Fascinating read of how lives are affected by being on a sequestered jury. While sometimes implausible, this story brought about many interesting questions of right and wrong, justice and justice failed. I found this book interesting to read and look forward to the author's next!

I absolutely love this book. It was mystery but not trashy at all, and I did not see the ending coming at all.

When I watch television, I'm a Law & Order/Dateline/Investigation Discovery junkie. This book took me right to those shows. Of course if you are in the legal field, you may need to suspend some belief, same goes for all of those crime tv shows!

Maya Seale served on a jury ten years ago for a man accused of killing his high school student, with whom he had a relationship with. She and her fellow jurors were sequestered together for months as the trial of the century took place. Maya ends up convincing her jurors that the defendant is innocent. Little did they know the hellstorm that waited for them outside.

A book is written, new evidence is allegedly unearthed, a podcast is created, and a tv show wants to do a follow up on the jurors. On the same night, a new crime is committed, and Maya is now the lead suspect.

This book is a quick read, and pretty engrossing. I found myself both rooting for Maya, and hoping that she didn't make a mistake during the first trial. Can the amazing Olivia Pope...I mean Maya Seale save herself in the end? Get to reading to find out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

When the jury that declared a man innocent in a highly debated case ten years ago reunites and one of them is killed, two mysteries need to be solved: why was one of the jury-members murdered? And what did he know that would change everyone's opinion about the seemingly closed case? Both of these mysteries are interesting and tension-packed. All of the characters and plot lines have many fascinating angles and fit together nicely to make a book you almost can not put down. Told in two time lines and from all the jury-members' point of view, what starts out seemingly clean cut and simple quickly opens into a bunch a open questions, inconsistencies and secrets - which made it very thrilling to read. It is a novel about race in America, especially race in the justice system. The white protagonist is very aware of her privileges and comments on them and on how differently a black person would be treated. But first and foremost, it is a novel about the justice system, and that not only surprised, but honestly shocked me. The fact that it is all a game of manipulation and procedure (which evidence to allow into court, strategies about saying certain things, the whole "Objection!"-thing), and seemingly not at all actually concerned with the truth becomes very apparent in this novel. Right or wrong is a question of two lawyers arguing and twelve people making a decision. And that was very well put into plot in this novel, and very well written. A timely, interesting and suspense-full novel!

Innocent and not guilty are two very different terms in a court case. The Holdout presents this very well and explores how being on a jury can derail a person's life. Maya was the holdout on a murder case and once she convinced the jury to vote her way, they became hated across America for letting a child killer go free.

The Holdout has dual timelines to tell the story of what happened at the trial and what is happening now, 10 years late. As a fan of true crime podcasts, the idea of a podcast diving into a case like this and trying to reassemble the key players is fascinating. Maya wants a chance to defend herself since most of the jurors have publicly blamed her. But, when another juror is found dead in her hotel room, things begin to unravel quickly.

I liked the parallel stories of the past and present. It made the book more thought provoking. Both stories had one seemingly clear killer, but is it really that clear cut? I will admit that I was surprised by a few twists in the plot; I'm still not sure if I liked them or not. The end of The Hold felt a tad abrupt; perhaps that is why I am still trying to discern my thoughts.

"The Holdout" by Graham Moore, Random House, 336 pages, Feb. 18, 2020.

Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar real estate fortune, vanishes on her way home from school, and her teacher, Bobby Nock, 25, an African American man, is the prime suspect.

Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, is convinced of Nock’s innocence. She persuades the rest of the jurors to return the verdict of not guilty. But 84 percent of people polled thought they let a child killer off. Another juror, Rick Leonard, blames Maya.

Flash forward ten years. A true-crime docuseries for Netflix brings together nine of the jurors, with particular focus on Maya, now a defense attorney. She doesn't want to participate, but her firm encourages her to go. The former jurors are staying in the same hotel rooms as they were during the trial. At first they weren't sequestered during the trial, but that changed when their names were published.

During the re-creation, one of the other former jurors is found dead in Maya’s hotel room. She is the suspect.

The novel goes back to the original trial and the present time, with chapters on each juror.

The characters are excellent. The plot is well-written, but the ending isn't plausible.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Random House and Net Galley for the advance of The Holdout. All opinions expressed are my own. I loved this book...the premise, the characters, and the plot. I was taken in by the first page and didn't stop reading. I loved the transitioning between the past and current, giving us answers bit by bit. This book was well done, and it's a highly recommended read.

Very suspenful and engaging. It will keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out just what's going on. Pick up this amazing book and prepare to loose time because it's hard to put down. Happy reading!

Happy PUB DAY to 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘵 by Graham Moore!✼⁣
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★★★★ (4/5)⁣
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The less you know about this book, the better. Let the record state, however, that although this book may seem like a quick read...it packs a punch! ⁣
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Maya Seale is a juror on a famous, highly publicized case, later becoming known for convincing her fellow jurors of the convicted's innocence (against popular opinion). A decade later, a docuseries is being produced about this particular jury and tables immensely turn as one of them is found dead in Maya's hotel room...making her a leading suspect. ⁣
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This was wild! I have read thoughts that this may be a little overly dramatic and some twists/scenes may be unbelievable, but I didn't really find that to be the case. The plot was masterfully organized and the set up by Moore was everything a legal thriller should be. Shock factors left and right!⁣
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The author does a great job jumping timelines (during the first trial and present day after the juror murder), and it was interesting to get a glimpse into each juror's eyes throughout the book, with a chapter or two dedicated to their perspective. In truth, I reallllly wanted more, though! 1-2 short chapters didn't feel like enough, and I do think the book could afford to be longer. ⁣
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One of my first legal thrillers and overall a great time! Out today!⁣

A young woman from a very wealthy family disappears. A teacher from her school is arrested and placed on trial. Enter the jury.

This is a very different, original story told from the perspective of the jury. There are so many hot button factors, the victim is white and wealthy, the defendant black and struggling, that it is easy to be drawn into the jury's deliberation. As the "holdout" who ultimately convinces the jury to render a not guilty verdict, the main character feels she has done her civic duty and can close the book on this experience.

But closing one door often leads to another being forced open. Fast forward 10 years, Maya, the "holdout" juror, is now an attorney herself. How her jury service affected her career choice is clear. The media coverage of the trial and each anniversary of the verdict, keep the verdict fresh in the jury panel's lives. A reunion of the jury has been scheduled as a podcast, drawing unwanted attention to Maya and her influential arguments while on the jury. When a contentious juror is murdered, Maya finds herself as the primary suspect. Now she must use everything she has learned to prove her innocence.

Graham Moore is an accomplished screen play writer who has won an Academy Award. His story telling is spellbinding and visual. You "see" the jury's arguments. You "see" the media's frenzy. This book is so good, it deserves much more than 5 stars. It was well worth my reading time and I'm recommending it to my book buddies. Treat yourself today and read this book.

As a fan of "Last Days of Night," also by Graham Moore, I was particularly excited to read "The Holdout," and I was not disappointed. From the outset, Moore draws us in to a controversial murder trial (where the victim's body was never found), presenting intimate details of the jurors' lives and their respective relationships with one another. This is a terrific book club title, chock full of discussion points: race, the criminal justice system, issues of wealth and influence, and terrific twist at the end. I recommend this book to fans of legal thrillers, including John Grisham and Scott Turow.

I really liked the setup on this. Ten years ago, Mia Seale convinced an entire jury to set a man free, despite being the only one to initially believe in his innocence. In the present day, a true crime docuseries claims to have new information about the case and the jury gets back together to discuss how they’d vote now. This jumped right into the action, but got a bit far- fetched by the end. I’m fascinated with juries and and the criminal justice process, so I really liked getting a look inside the process. You end up getting two mysteries for the price of one and a ton of twists. There were many times when I had to shake my head at how reckless Mia was, but the ending was satisfying and things get things resolved. There were interesting thoughts on race and bias, but I think it took on a bit too much. I gave it a 3.75!

This is an excellent legal thriller! The lines are drawn between race and justice it seems. If you are a fan of legal suspense, then I highly recommend this book!

This book starts out with a bang and doesn’t let up until the very last word! Told in two time frames there is not one, but two intertwined mysteries! The back story centers around the murder trial of Jessica Silver. The current story once again centers around the case as the jurors get together 10 years later for one night for a docuseries taping. Fast paced and twisty, this book while a bit on the unbelievable side, was a very entertaining read that touches on racism and legal injustice.

Turning the final page of this legal thriller had this reader racing to re-watch “Twelve Angry Men”. Many adaptations of this courtroom conundrum have been spooled out in the 50 odd years since the original, and this version was well executed. Maya Seale plays both juror and defense attorney in 2 timelines, artfully woven together in this thriller, which successfully tackles 21st century themes.

“In an adversarial system, it is the solemn duty of both adversaries to do their very best to win. Let the system worry about producing truth.” In Mr. Moore’s latest novel the truth takes on various meanings, at times benefitting unexpected characters. Fans of this author will devour this very readable new work.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House publisher for the ARC provided.

What a powerful book!! That’s my first impression after I finished reading it. The whole mystery, how the jurors play their important roles for someone else’s life, all of this is opening my eyes “what is a jury duty” about. Fast read, full with tense, completed with legal perspective from the start until the end.

Have to say this reminds me of “12 Angry Men” movie where one juror can change the situation from A to Z and change the verdict. With this one, it expands more important roles of them, more stories for each other jury. how they have to stay unite to reach one verdict, doesn’t matter how difficult it is. Last but not least, I love how the author put woman as the main character in this book. She’s strong, intelligent, a criminal defense lawyer and never give up. Girl power!!

All good! Excellent! Bravo!!

I'm always looking for a fresh voice in legal thrillers. I want non-stop action, current, cutting edge topics torn from the headlines, and I want it to read like something I could/would watch on the big screen or my TV. The Holdout by Graham Moore delivers on all fronts!

An interesting update on the sequestered-jury story and a valid critique of the U.S. justice system. As a thriller, I was drawn in and kept in suspense throughout the twists and turns in the plot. Some of the scenes in the past were handled more clumsily and the relationship arc was obvious, but I enjoyed this overall and have continued to think about it after finishing it a week ago.

This is a tricky one- no spoilers for the twists! Maya, now a defense attorney, was the one person who believed that Bobby did not kill Jessica when she served on his jury ten years ago. She managed to persuade the others to her point of view (and as you'll learn, some of them had their own reasons for changing their vote to not guilty). Now, Rick, another juror- and her lover during the trial- is found dead in her hotel room during a reunion of the jury. Maya is arrested for murder and then sets out to find first Bobby and then the truth. The truth not only about who killed Rick but about Bobby and Jessica as well. This moves back and forth between the 2009 trial and 2019 and it offers perspectives from each of the jurors although the focus is Maya. It's smart, carefully plotted, well written, and engaging in a way that some legal thrillers are not- you will actually care about these people. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a page turner that I very much enjoyed.

Sorry, i just don't buy it.

The book is definitely a page-turner, and I enjoyed trying to figure out the twists, but the elephant in the room here is the alleged statutory rape at the center of the mystery. The author consistently treats the purported liaison between a fifteen year old and her teacher as a scandalous affair and not child molestation, which is how the law would see it. Characters consistently gloss over or ignore/minimize this, including two female jurors with teenage daughters. Sorry, I don't buy it.

A decent mystery solidly told, but that huge blind spot kept me from fully diving in or suspending my disbelief for the rest of it.