Great read!

The Verdict is a British mystery and this was my first novel by Olivia Isaac-Henry.
It was slow going but the story captivated me from start to finish. The way it was written made me eager to keep reading as well as all the time wondering what will happen next. Details and the past of the protagonists are sparingly disclosed but at exactly the right time. The author developed the plot using multiple periods, in an alternate way, between 1994 and 2018 which was original and make readers to ask more details.

All characters were interesting and realistic. I particularly loved the development of the main character, Julia Winter. At the beginning I found her unpleasant and not likable acting in such way that drive readers to have no compassion or sympathy for what she is confronted with. But all things wiĺ be clear and understandable when certain events she faced in the past will be discussed at the courtroom during the trial. Julia is among the 3 people accused of the murder of Brondon, one of her housemates, 24 years ago. The part related to the trial is really well written and was greatly enjoyable to read.

I would definitely recommend this novel.

Julia, separated from her husband after an affair she had, is in shock when her old housemate is founf dead. He disappeared in the 90s and soon she is charged alongside her husband and their friend for his murder. Did she do it or not?

For a debut novel this was surprisingly well structured and very enjoyable. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I ended up really enjoying this! I must be honest and say I put it down for a long stretch about a third of the way through because life got on top of me. But then on a sick day I picked it up and read the rest in one sitting. The twist about Julia's husband didn't surprise me (there was too much insistence on not using his name) but when the trial went 'cut-throat' it really got my heart pounding and I couldn't put the book down. I didn't see that last piece of testimony coming! A good read and I feel that everyone got what they deserved, which is always nice :-)

I understand this has positive reviews but it really dragged for me and I gave up just over halfway through

The Verdict is a thriller that is split into different timelines before in 1994 and 1995 and now 2017 and 2018 and will the present 2019. At first I thought this was going to be confusing but after I got used to the style in which these were used I thought it worked well.
Julia is the main character and when I read her before story I really don’t warm to her at all, she comes across selfish most of the time but when I read her now story I can see why she is that way and perhaps forgive her for why she did what she did.
The before is about her life in a shared house with Genevieve the flamboyant owner and the different characters that rent rooms as well and the now covers the lead up to her appearing in court and the verdict. This is a twisty and turny thriller that did at one point make me go”WHAT!!!” And then you get to find out why it is what it is. I’m not going to go into it too much as this one needs to be read blind so you get the full affect from the twists.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperImpulse, Killer Reads and One More Chapter for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Verdict is an entertaining crime thriller. Julie Winters along with two other male housemates is accused of murdering a fellow lodger who after 25years his remains are found on the local downs where they’d previously resided.
The story is set in the past and present, switching quite seamlessly from one to the other and sets the scene well.
The court proceedings and legal thrust and parries of the defence and prosecution barristers are well written. Unfortunately I really didn’t care much what happened to the main characters either way, they frankly had no redeeming features and although with Julie you have some sympathy for I did at times want to shake her due to her complete lethargy to all that was happening to her.
That said although the ending held no great surprises for me it kept my attention and was a satisfying read.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Great characters and a great plot line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

The Verdict is about a woman named Julia Winter. She and 2 of her former roommates are on trial for the murder of one of their other roommates about 25 years earlier. I really liked the plot of this book. There were some interesting characters. Some I liked and one I really hated but I think that was the point of that one character.
I did feel however that it was almost 2 different books. I went into this thinking that it was only going to be all about the trial and the trial doesn’t happen till like a third of the away into the book. Also the, I think, 4 different timelines got a bit jumbled in my head. I did like how the book all came together in the end. I wouldn’t call this a suspenseful book and most of the time you can figure out what happened but I loved that you got pulled in to the story and didn’t realize you were reading. Love a book that can make you do that.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

An affair at work cost Julia Winter her job and her marriage. Things could't be worse - but then a body is found on the North Downs, and Julia is about to find out just how much worse things can get. Because the body is her old housemate. And now he's been discovered, it seems Julia's secrets are about to see the light, too...

I really liked the premise of this novel, and I think Julia's character was really well-realised. However. The narrative, which is split between then and now, so the back story is gradually revealed, didn't work for me at all. The reveals came so slowly that by the time I found out the details of just who was buried on the Downs and why, I didn't really care. I wasn't invested. We learned more about Julia and her ordinary life in the past than about anything else, and it wasn't enough to hold up the book for me.

It was well written, and there were a couple of good twists towards the end, but on the whole, I found this one disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to get so wrapped up in the story when I first started reading. The first few chapters are confusing because the story keeps hopping back and forth between the past and the present and we don't know the relationships between all the different characters. The story picks up around 30% into the book, and then it becomes a page turner, so it's worth wading through those first chapters and patiently gathering that information because it will pay off about half-way-through, when the big reveal is made.
I loved the plot twists and the suspense. I loved that the main character could be any one of us; unremarkable, hard-working, overpowered by people who are more cunning than her. It would be a lot nicer if every hero would do everything right, but that's seldom the case. I actually think that she's a hero of sorts,

Well done, Olivia Isaac Henry!

Thanks to Harper Impluse and Killer Reads and Netgalley for the ARC.

What a rollercoaster ride of who actually done it. This was a fabulously well written book which had you on the edge of your seat! Brilliant plot and loved the characters. Highly recommended read

I’ll be honest, I tried really hard to get into The Verdict, but it was hard for me. The beginning was slow and it didn't catch my attention. Perhaps it was because I just finished two extremely thrilling books, but I felt that I didn’t relate or connect to the main character, Julia.

Nevertheless, I am not a quitter. I read on but felt that Julia was a bland character that didn’t have many interesting parts about her. The other characters were interesting, but I wanted more from the main character. Perhaps I like books more when I relate with them because the writing was good, I just didn’t feel a spark.

The story also switches back and forth between time periods, which was very confusing. It was tiring to jump back and forth almost every chapter, and I lost my train of thought frequently. The summary made the book seem extremely interesting, but it wasn’t for me. I got about ⅓ of the way through, but sadly this was my first DNF book.

"What was the point in moving or any attempt at concealment? He wouldn't lie buried for ever. Someday, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week or next year, someone would find him."

With this opening, I was hooked already. The book only gets better from here. You met a woman named Julia who is living a mundane life and is arrested for the murder that happened twenty plus years ago. The book shifts between present and past, which I really enjoy that style. There were a few times I audibly gasped because Olivia had really thrown me for a loop!

The past story follows Julia as well as the people she housed with in the year of 1994. This is Lucy, Brandon, Gideon, Alan, and Genevieve, the home owner. In the present, it is Julia, Audrey (her mother), Sam (her son), her husband, Alan, Gideon, and her two pals, Andre and Pearl. Olivia Isaac-Henry does a wonderful job of character development as you really start to feel and understand each of the main characters. Julia is someone who you just want to shake at times but at other times, you really empathize for her. This is a book that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end.

For fans of Ruth Ware or B.A. Paris, I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins.

What a find!
I knew nothing about The Verdict going in; only that it was a mystery/thriller and judging by the title, I assumed there was a court case involved somehow..?
I was really pleasantly surprised by The Verdict. Well, as pleasantly surprised as someone can be by the horrible things that happen to the characters.

I know it’ll sound strange, but I loved how plain Julia was. You know how in books the main characters no matter how hard they try to be written as “simple”, they still have a characteristic, a trait that makes them different? Too smart, too pretty, too cynical, too optimistic whatever it is, it’s something that makes them stand out in a way? Julia had none of that, and as a reader I really appreciated it. She was described as completely unremarkable and un-noteworthy. She was living a pretty sad life but she never blamed anyone else but herself. She knew she was a passive pushover and that would probably never going to change. She was still judgemental of others though, a trait I’m pretty sure she got from her mom with whom she didn’t have the best relationship. She easily judged others for making wrong choices while she was fully aware that she made worse. She was a very confused, sad woman and I felt so sorry for her. That is why I occasionally love reading books from non-American authors. I find them to be much more raw and real as opposed to American novels which tend to be a bit more glamorised for the masses.
The rest of the characters were equally well crafted (especially Genevieve-loved her!) and they all had an important part to play, they weren’t just background noise.

The story was great, even though it lacked the huge big finish. I expected that though, since it’s easy to predict what will happen in the end from early on. There was one thing I definitely did not see coming and it was a pretty good “twist” but as far as the main story is concerned, it was simple and there is nothing wrong with that. A lot of emphasis was given on the trial and the suspects’ testimonies which had me sitting on the edge of my seat.

The only thing I didn’t particularly like was how Julia’s relationship with her mother gets fixed with a bland “I didn’t know” from her mother in the end. I don’t think it’s an adequate enough excuse after a lifetime of putting her down and never taking her side.
Also, don’t get discouraged if you find it quite slow pacing at first. It picks up after 35% or so.
There was a lot of back and forth with different periods of time, and even though I don't mind when it is done properly and the reader knows where and when they are the entire time like this one, some people may find it confusing and tiring so I thought I'd let you know.

I went through a lot of “Read now” books on NetGalley to find The Verdict and I’m glad I did. It was a powerful and realistic take on an abused woman’s life, and where her unassertiveness and very bad decisions led her. I’d recommend it to mystery and courtroom drama fans.

This was a great read!! Timeline was current day to flashback 20 years ago. Very well done and easy to follow. Absolutely fell in love with some characters and wanted to kick a few others in the pants.
Domestic, psychological thriller at its best. So many secrets and great unexpected twists and turns. Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I liked this book! I find these sort of books a bit hard to review because I don’t want to spoil them. I don’t know why but it did feel really obvious what ‘the verdict’ was going to be throughout the whole book, which I guess is disappointing. But, the reasoning behind the verdict was shocking at least! I liked seeing how it all pieced together, and I was satisfied with the ending etc - for once I felt all my questions were answered. The book felt finished! Some bits maybe dragged a bit too much but overall and very enjoyable read.

Superb book. Lots of twists and turns and a stunning finale. Loved it, read it it one day. Couldn’t put it down.

I love psychological thrillers especially with two or three timelines but felt there was too much time given to the early period when the ‘incident’ ,triggering the current timeline, happened. It felt too repetitive when I was reading it and I would have preferred more insight in the present. However, there were one or two really good twists and revelations that I wasn’t expecting so I was satisfied when I finished the novel. Solid three stars!

It took me a few chapters to get into The Verdict, but once I was in, I couldn't stop reading! The writing style and switching between past and present kept me on my toes as a reader, paying attention to the little changes in each chapter and trying to guess the outcome. Lots of twists and turns (the reveal of Julia's husband being one of my favourites!), this book combines the psychological thriller with the courtroom drama to create a very compelling read.

Ruth was another favourite and I loved how the author completed her story arc (I could read a book about her past alone!).

Thank you to #netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

You don't know what happened to Brandon until the last couple of chapters. Who can you believe, who killed who - and why? Why are these three so intrinsically linked?

I found it difficult at first all the backwards and forwards and not knowing what was going on. In fact I kept on putting it down - but it kept on drawing me back in - it haunted me and I couldn't help wondering what was happening.

I received a free advance review copy of this book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.