The legal thriller series you need to read! Perfect for fans of John Grisham, Robert Bailey, Michael Connelly and Robert Dugoni.Guilty until proven innocent… London, 1960Barrister Charles Holborne is not popular. A Jewish East Ender with a rough past, he is ostracised by his anti-Semitic and class-conscious colleagues who don’t want him in their prestigious Establishment profession.And the … colleagues who don’t want him in their prestigious Establishment profession.
And the bitterness Charles feels at work is spilling over into his personal life, putting his marriage under strain.
When a high-profile murder case lands on his desk, Charles is hopeful his fortunes will turn around.
But after a shocking crime is committed, he finds himself on the other side of law…
Can he outwit those trying to frame him? Will he manage to unmask the real criminal?
Or will he find himself on trial for murder…?
THE BRIEF is the first crime novel in an exciting historical series, the Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers — gritty, hard-boiled mysteries set in 1960s London.
‘seriously good storytelling… a superlative courtroom drama” – New Law Journal
‘Vivid, gripping and authentic storytelling. A great crime thriller’ – Roberts Daws, bestselling author of The Rock series
‘a cracking read’ – Jill’s Book Café Blog
‘an extremely addictive read’ – A Lover of Books Blog
‘gritty, gripping and utterly compelling… The author has put his years of legal experience and research to excellent use and is one hell of a story teller’ – Reflections of a Reader Blog
‘easily believable and very enjoyable… I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a good legal who-done-it’ – Nigel Adams Bookworm Blog
‘an intelligent, atmospheric and cleverly organised tale of crime, murder and corruption which will have you hooked from the start’ – Emma The Little Bookworm Blog
‘Chilling suspense and climactic surprises’ – Publishers Weekly
‘Absolutely unputdownable; if you loved watching Damages and The Good Wife you will definitely enjoy reading The Brief. This is Britcrime at its very best’ – The Book Magnet Blog
‘Confident … sharply observed, packed full of rich, authentic dialogue. Pacey, yet measured, [it] weaves complex legal scenes with light, credible domestic and professional moments where characters are fleshed out and the central hero is exposed, both for good and bad. It is a good sign to close a book wanting to get started straight away on the next one’ – Bookends & Bin Ends Blog
THE CHARLES HOLBORNE LEGAL THRILLERS SERIES
BOOK ONE: The Brief
BOOK TWO: An Honest Man
BOOK THREE: The Lighterman
BOOK FOUR: Corruptedmore
This book started a little slow for me but less than half way through it became a page turner! It was fast paced and kept me racing to the end! I really enjoyed it and will look for more in the series. Fans of Michael Connelly will like it. Thanks to Sapere books for the early copy!
A barrister gets stitched up royally for a major crime. The threads immediately begin to unravel, but will the police acknowledge it? The detective in charge wants a conviction and buries exculpatory evidence. Will truth prevail? Read it and find out. More character development than I’ve read lately (I’m currently a “hard science fiction” fan), but quite enjoyable. Anti-semetism is protrayed as common among the British elite, and is part of the plot. Gentle twists, turns and PG13 adult relationships (is this an example of “cozy”?), and hooks for sequels. I’ll read a sequel.
The Brief by Simon Michael is a legal thriller that takes place in the ’60s, a British whodunnit. The British are known to tell a great story, especially the mysteries. This one is no exception. A story of crime and corruption right in the legal system.
Barrister Charles Holborne is not a popular person, as he is a Jewish East Ender, not wanted in the “prestigious Establishment profession”. He gets a high profile case that he hopes will help turn around his life. But when his wife is murdered, he becomes a suspect and he must run for his life, trying to find out who the killer is. He gets the help of a clerk in the office that he works in to help him as he has nowhere else to go but to her.
A good British mystery is one that keeps you guessing until the end. The characters were well written and the British legal system explained so it was more understandable. I liked this book and do want to read the next one in the series as I think that The Brief is a good start to the series. Loved it as I love a great British mystery!
Had a hard time getting involved with the characters.
I kept falling to sleep.
Very slow
i was pleasantly surprised after a start that did not open up my interest the plot soon materialised with different scenarios that created suspense and interest A great book that will enhance one appetite to persevere when other books fail to satisfy
Verbiage made it a difficult read though I know it had to be.
Starts slowly but picks up and becomes an entertaining read.
Just not to my taste
Enjoyed this book. Good story line and characters were fun
Interesting turns and twists, well written.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes legal stories. It was well written, and the characters were interesting.
Didn’t care for this book
Start slow, but picked up on n the end.
I didn’t feel like it was truthful and the characters were not real feeling, like puppets. This was the worst book I’ve read in a long-time.
The Brief is an okay story. Little unbelievable at times, but it moves along at a good pace.
Gripping mystery about British law system. Well-developed and interesting characters.
Read it straight through. Easily got caught up in the locale & story.
Great read slow to start but gives the reader a firm knowledge of the background making way for the story