The Verdict

Starred review from September 21, 2015
This propulsive legal thriller from Thriller Award–winner Stone (Mr. Clarinet) centers on the arrest and impending trial—seemingly a certain prosecutorial slam dunk—of multimillionaire hedge funder Vernon James, a poor West Indian immigrant’s son, for the murder of the young blond whose strangled body is found in his luxury suite at the London hotel where only hours earlier he accepted an award from the Hoffmann Trust, a liberal umbrella organization, as “Ethical Person of the Year.” James’s predicament should come as catnip to Terry Flynt—at 38 hanging on by his fingernails to a job as a lowly legal clerk—who blames James, his former childhood best friend, for getting him booted out of Cambridge and starting him on the downward spiral of booze and depression that nearly destroyed his life. But, as Flynt is stunned to discover when he’s tapped to work on the defense team, his feelings are significantly more complicated, especially once the evidence he starts to uncover suggests that James might be innocent. Though not all the plot strands tie up as tightly as one might wish, the Machiavellian plotting, Old Bailey fireworks, and almost Dickensian richness of character and setting make this a standout. Agent: Jane Gregory, Jane Gregory Literary Agency (U.K.).

Starred review from September 1, 2015

Terry Flynt has the formidable task not only of serving as law clerk for a high-profile case in which his onetime childhood friend Vernon James stands charged with murder, but, as narrator, plays Nick Carraway to Vernon's Jay Gatsby, then transforms into Dante's Virgil leading the reader through the ins and outs of the British court system. Along the way Terry must wrestle with his own conflicts and demons--growing family commitments, a faltering career path, the temptations of a recovering alcoholic--while maneuvering through the treacheries and dark secrets lurking behind the day-to-day transactions of a successful law firm. Meanwhile, evidence mounts in Vernon's favor despite bungled police work and the machinations of a far-reaching conspiracy. VERDICT This fast-paced legal thriller by the award-winning author of The Clarinet is destined to grab the attention of American readers for its complexity of plot, its depth of character development, and for the nitty-gritty portrayal of London's seamier side. Fans of the BBC's numerous popular crime series can now curl up with similar sophisticated fare in book form. [See Editors' Picks, p. 29.]--Nancy McNicol, Hamden P.L., CT

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Terry Flynt and Vernon James became friends growing up in a rough, poor London neighborhood. Vernon, brought from Trinidad by his parents, was driven to succeed. Terry, an indifferent student, followed Vernon's lead, and both made it to Cambridge. But their paths diverged, in large part because Terry felt that Vernon betrayed him. A decade on, Vernon is a high-flying hedge funder, and Terry a low-level clerk in a posh London law firm. When Vernon is arrested for murder, he turns to Terry's firm, and Terry is selected to aid Vernon's attorney. The selection is a validation of Terry's worth, but it could expose secrets Terry has kept from his employer and that might cost him his job. This is a taut, skillfully written, and engaging legal thriller. Major characters are very sharply drawn, and Stone's insights into the English legal system are plausible and eye-opening. But it doesn't match Stone's brilliant The King of Swords (2008), a crime novel, yes, but also a tragic yet hilarious account of Ronald Reagan's America. Here's hoping Stone doesn't settle comfortably into the legal-thriller niche.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

October 1, 2015
A fast-moving British legal thriller filled with tension and surprises. Businessman Vernon James receives an Ethical Person of the Year award, then takes a beautiful woman to his hotel room. Instead of having sex with him, though, the woman beats him up. Badly. Later, legal clerk Terry Flynt hears that his firm is representing James, who has just been arrested for murder. James certainly looks guilty; maids find the naked corpse of a different woman on his hotel bed, and incriminating bodily fluids trace back to him. The accused admits he loves sadistic sex, choking compliant women until they signal they've had enough. The defense team's Christine Devereaux tells him "The evidence says you're guilty. You don't have an alibi," but the firm is determined to win his acquittal. Flynt secretly despises his former best friend James for personal reasons but must now help prepare the client's defense. Flynt is unsure about his future in the field of law, so he goes all out to prove himself. The more information he digs up, the worse the case looks. James' father had been found murdered years before, and now Flynt wonders if James committed that unsolved crime while Flynt himself provided an alibi for him, "perverting the course of justice." So no one feels sorry at all for the defendant; despite his "ethics" award, he is an all-around bad person who is on trial for one specific act. But Flynt's aggressive research might end his own nascent career or even get him killed. No reader (one hopes) will root for the defendant. But they'll fret over Flynt, the underdog clerk who has so much to prove. The suspense never lets up in this terrific courtroom drama. Fans of John Grisham will love it. It's definitely movie material.

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