Charles Holborne has made his way from the despised Jewish boy to a recognized barrister in 1960s London. Not afraid of digging, he can solve tricky cases and made himself a name in the criminal classes. Yet, his private life is far from being this successful. His wife is unfaithful and he has to admit that a divorce is the only solution left. Not realizing that dark forces are against him, he suddenly finds himself the main suspect of his wife’s murder and has to retreat to the underground from where he now has to fight for his right and name.

The novel starts at a slow pace, the characters are introduced thoroughly and their way of moving around described in detail. However, it is worth keeping on reading because with the murder of Holborne’s wife, the story accelerates and it getting better from page to page. The way the protagonist has to act now to defend himself and to deliver the real culprits is very thrilling and full of suspense. There are some dead ends to who might be behind the whole complot and untangling the conspiracy is great to read.

What I appreciated most is the atmosphere of the time. Simon Michael manages to evoke the spirit of the 60s and thus provides a suitable set for the plot. His characters are designed authentically and the crime is solved completely without leaving any questions open or by providing surprises out of the blue. All in all, a convincing crime novel.

The Brief Simon Michael

To use a sporting term this is a book of two halves, and both of them are really good.
The first half of the book is set in 1960 introduces the reader to the main protagonist Charles Holborne, a Barrister in a London Chambers. As the only criminal barrister amongst chambers full of corporate law and civil court barristers he is not the most popular person.
In fact Charles is not the most popular person amongst most of the people in his life. His wife is from English gentry and his marriage is on the line as she increasingly turns to her parent’s circle of friends leaving Charles alone at home or working late. Whilst he’s at work he is constantly fighting the closure of the criminal work and hence his removal from chambers. Simon Michael, paints a great picture of a law chambers in the early 1960’s and the people that work in it, with Holborne having few friends and many enemies.
Charles is from a strong Jewish family and has changed his name to help him get along in a largely anti-Semitic profession. However it was marrying his wife Henrietta that was the final straw and his family have disowned him since the wedding.
The first half of the book sees’ Holborne representing one of two armed robbers tried with job in London, and is a good story in itself, but is no more than a prelude for the action in the second half.
The second half of the book is set in 1962.
Two years later and Charles and his wife are drifting further apart and the other barristers in Chambers are increasing their attempts to drive him out.
With his life in general reaching a tipping point Holborne becomes the suspect in a vicious crime. One of the characters introduced in the first half of the book is Detective Inspector Ronal Henry Wheatly. Wheatly is not crooked but he does like to make the evidence fit the person he is after. He is known to get results, even if he has the wrong person.
When Holborne realises Wheatly considers him a suspect he knows he has to take matters into his own hands, go on the run, and try to solve the crime himself.
The story sits nicely in the sixties allowing Simon Michael to weave a tale that wouldn’t sit correctly in the modern day.
It seems right that the world in which he works is full of anti-Semitic upper class snobs; its right that his wife’s family look down on him; we except that policing was “different” in those days. It wouldn’t have been right to set in in this day and age.

Michael has written a tale that is easily believable and very enjoyable. I hope this is the first of many, hopefully in the same era.

A great book I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a good legal who-done-it.