the beginning and read The Trial first, Im glad I did as it gave me a better insight to the characters which appear in both books. I really enjoyed the story line and the characters and can’t wait for the next instalment.

I have fallen in love with Adam. His moral compass is on pointe, his relationship with his mom is brilliant and quite amusing and I'm desperate to read the next installment.

Keep writing these books Mr Rinder, they're brilliant.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Rob Rinder can write a good book!
Adam Green junior barrister returns for his second case and things aren’t as clear cut as they first appear!
A breakfast tv presenter dies live on air and the only suspect is chef Sebastian Brooks .
Jessica Holby had a food allergy and everyone knew this including Sebastian.
After her death she is revered and seems whiter than white but is she really?
Is Sebastian guilty or he is hiding something.?
The writing is excellent there are plenty of twists and turns .
Can Adam help to prove Brooks’ innocence or is he a lost cause? It seems an impossible case .
Rinder highlights the pressure the legal profession are under especially in this case of junior members .
It shows both the competition between them and their mental health struggles in trying to be the best they can be.
Looking forward to Adam Green’s next case!
A great read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone .

I loved reading Robert Rinder’s first book so when I saw this, I knew I needed to read it. Although it follows the same characters, you do not need to read the books in succession. I enjoyed this book so much, it was completely gripping from start to finish. I loved reading about how the trial builds and how the case is put together, it really made you feel part of it; however the pressure these characters were under, I’m sure is what it’s like in reality but I definitely felt the pressure reading it. I thought the way everything was built and revealed was fantastic. What a great read!

A great second read from Rob Rinder! Its great how he uses his legally system knowledge to create such in-depth courtroom scenarios and storylines.
I really hope he does more in this style

It was good to meet Adam again. His character is portrayed so well in both his personal and legal life that the reader really feels that they get to know him. Once again he is overworked but striving for justice and we follow him as he seeks it out.
I found the book engaging and devoured it.

A tv sweetheart dies on air and there is only one suspect. He seems to have all the evidence stacked against him yet did he actually commit the crime. Is he hiding something? Can JUnior barrister Adam figure out the truth in time to save him.

This was an interesting and fairly quick read. The plot is simple and easy to follow. I loved how the murder was worked out and the ending was well done yet sad. I did figure that might be how that part of the story ended. The characters are likeable for the most part especially Adam. He puts himself under a lot of pressure and makes mistakes but you want him to succeed. A good mystery.

Jessica Holby is loved by TV viewers across the country, so when she dies live on air the nation is devastated, especially when it becomes clear that her death wasn't an accident. All evidence points to celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks, but junior barrister Adam Green isn't convinced. Can he uncover the truth before it's too late for Sebastian?

This is the follow up to Rinder's first book, The Trial, and whilst the main plot line is stand alone I was glad to have read them in order. There's a lot of backstory to the characters that you would miss out on otherwise.

Adam Green is clearly one of the good guys, we learnt that in The Trial and it is reinforced here. I liked that in the side storyline Rinder put emphasis on Adam's wondering whether encouraging a suspect to tell the truth when they would face gang recriminations for doing so was the right course of action. It does make you stop and think that sometimes there's some limitations in the power of the justice system.

In terms of the supporting characters, Rinder has brought some new ones in to play as well as keeping some old faces. Georgina is shaping up to be an ongoing presence in the series, and it will be interesting to see her and Adam's working relationship develop. Jonathon is back and as smarmy and infuriating as ever, but looks to be getting some comeuppance in this one which is a delight to read about!

As far as the storyline goes it was good to read, there is less of the detailed procedural side of things in this book which I think was a good step, that can get a bit heavy at times. Being used to reading police procedural novels you have a view as a reader that it's the police who do all of the investigating and evidence discovery, but Rinder shows a different side to things here. It's easy to read and kept me engaged throughout.

If there was one drawback I would say it's that the formula felt very similar to the first book in the series, which meant that the book felt like a familiar read despite being a new story. I hope that as the series continues Adam's professional career starts to take off and with that opens doors for the storylines.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent follow up to "The Trial" and our main character Adam continues to juggle numerous cases as well as trying to fit in a social life and keep up to date with his mother.
This story revolves around the case of a TV chef accused of murdering a morning TV host live on air and is just as easy to read as the debut novel. The same balance of gripping plot and humour throughout make this an extremely enjoyable read.
Also no need to have read the first novel if you haven't already done so but I'd recommend going back and reading it anyway.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for my advance copy for review purposes.

Rob Rinder has become one of my favourite authors. Love his book, easy to read. Great characters and enjoyable. Can’t wait for his next book

I often find that a second novel is not as good as the first, but this was certainly not true for Rob Rinder’s second novel. I just loved it!!! I enjoyed the characters, how they interacted and how real they felt. Adam, the central character, is very appealing, and I just love Adam’s mum; she is so proud of her little boy. I also like the fact that the court case and the barrister’s working life dominated the storyline, as it could have quite easily slipped into a story about fame and celebrity. I find the author’s writing so relaxing to read, and I easily immersed myself in the book. My only negative points were that I got no work done that day as I couldn’t put it down, and I did not want it to end. I am looking forward to Adam’s next trial. A five-star rating from me.

A chef seemingly commits a murder on daytime TV, is he guilty. Full of twists and turns in this legal thriller. Will keep you hooked till the end. Good characters that you root for and some obnoxious ones that you don't. Thanks to Random house/Cornerstone and Netgalley for this review copy.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Suspect is the second novel by Rob Rinder, to feature Adam, a new barrister.

Adam is involved as part of the defence team, in the trial of Sebastian Brooks, a TV chef who is accused of killing national sweetheart Hannah Holby on live tv.

The Suspect by Rob Rinder is an enjoyable British legal thriller up there with John Grisham at his best. that is a perfect beach read,

The story centres around Adam as he struggles to find his feet as a barrister trying to build connections with solicitors to get work, in social gatherings that he does not have the skills for.

The struggles of a young barrister are one of the main points of The Suspect as the novel covers the downside in this profession both with the amount of work they have to put in as well as the danger some cases can put them in.

This leads on to the mental health rep that is in the novel as the characters deal with these struggles. While Rob Rinder as a writer does not show the skill as a writer to cover this subject in depth.

Having said that, The Suspect is not the style of novel that you would expect an in depth study of the complicated world of Mental illness representation, having said that it was nice to have this aspect in the novel.

But what Rob Rinder is very good at is setting the scene both in tension building, as well as the final payoff of the novel, the courtroom scene.

Yes, the legal thriller set in court does make it easier for the writer to have the set scene at the end, Rinder is able to write it in such a way that it hits the mark perfectly.

All this makes, The Suspect by Rob Rinder a great read.