I loved this book! I always enjoy a good courtroom drama, and The Holdout provides that in a refreshing way. With the jurors of a controversial court case reuniting after 20 years, new evidence is promised, new murders are committed and new suspects emerge. Just when I thought the story was over, Graham Moore gives us not one but two jaw-dropping twists. This is a fun read that does not disappoint.

4 courtroom jury stars

Ah, the dread when that envelope shows up in your mailbox that you’ve been selected to show up for jury duty. I’ve been summoned several times, but I’ve never served on a jury. After reading this book, I don’t think I want to, especially not a high profile, drawn out case!!

I didn’t realize that this author wrote the screenplay for “The Imitation Game” – fabulous movie! Knowing that now, I can see how this book almost seems like it was made for the big screen. This one was the perfect one to read on a recent vacation. I thought that I would just read a few chapters of it and decide which book to read, soon I was 50% into it and wondering how it would all turn out.

We start the tale with Maya Seale, now a high-powered defense attorney, and slowly learn the details of her high-profile time on a jury that eventually led her to a career in law. The case involved an African-American high school teacher and a white student at his private school. The student is dead and the teacher is on trial for her murder. The jury returns a verdict that leads to a great deal of public outcry and Maya’s life will never be the same.

We do learn many of the details of the trial, the sequestration of the jury, and how they come to their decision. There is a lot of action 10 years later too when a reunion is held, and another murder occurs. I don’t want to give much more away, there are a lot of twists, many surprising to this reader. I figured out a few things but enjoyed the ride. I did learn more about the jury process and it is fascinating to think about the dynamics of your “peers” deciding your fate.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Graham Moore for an early copy of this one to read in return for an honest review.

Unexpected and thought-provoking!

2009: Fifteen year old heiress Jessica Silver has disappeared on her way home from school and the suspect is her African-American teacher, twenty-five year old, Bobby Nock. It looks to be an open and shut case, until one juror, Maya Seale, not only holds out, but manages to sway all of the eleven other jurors to change their mind.

Their controversial verdict of “not guilty” will alter their lives forever.

The Present: “Murder Town” is going to do a TV adaptation of the Bobby Nock trial. Ten of the jurors will return to the Omni hotel, where they had been sequestered, for five months, to learn of “supposed” new evidence. They have been given their old rooms, which look exactly the same. But, one will end up dead in Maya’s room before the first night has ended, and now she must prove her own innocence, by getting to the bottom of the case where she served as a juror.

As the scene for this book is set, I expected that the two stories would woven together (they are) along with perhaps reports from Murder Town (nope) and the police investigation (no, again).

We hear SOME of what the attorney’s argued in court, and SNIPPETS of what was said in the deliberation room, to sway the vote, as told (not always shown) by each of the jurors involved. Sometimes their thoughts got a bit philosophical, or sounded a bit like a lecture, which slowed the pace for a bit...

BUT, what I did find intriguing was the way the story made me REALLY WONDER if your fate being decided by a “jury of your peers” is really the fairest way?

What if the one juror BULLIES the rest into seeing things his or her way?
What if a juror votes so that they won’t appear to be making a decision based on a “shared” or “not shared” race?
What if a juror changes their vote for another reason that has NOTHING to do with their belief in the suspect’s guilt or innocence?

The Alpha personality vs. Beta Personality....it happens in all facets of life.

How often does It affect the outcome of a trial?
Despite a person’s good and true intentions going in? 🤔

So while, I did not exactly get what I was expecting from this book, I did get a lot to think about....AND A FEW SURPRISES, by the end!

Thank You to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Graham Moore for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review! Available Feb. 18, 2020!

I consumed this book over the course of two days. This was an excellent mystery with a nice twist and I appreciated the nods to Agatha Christie and Twelve Angry Men. This will definitely be recommended to many of my patrons.

Now this is a GREAT novel with a really interesting premise and it kept me enthralled and guessing all the way through. Clever, literate, moving and brilliant twists and turns. Really great, did I say that already?

This was a really fun book to read. The pace was well maintained and the story was really good. Maya was a great protagonist and her story told 10 years apart was a great tool to move the plot forward. I would highly recommend The Holdout because it is a book I could not stop reading.

Wow, Moore knocks it out of the park with his most recent mystery!

Maya, now a criminal defense attorney, was one of the notorious jurors in a high-profile murder case 10 years ago. Maya is forced to confront her past when another juror, Rick, contacts her to be part of a podcast show that will feature the prominent case. Rick believes he has found new evidence in the case that proves their verdict was wrong. What will happen when all the jurors come back together? What lies, secrets, crimes will be revealed as the case that deeply impacted their lives 10 years ago is ripped apart?

Moore’s novel will have you hooked from the very beginning! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fast paced mystery.

DNF @ 51%

I just can't finish this one.

Maybe it's the third person narrative, I don't know, but I'm so disconnected from this book that the red low-battery icon has been showing since around 20% into it.

Don't let me discourage you from picking it up, different books for different fry cooks, amiright? ... sorry, that's all I could come up *sees myself out*.

No rating since I didn't finish it.



** I was provided an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **

I warn all readers not to start this book until you have time to savor and enjoy every minute of this riveting, thrilling courtroom drama and mystery.

Certainly one of the best books I’ve read in months, the author tackles the exceedingly complex story of a murder trial and the reverberations that echo 10 years later. The “HOLDOUT “ is Maya Seale, now an attorney, who insisted on the innocence of the defendant in an infamous murder case. She unwillingly takes part in an anniversary event.

Readers are taken through twists and turns during this brilliant denouement of the after effects of a stunning verdict. There is not a boring page as we are led through the trial and the 10 year reunion of the jury.

Obviously, I was totally engaged every moment. The author manages to introduce each character and their own stories, cleverly and brilliantly. This novel should be enjoyed by all lovers of this genre. It is simply SUPERB.

Thank you Netgalley. This was a true gift.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for gifting me with an opportunity to preview Graham Moore’s newest work, The Holdout. In exchange for the ARC I offer my unbiased review.

I had the pleasure of reading The Last Days of Night with my bookclub a few years ago and was instantly smitten by Graham Moore’s caliber of writing. I was very excited to receive an ARC for his newest book, but almost immediately I began to wonder if perhaps I had mixed up the author’s name. The Holdout is a far departure both stylistically and manner from Last Days . The Holdout is meant to feel contemporary, modern but for me the tone of prose was juvenile and common. This book lacked finesse and complexity. The writing and characters were very one dimensional. I was so disappointed and it was actually difficult to pick up this book every time I put it down.

I’ve seen many many glowing reviews so perhaps my expectations and prior reading of this author tainted this book for me. The premise is interesting but the execution and plot didn’t work for me.

This book is really easy to get absorbed in, and has one hell of a setup. The pacing is well done; it's definitely a page-turner of a mystery. Two minor quibbles....the character development is a little lacking. The suspense would have been heightened if I cared a bit more about the protagonist. And, the resolution to both of the novel's mysteries was a little anticlimactic. Still, a fun read, and I'll definitely seek out Moore's future novels.

I was given a proof from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Holdout.

I've never read the author's previous book but the premise was intriguing and I enjoy courtroom procedurals.

The Holdout focuses on a sensational trial from a decade ago when a jury acquitted a young man over the disappearance of a teenage girl, his student.

The Holdout was a young woman named Mia who believed in the defendant's innocence and overturned her jury members to vote alongside her, much to the dismay of one of the jurors, an ex-lover named Rick.

Ten years later, a docuseries is being made based on the trial and Maya, now a lawyer, has been asked to participate by Rick.

Despite her misgivings, she attends the meeting and hours later, when Rick is found dead and all signs point to her as the murderer, Maya has to race against time to prove her innocence and comes to terms with a trial that affected all of their lives, not just the defendant and victim.

The author portrays the narrative in two timelines, the past when the trial was occurring, and the present day, as Maya races to find a killer.

Despite the various characters, the author manages the differing perspectives of each person, not an easy feat, and offers insight and exposition into each juror, just enough to give readers an understanding into her or his mindset at the time of the trial and their current frame of mind when Rick is found dead.

I liked Maya; I found her capable, smart, and competent, though a bit naive, possibly due to her sheltered upbringing.

I liked the diversity of the jurors, their personal viewpoints and insecurities and why they chose to participate in a trial rather than figure out a way to get out of it, like the majority of us.

There are some twists, most I guessed right, but one I did not, and though the ending requires serious suspension of disbelief (how many people can keep a secret? Not many, especially people you barely know), but the ending is satisfying and a full circle conclusion to how all the jurors' lives were changed by the trial and how their lives are now forever bound by a secret.

The Holdout is a genre mishmash done well; a blend of mystery, true crime and character study, a look at a civic duty we are asked to perform for people we barely know based on evidence we may or may not understand or have the full totality of, and the personal choices we make and how it affects not just us, but our families, loved ones and social circle.

This was a well-written, suspenseful book, filled with doubt, lies and twists, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read.

The Holdout: A Novel by [Moore, Graham]

I really enjoyed this one--a good mix of mystery and social criticism.



Review copy provided by publisher.

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Holdout tells the story of Maya, a decade after she was a juror in a high profile murder case. Her vote, and singular drive to turn the votes of the rest of the jury has put her at the center of a new investigation - this time the investigation of the murder of another juror, one who had reunited the jury promising new evidence.

I thought this book put a unique spin on the standard legal thriller. This created a ready-made suspect pool occupied by jurors, the defendant, and the victim’s family. It was a quick enjoyable read and I’d recommend to others who are fans of the genre.

"When the villains are so clear, we can tuck ourselves into bed at night knowing that we're nothing like them. But what if it's not so clear?"~from The Holdout by Graham Moore

The jury from a notorious murder trial is brought together by a reality television show. The trial of a black teacher accused of murdering his white teenage student looked like a sure verdict until Maya channeled 12 Angry Men to turn the guilty votes to not guilty. The experience motivated Maya to become a lawyer.

Jury member Rick, one of the few black jurists, spent the last ten years trying to prove Maya was wrong and that they had let the murderer of a teenage girl go free. He claims to have proof. During the sequester of the jury, he and Maya conducted a secret love affair before their differing verdicts drove them apart.

At the reunion, Maya and Rick talk for the first time since the trial. Then, Rick is found dead and Maya is accused of his murder. Maya now must prove her innocence.

Readers learn the backstories of the jurors while Maya uncovers startling evidence that leads the jurors to reconvene, consider the facts, and cast their votes once again.

Graham Moore's courtroom drama The Holdout is entertaining with a convoluted resolution.

Moore's previous novel was The Last Days of Night and he authored the award-winning script The Imitation Game.

I was given access to a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: Feb. 18, 2020

Let me start off by saying I was surprised that I was disappointed in this book. Not because other reviewers gave “Holdout” five stars. (I don’t actually read other reviews on a book until I have finished my own to ensure that I am not influenced. But, I do check out the stars). The discrepancy between my review and others did not surprise me, because I often disagree with my peers. I was surprised to be disappointed because the last two books that I read and reviewed by Moore were both superior historical fiction courtroom dramas. In “Last Days of Night,” George Westinghouse takes on Thomas Edison in the battle over the light bulb patent. And, in “The Imitation Game” Alan Turing, the famous mathematician who cracked Nazi codes goes on trial because of his homosexuality, which sadly was against the law during those years. The focuses on both these books were on the long-forgotten, fascinating historical facts, not really the trials. And both novels blew me away. Since “Holdout” is a courtroom drama only; I guess for me, (whose favorite genre is historical fiction), it was doomed to be a less stellar of a read than the author’s earlier books.

In this book, a young woman is on a jury for a murder trial. A black man is accused of killing his white teenage student. Our protagonist manages to convince the others to acquit the defendant, who were not as positive as she was on his innocence. Since the jurors are sequestered they have no idea how much hard evidence there is against the defendant. Once home, the jurors’ lives are forever changed since there is an outcry of fury since it seemed obvious to the world that they freed a guilty man. Up until here, I am okay with the plot. Now fast forward ten years. There is a reunion; where on male juror has the others get together since he supposedly has new evidence on the decade-old crime. First issues, why in the world would they want to, relive this episode since the trial’s aftermath just about ruined their lives. In the present, (no spoiler here) during the reunion this male juror is murdered. The prime suspect is our female protagonist. Oh please. She is now a defense lawyer herself and does a lot of her own research. Second, oh please. Is this me or is this cheesy plot?

I have other issues with the novel. The male juror’s death is central to the story, yet it doesn’t happen till near the end of the tale. Plus, after his death, the other jurors come to a very hard-to-believe solution on how to handle his death. If I say more it will be a spoiler. On the other hand, there are lots of good twists at the end of the book, which did bring my attention back to the tale, but it is too little too late. It is hard for me to understand how the author who wrote “Night” and “Game” is the same person who penned “Holdout.” Maybe, my disappointment is on me. How can a decent legal thriller possibly compete with the true-life courtroom dramas regarding famous and brilliant men that changed history? Simply, no competition.

Great story about life in a courtroom and how choices you make may not always be the right ones. I loved the way it bounced back and forth from present day to past, giving little clues.. And I enjoyed how in the end, justice wasn't always what the law said

Tense chilling unputdownable I devoured this book kept e guessing till the end.Will be recommending to all who love a good thriller.#netgalley#randomhouse.

I loved the book, but the publisher STRESSED that they do not want any reviews posted until publication date, so no further comments until then!

Page one - I am all in. Page one doesn’t have much to do with the story that is about to be told - but it certainly gets your attention. Brilliant tactic, but the whole book is a study in how a tale should be woven. Twelve plus voices, reasons, explanations, improprieties, hidden clues. Twelve plus suspects. Much of the story smacks of an old Henry Fonda movie, “12 Angry Men”, and the author gives voice to this notion in the arrogant voice of the protagonist.


July, 2009 - Four months spent together in a courtroom, a sequestration, an admission that you know little or nothing about anyone involved; the accused, the victim, the grieving parents of each and your fellow jurors. Maya Seales had the hubris to gently but insidiously twist the arms of her fellow jurors in a murder trial. The trial, juror portrayals, their perceptions of each other, their secrets, alliances, and their deliberations in reaching a decision provide the background for what is going to happen NOW, ten years later. A reunion of the jurors is about to take place and not all are willing participants.

This book provides an in depth study of how a jury deliberation can be manipulated and raises so many questions; “Can anyone ever get a fair trial?” What does it mean to be tried by a jury of your peers? What happens when a jury decides that its job is detecting rather than deciding? What happens when a jury gets tired of talking and only wants to be done, go home and forget the past four months? What are the consequences when the arm twisting succeeds and the alpha juror gets the desired decision? What happens to the jurors when they go home thinking they have done the right thing only to find out they are pariahs never to regain their former footing in society? Amidst all these questions there is a murder or two that needs to be solved, maybe.

I could not put this book down. The paths taken are intelligent and ingenious with a smidgeon of skepticism however the belief it could have happened is not unrealistic. Scary.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy