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A well known television presenter dies on live television.
It seems her death was not an accident and everything points to the resident chef.
However, junior barrister, Adam Green is not so sure and the presenter herself is not the person that the public thought she was.

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This is the second Adam Green book. The story starts with the death of a popular tv presenter, Jessica Holby, on Wake Up Britain that she co-presents with Nicholas Copeland. As part of their show - there is a regular cooking segment that famous chef, Sebastian Brooks takes part in. After eating his food, Jessica dies. How? Why? Adam is brought onto the case as a Junior Defence Barrister with Suzy Benton-Joslin as the barrister for Sebastian and his solicitor, Nisha Desei asked for him. Around the same time Bobby Thompson KC asked Adam to help him with his case - 17 year Alexei Sorokin, who is taking the rap for his older brother, Stepan (part of the Petrov Gang). I love the phone call exchanges he has with him Mum, who wants him to get a girlfriend or is he eating right?. All the sub plots are tied up nicely with a bow with a surprising ending. It is well written and the legal descriptions are great. I recommend this book. Hope there is a book 3.

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As cozy ‘who dunnits’ go, The Suspect by Rob Rinder is as cozy as they get. The Suspect is a very easy, undemanding read as it follows the preparation and subsequent court case of Sebastian Brooks, Star Chef accused of the murder of Jessica Holby, host of Wake Up Britain!
The characters are mostly one dimensional and like the storyline, offer no great surprises.
I just reviewed The Suspect by Rob Rinder. #TheSuspect #NetGalley

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An entertaining book written with great insight. Interesting collection of believable characters in Rob Rinders second book in the series. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

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The second book featuring junior barrister Adam Green and his colleagues in Stag Court Chamber, and this time he is working on a very high profile case. Morning television presenter Jessica Holby dies live on air from an anaphylactic reaction and the prime suspect is celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks. It did take me a while to get into this as there were a lot of characters introduced in the early chapters, but aside from that this was a good entertaining read. The authors background is well known and it is used to very best advantage in this book, which reads comfortably as a stand-alone.

Briefly, working with his gut feeling that there is something else going on behind the death of Holby Adam is working long hours investigating. Then he is asked by Bobby Thompson, KC, to help with one of his cases. A 17 year old with below average intellectual function who is taking the blame for his brother who is a serious career criminal. He is looking at a long prison term but if he doesn’t cover for his brother who knows what the gang will do to him.

Adam is a great character. I love seeing how he is growing in his career but what I really love is his chats with his mother. The phone calls between them are so funny but also so heartfelt. Mum really worries about her boy and wants him married and settled down. It’s clear that life for junior barristers is not an easy one, basically they are grunts for their more senior colleagues! This was an easy read cosy court procedural that I read in a day. Very enjoyable.
4.5⭐️

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A follow on novel from debut The Trial by Robert Rinder and a great second book in the series featuring trainee barrister Adam.

In this instalment we see Adam being baby junior in a case with nationwide appeal, the death of a hugely popular breakfast tv host, live on air with the “murderer” having nowhere to hide. Second to this storyline there is the sad case of a brother allowing a gang mentality to sway him into agreeing to take the blame for his criminal brothers crimes.

The highlight of the book for me was the hilarious conversation between Adam and his mother. She calls him at odd times, being an insomniac, questioning his cases, suitable love interests and generally dispensing great motherly advice and quality laugh out loud moments.

Great writing and good to see many of the characters from The Trial back. Looking forward to book 3

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Adam Green is back and now he's a junior barrister.

When morning TV's most popular presenter dies on live TV the entire country goes in to mourning.
Before long, it appears as though her death is not an accident and all the evidence points to a celebrity chef.

But is all as it seems? Before long, Adam finds himself trying to find his way through the world of daytime TV and discovering that everything on the TV is not always as it seems.

Throughout all of this, Adam is also working on another case for a colleague who he admires, and Adam finds himself in a bit of a pickle where he learns a valuable, important lesson.

As with the first book, Adams phone calls with his mother lighten the mood and also give a bit of an insight to Adam's childhood.

I'm looking forward to the next book.

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A tv presenter dies live on air and the show's chef is held accountable and arrested. Adam is asked to step in when one of his peers goes off sick and gets embroiled in the celebrity circus that surrounds it. He is also assisting Bobby on another case which involves a gang. Life is busy, busy and he is still being nagged by his mother about girlfriends. Entertaining.

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For a performer, “dying” in front of an audience is a fate worse than death. A career setback. Literally dying is, however, the end of a career. Jessica Holby, the nation’s sweetheart, is in her regular position hosting “Wake Up Britain”, when she collapses and dies It swiftly becomes clear that she has died of anaphylactic shock, having ingested soya to which she is fatally allergic. The allergen was in the food that she had just eaten, on screen, prepared by Sebastian Brooks the famous TV Chef. The recipe did not include this ingredient because everyone on set knows of the allergy and every precaution is taken. Her EpiPen, always on hand in case of emergency, has disappeared. Sebastian had brought all of the ingredients for the meal, and had prepared and cooked it on camera. Sebastian had had an affair with Jessica, and threatened her not to reveal this secret when it ended. A million people witnessed all of this so Sebastian is already condemned in the court of public opinion before he is arrested on a charge of murder. He is about to be tried on this indictment and is pleading Not Guilty. Adam Green, having finished his pupillage at Stag Court Chambers, is Junior Barrister for the defence team. It looks like there is no real defence but Stag Court are on a win anyway because the prosecution team are also members of those Chambers. As is often the case, Adam is simultaneously defending on a number of smaller cases, including that of a young man, Alexei, charged with possession of a number of weapons. He is pleading Guilty, although Adam knows he is being a scapegoat for his gangster older brother. The moral issue in this case is that if Alexei is found Guilty he faces a long prison sentence, whereas if he is found Not Guilty he faces punishment by the gang,
Two contrasting cases in this Court Procedural novel, the second to feature Adam Green. In the first, he must talk to witnesses and review all the materials with the hope of finding evidence that can provide reasonable doubt for his client, or mitigating circumstances. In the other case, he has to juggle with conscience and morality. Not surprisingly, the story is very heavily concerned with the courtroom dramas, and the author is on safe ground here, and is skilled at taking the reader through the processes without being didactic. But the court is only part of Adam’s life, albeit a huge part requiring lots of midnight oil burning. He also finds himself conflicted about his relationships with colleagues Libby and Georgina; who does he fancy most, who fancies him most? And then there’s his mother, always wanting to know about his love life, his eating habits, his high-profile contacts, his career, attempting to matchmake him with friends of friends. All of this is deployed in interspersed chapters. These do function as lighter moments within the drama, although the latter isn’t really all that dark and the book is more cosy crime than is usual in this plot category. Overall, it’s an easy, well written and enjoyable read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

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This is the second in the series following Junior Barrister Adam Green.
The darling of Wake Up Britain Jessica Holby is poisoned live on tv. It seems the suspect is Sebastian Brooks, the famous chef.
Also, running alongside this case is the Petrov gang. They are a nasty bunch who try to intimidate Adam into making sure one of the gang member's brother takes the rap.
It was good to catch up with Adam now that he has finished his pupillage.
We still have that unlikeable character Jonathan, who is making his new pupil's life a misery, but there is some comeuppance for him.
Loved the phone calls between Adam and his mum.
I thought the ending was a bit abrupt.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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This was a fascinating insight into the behaviours of lawyers and their methods of working. Some great characters who all felt very real and it highlighted the difficulties between guilt and innocence. Great read!

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I was pretty impressed with this author's series opener "The Trial" when I read it last year so I was really looking forward to this, the follow up, once again featuring junior barrister Adam Green.
So... we start with what appears to be an open and shut case. Jessica Holby, the darling of morning TV, Wake Up Britain, dies on screen in the middle of a live show. Fingers swiftly start to point to celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks who had not long since served her up a meal featuring one of his own Ragu sauces. You see... Jessica has allergies, bad ones, and she died of anaphylactic shock.
The trial date is set and Adam is asked to be the baby junior, replacing his friend who needs a bit of time out. Adam, as you would expect if you have already met him in The Trial, is not adverse to controversy, and is not as convinced with Brooks' guilt and starts to question things... Meanwhile he has other defendants to try and save. And then there's his mother to placate. Oh my days she definitely wins supporting character of the year for all the phone calls... Leaving you to discover these yourself, so funny.
I was a bit worried going into this book that it wouldn't match my expectations but, after finishing it, I have to say that it blew them away pretty much in the first quarter. I really loved re-connecting with Adam, a character I didn't realise I missed until we started catching up. And one that I was really not looking forward to having to say goodbye to once again as the ending approached.
The story was excellent and kept my attention nicely throughout. Hitting the ground running, letting me occasionally bob up for air, and then sucking me back in as it twisted and turned all the way to a very satisfying ending. I loved that Adam is still learning and making mistakes, and all the while doing his own thing. Bit of a maverick but in a good way. I also love the things I am learning about the courtroom system. Giving me shades of the great Rumpole who I adored as a child. This book also features the ins and outs of TV production, again something the author knows a lot about. His two worlds colliding if you like.
All in all, a cracking follow up to The Trial, which you do want to read first for full enjoyment. Me, I'm now hanging for book three... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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When popular breakfast TV presenter Jessica drops dead live on air all fingers point towards TV chef (and her love) Sebastian.

Junior barrister Adam is brought in to defend Sebastian and get to the bottom of what really happened to Jessica.

I didn’t love the first book in the series (The Trial) but I was intrigued by the plot of this one so decided to give it a go. Unfortunately it just didn’t quite work for me, I find that like with the first book there’s almost too many characters and too much going on and it takes away from the main plot. It was an easy read but I just didn’t love it unfortunately, but a lot of people enjoy Rob Rinder’s books so I think it’s a case of me being the problem rather than the book perhaps.

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Hannah Holby, daytime TV host supreme, dies on set and her fans are shocked. However, her death is deemed as not to be natural causes and the celebrity chef working with her is arrested. Adam Green's chambers are handling both the prosecution and defence of this case, and Adam finds himself working with the defence.

However, the facts are far from clear and the chief suspect doesn't seem to be helping his case. Meanwhile Adam is asked by his former mentor Bobby to help him with a second case concerning a young man who was arrested for having arms under his bed, which actually belong to his brother. He is trying to protect his brother without realising the implications of what will happen to him, but the dilemma is that if he takes the blame he'll serve time, but if he admits the guns belong to his brother, he is likely to cross a gang who will want revenge.

Each of these cases cause Adam to question his choice of a career and how it was impacting his personal values. The result is an exciting and interesting read, written by someone who clearly understands the legal process.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Another good book. Although not quite as good as the first Adam Green book, it was still very enjoyable. Rinder added the moral dimension to the cases - it is better to go to prison when innocent or face the retribution of criminal gangs. I really liked the conversations with his mum as they added a slightly humorous break from the law. Poor Adam is overworked, then has his mum nagging him. Really looking forward to the next one.

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I stopped reading courtroom books due to finding many of them boring and laced with too much legal jargon and not enough action, but this book was a welcome change. I thought it would be one of those books that drag on, rather than a one sitting read ( took me two days, but I attended a food festival so I was busy). I read it as a standalone book and the way the plot unfolded with background to the murder being added through Adam's enquiries made the courtroom seem almost like the secondary plot rather than focusing on it. I enjoyed reading this.

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The Suspect is the second book by Rob Rinder and both feature junior barrister Adam Green. The Suspect works as a stand-alone novel but there are returning characters from the previous book, The Trial.

It did take me a little while to get into the story but once it hooked me I couldn't put it down. I'm fond of Adam Green as a character, I enjoy reading about his relationship with his Mum, who thinks he works too hard and needs to find a girlfriend. I also like how he is growing in his profession and how he is learning to navigate the moral dilemmas and challenges of being a barrister. I'm hoping to see Adam star in future novels from this author.

The writing style is very easy to read. It's knowledgeable about the court system as you would expect but the plot isn't bogged down with too much detail. It's the perfect balance.

My thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for providing me with an early review copy.

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Rob Rinder’s second book featuring baby barrister Adam Green he, is in the thick of it once again defending a high profile case and helping Bobby with another. The workload only gets worse and Adam wants to do what’s best for everyone. A very entertaining read that highlights the work of the courts with Rob Rinder writing about what he knows very well. I will be sure to look out for any more books by him

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Jessica Holby is the nations sweetheart, presenting her daytime TV show, smiling for the cameras, the public love her.
When she dies live on air the finger is pointed at the program’s resident chef Sabastian Brooks. Brooks had made a meal for the show’s cookery segment which Jessica tasted just before she died, killed by anaphylactic shock from soy that was in the sauce. But everyone on the show knew about her allergy so why would Brooks put soy in the food, was it deliberate or is someone trying to frame him.
This is the dilemma facing Junior Barrister Adam Green when he is asked to work on the Brooks case. Everyone is acting as though it’s open and shut and that Brooks is guilty, but Adam has a feeling that something isn’t quite right, and Adam doesn’t like to ignore those feelings. Even if it could cause problems in the career he has worked so hard for.
It’s not easy to write a crime book from the perspective of the legal team without it being very dry but Rob Rinder does it brilliantly. He doesn’t baffle you with legal jargon, he just lets a god plotline speak for itself.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first of Rob’s books and this second one is even better. I can’t wait for the next one.

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I wanted to love this - I like Rob Rinder as a personality and the premise was a good one. Glamourous breakfast show host murdered by breakfast show cook in plain sight on air! Junior Barrister Adam is on the team to help defend the undefendable... Investigating ensues!

I enjoyed the world Rinder created and the insights into the relationships between colleagues and how difficult their workload is. Legal thrillers are one of my favourite genres, and I also enjoyed watching Adam interview various people. The problem for me was that I didn't feel he played enough of an active role in the eventual outcome. He did lots of work - but how much impact did it have? Consequently, the ending fell flat for me.

But I overall enjoyed the writing, so if there was another in this series, I'd read it.

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