This is the first book I have read by the author and I really enjoyed it. I have since learnt it is part of a series, I can say it can definitely be read as a stand alone book. Generally legal type storylines are not my thing, but this had enough other stotylines that the legalness did not turn me off. I enjoyed the plot and character development, a really good read.

Good unusual legal/murder thriller involving high stakes gambling,a murder over child custody and the high court judge linking it all together! Guest appearances from real life characters such as Lord Lucan and the Clermont club set keep things rollicking along as the judge digs himself ever deeper into trouble. Cleverly constructed a good satisfying read.

dull dull dull dull dull I finally skimmed through reading bits and pieces and the end I know the whole thing. Really not a fun read

Wasn't sure where this book would lead...Susan Lang has been murdered by her husband. There is a witness and although he has no memory of the events there is no doubt he is guilty. Conrad Rainer is the judge but he leads a double life that is leading his life into a spin. As you will discover although they appear very different there is a similarity. Brilliant book, would recommend.

Calling Down the Storm by Peter Murphy.
April 1971. When DI Webb and DS Raymond respond to a 999 call at Harper Mews in Bloomsbury, a horrific scene awaits them. Susan Lang is lying on the ground, bleeding to death. Her husband Henry is sitting nearby, holding a large, blood-stained knife. In shock, Henry claims to have no memory of the events that led to his wife’s death, leaving his barrister, Ben Schroeder, little with which to defend a potential murder charge.Unbeknownst to his strict Baptist wife, Deborah, Justice Rainer has a secret life as a gambler. In his desperation for money to fund his habit, he has already raided his own and Deborah’s resources, and now he has crossed another line - one from which there is no return.To his horror, as the trial of Henry Lang starts, Rainer discovers a sinister connection between the trial and his gambling debts which could cause his world to unravel. In a rare case in which the judge is in greater peril than the defendant on trial, both Lang and Rainer have called down the storm on their own heads.Their lives are on the line, and time is running out.
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. Full of twists and plots. I had a feeling there would be a twist. But I had no idea it would be that. 5*. Netgalley and Oldcastle books.

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by Peter Murphy and published by No Exit Press in 2017, this starts out looking like a traditional British police procedural, but that changes quickly. The story begins with the stabbing, in the middle of the day and on a public street, of an estranged wife by her husband. It then quickly morphs into a description of the private life of a barrister who wears silk (Queen’s Counsel — QC), and who develops a serious gambling problem before becoming a judge who will eventually preside in the trial of the accused husband. A third minor thread deals with the barristers who will handle both sides of the murder case.

The setting is London in 1971. The author goes into a great amount of detail regarding the gambling habits and sex life of the QC who later becomes a judge, and the story’s dialogues are accurate depictions of the way lawyers speak — especially in courtrooms. English speakers who reside in any one of the countries that share the British legal system will probably have no trouble following the story line, but Americans might not find it so easy. Barristers and solicitors might be unfamiliar to Americans, but not to anybody acquainted with the British legal system. This isn’t the place for a lesson on the subject, but a simplistic explanation for Americans might be that barristers are akin to trial lawyers in the United States, and solicitors are like lawyers who practice law and deal with clients, but do not present cases in courtrooms. The role of barristers in the UK has changed, and this is probably why the author set the book in 1971.

Mr. Murphy did his research well. The gambling game that gets the judge into trouble (Chemin de Fer) is presented accurately, as is the real Clermont Club where the gambling takes place. There really is a Clermont Club in London, and the author actually visited it while writing the book. There really is a game called Chemin de Fer, and it is the forerunner of the game we now call Baccarat. The dialogue and events described in the book are very detailed and realistic.

The three major plot lines come together seamlessly before the end of the book, and the author is careful to tie up loose ends. The ending will come as a surprise to many. It did to me. On the negative side, there was a bit too much unnecessary detail that could certainly have been omitted without detracting from the story. Some of the dialog is repetitious. Some of the details of the judge’s sexcapades could have been omitted without seriously detracting from the story. All in all, however, I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend to anybody who might like a realistic British legal story with a touch of murder.

Already reviewed in Amazon. As I said a 6 star novel

Exceedingly engaging police procedural that turns into much more than that: what looks like cut and dried crime turns out far more. complicated. The story unravels into. complexity after it seems a man has killed his wife, fighting over custody. But we learn more about her character and back ground and shady figures emerge. In court, it becomes apparent much was going on .. figures in the courtroom at highest level seem implicated. Great shocking ending with twists and turns years later .. really much more than immediately expected by plain straightforward, adept strong writing; good value.

Thank you NetGalley for this book, in return for an honest review.
Despite all praise for the books of Peter Gordon, after reading which I was really looking forward to read Calling Down the Storm, I had to stop reading after 80 pages of the first half, an about 20 of the end of the book.
It may be me, but I thought this book, so say it bluntly, not good enough for me to keep me interested. A man kills his wife. Page after page follows in which we read how the police interviews the man about this murder. Page after page follows in which we read how a group of people schooled in law talk to each other about the case, and then some. Some of the dialogue is just not real: “…He’s been doing that ever since he and I joined chambers, just when Simon’s mother, Anne Gaskell, was getting her divorce, before she and Kenneth were married.” This is from one friend to another, when they meet in a locker room! And it goes on and on and on.
I love reading legal thrillers but his was, sadly, too much talk and not enough thriller for me.

This novel was a delightful surprise. Legal dramas have never attracted me but there was something in the description that was tantalizing. A promising hint of a good read? It certainly was. The plot, theme, characters, dialogue and scenes all tied in flawlessly. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book. Now I'm off to the bookshop to find another of Mr. Murphy' novels.

Firstly this is book 5 in a series- I enjoyed the mix of legal and spy story set in the 1970s. A superbly atmospheric read, perhaps I would have enjoyed more by reading the earlier books, but nonetheless really entertaining, very visual in a way, I could see this as a TV drama! Well written and well paced you can't ask more from a thriller!

This was a very interesting story. I had not previously read this author before and I found this book to be a mixed bag. The beginning felt very English, which was what I expected. I felt that the pacing was pretty slow and I wondered where the conflict was going to come in. Even after the murder, the pacing seemed slow. Once the viewpoint switched to Conrad Rainer, it seemed to be written by a different author. It was excellent, realistic and believable. However, it also contained explicit sexual content. Some of the gambling descriptions seemed a bit tedious until you realized how important it was in the game. Until I read the Author's Note I was unaware that many of the people referenced were real people. I liked the sentence he gave Lang and the fact that he got away tough I would have liked more info on where he ended up.

This is an easy to read book which I really enjoyed. The twists and turns in the plot were really good and the story is well put together. I would definitely another book by this author.

This is a very British detective/courtroom drama and as one would expect its presentation is
understated. The horror of the victim’s death is detailed in the description of the knife wounds and the loss of blood but graphic, gory tableaux are not for Peter Murphy.

London, 1971 - The two detectives, Raymond and Webb, respond to a 999 call and run to the nearby location where they discover Susan Lang bleeding to death whilst nearby her husband, Henry sits holding the knife, in a state of shock. The Langs, separated and in dispute over custody of their children had met with a welfare officer preparing a report for the judge and she witnessed Henry’s attack on Susan. Henry was taken to the nearby police station and from there transferred to hospital as he had no recollection of these events.

In tandem to this plot line, we are introduced to Justice Conrad Rainer who has recently joined the Clermont Club, London’s leading gaming club owned by John Aspinall and frequented by Lord Lucan et al. Through this exclusive club and its members Rainer becomes embroiled with another woman who encourages him to gamble beyond his means and introduces him to a sinister character who lends money at an extortionate rate.

In time Rainer is called upon to officiate at the trial of Henry Lang and the two worlds merge with the background of the court and the barristers and lawyers adding a third dimension.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was pleased to recognise streets and locations from my childhood and reading about the Clermont Club and the rich and famous who frequented it took me back to the glamourous hedonistic world on the 1970s often detailed in newspapers at that time.

At times I had to re-think the connections between the lawyers who may well come from the same chambers but appear on opposite sides in the courtroom. This served the plot well as it indicated the quite small, intimate relationships of the legal fraternity and allowed discussions of legal ethics etc.

One tiny criticism. Due to the nature of the law, evidence and statements presented within the text are repeated several times. Council will state what happened; opposing council will also state what happened; witnesses will state what happened – and this is often verbatim so can become tedious to read. However, during this repetition it did strike me that this is what it would be like in court, sitting, listening, trying to follow the arguments, perhaps even bored – so as a device this worked really well.

If you like courtroom drama this is for you. If it must be John Grisham type drama – probably not for you. This is a British courtroom drama, set within a historic (1970s) timeframe; within the British legal system and as such portrays a more gentle but nevertheless fascinating viewpoint.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I was in heaven with this book if I could have given it more stars I would. What a brilliant courtroom drama so well written. You really got to know the characters. I just loved it a real page turner.

An interesting mixture of thriller, spy and legal drama. Set very firmly in its era and interweaving real characters with fictional ones, this is a book which demands the reader's attention. Not an easy beach read, but a rewarding complex story.

Every so often I enjoy an in-depth, plot layered novel with a legal theme. I am a huge John Grisham fan and recently finished the Mississippi trilogy by Greg Iles. However, legal thrillers based in the UK seem somewhat, rarer. So I was delighted to discover this series by Peter Murphy. Its intelligent, its cleverly written and gripping!
The novel opens in April 1971, DI Webb and DS Raymond are called to an horrific crime scene just a few minutes’ walk from the police station. A young woman lays bleeding to death on the street…..
A man is sat in a doorway near the body, holding a blood dripping knife and he appears in a trance like state. The police must act fast to secure the weapon and bring emergency medical care to the woman. What started as a peaceful Wednesday afternoon, will certainly not end as one, for those involved………..
Through DI Johnny Webb and DS Phil Raymond’s investigation we learn the victim was Susan Lang. The main suspect, her husband Henry Lang, remains in custody and his physical/mental health undetermined. Henry claims to have no memory of the attack, what happened and why he was found holding the murder weapon. Is this a clever act of amnesia? Or is Henry telling the truth?
We learn that Henry and Susan were in the middle of a messy, chaotic divorce. With their two young children, Marianne and Stephanie being used as bargaining chips between the pair. They had a court appointed welfare officer dealing with their custody dispute, Wendy Cameron. Wendy is however, the main eye witness of the attack. The only one, who claims to know what truly happened!
What would drive a man to viciously stab his wife? And why round the corner from a police station?
Henry remains in a catatonic state and one thing is for certain, if he doesn’t come up with answers soon, he will spend the rest of his life in jail.
This novel interweaves the story of Henry Lang, main murder suspect and that of Judge Conrad Rainer. This is very cleverly done as the two men lead very different lives and come from very different backgrounds. I felt this worked incredibly well. As we are drawn into the downfalls of these men.
Judge Conrad Rainer lives a perfect middle class existence with his Baptist wife, Deborah. But Conrad has another side to his life, his wife knows nothing about. Conrad Rainer has many secrets……..
The novel shifts to 18 month previously in Conrad’s life and we learn how he often escaped to his flat for work purposes. Which enabled him to drink to excess and do as he pleases, away from the prying eyes of his wife. Conrad joins an exclusive gambling club and enjoys mixing with the affluent clientele. He meets an unusual woman of much intrigue and swiftly becomes addicted to his life in his flat, where he may be, who he really is, deep down. But is Conrad being groomed for something much bigger than his gambling debts? How much is Conrad willing to pay, for this secret life?
Remembering this is an era, when men rarely got custody of their children and had to be prepared to fight the system for simple visitation rights. This novel pulls at the emotions of a child custody battle and the feelings of the parents and children involved. When Henry’s trial begins, we see the inner workings of court cases and learn, there is more to this case, than meets the eye. Conrad learns a tough lesson, in that, where power and wealth mix, corruption surely follows………..
What will happen when the lives of the suspect, judge and a known criminal collide? Who can you trust, when everyone, has something to cover up?
A gripping legal thriller 5*

Knowledgeable courtroom drama brings authenticity to this legal mystery. However, it is in the British system, so there are difficulties with some dialogue and verbiage. The mystery is suspenseful- (NOT a thriller)- but even the suspense peters out at the end, instead of driving to a stunning climax. Furthermore, the denouement was meh. This novel had a great premise, and the plot was complex and interesting, but the author didn't capitalize on building up the suspense. Another negative this reader has is that the legal scenarios kept repeating themselves, over and over. The redundancy became quite irksome, and I skipped entire sections that would have been a repetition ( almost verbatim) of a previous scene.I kept reading because all of the elements of a great legal thriller seemed to be present, then, POOF! I'm giving it a 3* in light of the fact it is British, and the slow, methodical storytelling might be fine for a British audience.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.