The Holdout was pretty fun to read. I did wonder about the descriptions of jury duty. I mean, I've been on five juries, all in southern California, with one being a murder trial and one being an attempted murder by a gang on police officers. And never were we separated for jury selection or told we couldn't learn each other's names from day one.

Beyond the discrepancies in the court system (No mention of mandated reporting?), I enjoyed the book. It never really felt suspenseful, though. I was interested in what happened to everyone involved. So, I kept reading. We learned a little about the people who served and there seemed to be an attempt to throw out red herrings. I wish I had connected with Maya more. I think that was the disconnect that kept this from being a 5. I didn't connect with the story or the characters. Still, I went back and forth between 3 and 4. This book was good, better than OK and not great.

Great book! I went in thinking it was going to be one story, but I was pleasantly surprised with the many twists and turns the story took. The story held my interest from the very beginning and the twists kept coming even through the last few pages. The writing was good and the author did a great job of keeping the plot moving at a steady pace through all the different perspectives. All in all a very good book. Would highly recommend for anyone who likes mysteries and legal thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for granting me access to this advance reader copy. I will be posting this review today to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page, @thatreadingrealtor.

I finished this and typed up my thoughts about it while on a cross country flight, then landed only to realize that everything I’d written was somehow lost because Google Drive failed to save it. What I’d written was brilliant and insightful (naturally), but instead of getting that, you’re gonna get this:

This was a great mystery that had me hooked from the beginning. Graham Moore’s writing is very tight, and I would describe his storytelling as cerebral. It is more about analysis and strategy, and less about emotion and character development. More head than heart. At times, this left me feeling a little cold while reading it, but the plot and themes were so interesting that I could easily look past any chilliness.

This story explores how very gray the justice system can be, especially when it comes to verdicts being decided by juries. The entire process is not about getting to the truth; it is about winning an argument in whatever way possible, including presenting fiction as fact. It allowed me to understand a bit more how juries actually operate and what dirty tactics defense attorneys and prosecutors may resort to at times. I also very much appreciated some of the truthful exploration of racial issues and racial tension in this, as well as how the story highlighted the inequities in our justice system when it comes to socioeconomic status.

The pacing was great, there were some good surprises and the ending wrapped up in a very tidy, satisfying and ‘Hollywood’ type of way. If you like mysteries, thrillers and court room dramas, you should definitely give this a read!!

Description:
It’s the most sensational case of the decade. 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, a twenty-five-year-old African American man, is the prime suspect. The subsequent trial taps straight into America’s most pressing preoccupations: race, class, sex, law enforcement, and the lurid sins of the rich and famous. It’s an open-and-shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed—until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, convinced of Nock’s innocence, persuades the rest of the jurors to return the verdict of not guilty, a controversial decision that will change all their lives forever.

Flash forward ten years. A true-crime docuseries reassembles the jury, with particular focus on Maya, now a defense attorney herself. When one of the jurors is found dead in Maya’s hotel room, all evidence points to her as the killer. Now, she must prove her own innocence—by getting to the bottom of a case that is far from closed.

As the present-day murder investigation weaves together with the story of what really happened during their deliberation, told by each of the jurors in turn, the secrets they have all been keeping threaten to come out—with drastic consequences for all involved.

A huge thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

#netgalley #theholdout

‘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, a twenty-five-year-old African American man, is the prime suspect...It’s an open-and-shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed—until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, convinced of Nock’s innocence, persuades the rest of the jurors to return the verdict of not guilty, a controversial decision that will change all their lives forever.’

WOW, that ending I have to admit shocked me and irritated me at the same time, even though I knew deep down-as I eagerly flipped through the pages-exactly how a few parts of this twisted murder mystery would play out, I was hoping beyond hope that I would be wrong - My heart!!

THE HOLDOUT is told using two timelines woven together (which I liked), the first being 2019 wherein, ten years after the trial that changed the lives of twelve people forever including that of fellow juror Maya Seale-now Defense Attorney, quickly finds herself in need of representation after being arrested for murder.

I don’t want to give too much away about the narrative, I will say that suspension of disbelief in some parts may be required, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this novel, though other readers opinions may differ.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing, for loaning me an advance eBook of THE HOLDOUT in exchange for an honest review.

Available now for preorder and scheduled to release on February 18, 2020.

Two more books that I can’t wait to read by Graham Moore, THE LAST DAYS OF NIGHT, and THE SHERLOCKIAN.

The Holdout is a grab-you-by-the-throat and won't let you go kind of read! WOW! Grab your snacks and beverage before you start because you won't want to take a break.

The book is about a trial for which you definitely don't want to be chosen as a juror. Bobby Nock, a young black high school teacher is accused of the kidnapping and suspected murder of one of his white and wealthy students following her disappearance in 2009. The trial changed the lives of everyone involved with it, and not in good ways. The jurors remain haunted by it a decade later.

The story is told alternating between the time of the trial in 2009 and ten years later when it is once again drawing attention because of the anniversary of the trial. The media has planned a reunion documentary featuring the 11 jurors still living (one has died). One of the jurors is murdered the first night they are together again, staying at the hotel for the documentary where the jurors were sequestered during the trial. Though found in the room of another juror, it soon becomes clear that several people had both means and motive to commit the murder. A mystery within a mystery - does it get any better than that?

Moore does a great job of blending the then and now, letting the reader come to know each juror in both timeframes. I really liked that! He also deftly handled the topics of racism, reverse-racism and profiling.

This is a book where the less said in any review the better, because each reader should come to it fresh so they too can take in all the surprises this book holds! Kudos to Graham Moore on an excellent read!

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions here are my own.

3.5 stars

In 2009, 25-year-old high school music teacher Bobby Nock was tried for the murder of his 15-year-old student Jessica Silver. When Jessica - the daughter of billionaire Lou Silver - disappeared, the police found sexy text messages between herself and Nock and found traces of Jessica's blood in Nock's car. The fact that Nock was black and Jessica was white exacerbated matters, and the teacher was quickly arrested and prosecuted.

Maya Seale was one of a diverse bag of jurors at Nock's trial, and though the evidence against the teacher was strong, Maya had reasonable doubt. Thus, though the eleven other jurors wanted to vote guilty, Maya turned them one by one.....and Nock got a not guilty verdict. Nock's acquittal resulted in vicious backlash from the public.

The fallout caused many jurors to regret their decision to let Nock off. The most sorry of all was an African American juror named Rick Leonard, who wrote a scathing book that blamed Maya for the reviled verdict.

Ten years later Maya, who believes "it's better that ten guilty men go free than one innocent be wrongly punished" is a criminal defense attorney who'd prefer to hear nothing more about Bobby Nock. Unfortunately Maya is out of luck because the producers of a podcast called 'Murder Town' are making an 8-hour docuseries about Nock, to be aired on Netflix.

The producers ask the original jurors to cooperate with the show, and Maya - who's still being excoriated by the public - refuses. However Rick Leonard claims that he's found definitive proof of Nock's guilt, which he'll reveal when he's interviewed for the podcast. Maya can't resist hearing this 'proof', and reluctantly agrees to participate in the program.

The jurors are assembled at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles, where they were sequestered during the trial, and are even given their old rooms. The attendees meet for an ice breaker on the evening before the interviews, and talk about the trial and the podcast. Later that night a juror is found dead in Maya's room. In the ultimate ironic twist, Maya is arrested for the juror's murder.

The book is a dual mystery in which two cases are highlighted: the killing of Jessica Silver and the murder of the juror. Maya, who's out on bail, aims to prove she's innocent. Hence she noses around against the explicit instructions of her defense attorney, Craig Richards, who tells her to lay low. In fact Craig wants Maya to claim she killed Rick in self-defense - even if she's completely innocent - to ensure she doesn't go to prison. (Apparently Craig doesn't care if the 'real killer' is caught.)

The murder trial of Bobby Nock has a whiff of racism and classism, which continues later, when Nock is convicted of disseminating child pornography. As a result Nock has to register as a sex offender, which means that he'll be persecuted by the media forever.

The book is told from the rotating points of view of Maya and other jurors, so we know what people were thinking and doing during and after Nock's trial, and what they're up to at the present time. There are some surprising revelations and the strong suggestion that lawyers don't care who's innocent or guilty....they just want to win.

I'd recommend this novel to readers who enjoy mysteries and legal thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Graham Moore) and the publisher (Random House) for a copy of the book.

The Holdout, written by Graham Moore is scheduled for release on February 18, 2020 by Random House Publishing Group. I was given an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I also chose this as one of my February Book of the Month selections.

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Juror Maya Seale is convinced that African American high school teacher Bobby Nock is innocent of killing the wealthy white female student with whom he appears to have been involved and persuades her fellow jurors likewise. Ten years later, a true-crime docuseries reassembles the jurors, and Maya, now a defense attorney, must prove her own innocence when one of them is found dead in Maya's room.

I originally requested this on NetGalley because I found it on a list of 2020’s most promising books. Once I found out BOTM would also be featuring it, naturally I had to have it. I love all things true crime, so a fictional story about a true crime case could not have been more clearly directed at me…unless the cover had my name on it in huge bold letters. I loved the complex relationships between all the jurors that were revealed throughout the story. I loved that Maya went to law school immediately after one of the biggest trials in history because she wanted to help ensure other people weren’t railroaded. Most of all, I loved that nothing was as it originally appeared. As the story wound on, everything I thought I knew about what I was reading slowly unraveled. I’m sure people not weird like me may find parts of this book (like the description of all the trial info) slow, but I was fascinated the entire time. I was like a child with an iPad. Once I was finished with this book, “I immediately thought I can’t wait for _____ to read this,” and came up with at least 10 people off the top of my head.

This rating is a no-brainer. If you’re into true crime, courtroom drama, or mystery of any kind, you’d be doing a great disservice to yourself if you didn’t pick up this book. Now go read it in 2 days like I did so we can chat about it!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars

The review below was posted on my blog on Feb. 12, 2020, at https://www.thecuecard.com/books/february-roundup/

For most of this novel, I really enjoyed it. I liked the protagonist — Maya — who gets caught up as a jurist on the murder case of a black defendant in a famous century kind-of-trial held in Los Angeles (which reminded me of a bit of O.J. Simpson’s) and is sequestered for months with her fellow jurists. Their verdict when it finally comes is controversial (there’s a lone holdout for awhile), and ten years later they are asked to do a reunion show about the trial … but after a one night get-together for the show one of their fellow jurists is found dead. Who did it, why, and is it connected to the prior case?

“The Holdout” is a very readable and fast-paced murder mystery, law thriller. It makes you think about what it’s like to be on a jury, and issues about race and what real justice is. The first half I thought was strong and compelling — with Maya becoming a lawyer after her experience on the famous case as a juror — but then the novel’s ending is sort of drawn out and becomes a bit crazy with various twists — some of which seem a bit implausible. Still I enjoyed most of the ride and liked the writing, which alternates perspectives among the various jurors and the main character Maya. The author’s previous novel “The Last Days of Night,” which was historical fiction about the titans of electric light, was quite different than this one but both were enticing reads.

Ten years ago, Maya, the lone holdout on a jury, convinced 11 of her fellow jurors to acquit a black teacher accused of murdering his white teenage student. Was justice served?

One juror, Rick, doesn’t think so and he’s written a book holding Maya responsible for letting a guilty man go free. He hints that he has a new evidence and 10 years post-trial, on the eve of a documentary about the case, the jury reassembles. On the first night of their reunion a juror is found dead in Maya’s room and she is the prime suspect. From here the story alternates between the still unsolved 10-year-old case to the present day murder investigation.

I expect to suspend some disbelief when I’m reading fiction but there’s a limit to my ability to do so before my eyes start to roll. I was engaged for the first 50% but then the story took a turn I couldn’t get behind, starting with a lawyer going rogue investigating her own case.

I think the author had some thoughtful things to say about the justice system but the story would have benefitted by tackling fewer social issues. To compound the problem, the narrative was interrupted multiple times by preachy commentary. I get that it’s hard for authors to resist the impulse but I prefer the issues to be presented in a more nuanced manner that is integral to the story. I found the ending to be convoluted and ridiculous.

I prefer a more literary approach to police procedurals and courtroom dramas. While I found this book to be the literary equivalent of a Lifetime movie, it might be an entertaining way to spend time on a long flight or an afternoon at the beach. Many others have enjoyed this book more than I did so please check other reviews.

Some books and their authors believe they have to cram every bit of information into their stories. While often it works well, in this book it seemed to muddle some really important concepts and ideas.



Ten years ago, Maya Seale, sat on a jury and was the instrumental force in the way the verdict was determined. Spurred on by her experience as a juror, Maya becomes a criminal defense attorney. However, her world is about to be rocked as a show, driven on and assisted by one of the former jurors, Rick Leonard, decide to bring the jurors together and try to come to terms with their previous decision. Most of the jurors are anxious to participate while Maya has qualms. During the initial trial, Maya and Rick, another juror, became quite close and after the trial as these two battled their way through the decision, that closeness disappeared and later become the source of a scathing book penned by Rick. The jurors meet and then one of them turns up dead and the race is on to find not only the murderer of one of the jurors, but also to come to terms with the verdict made ten years prior.

Ten years ago, Jessica Silver, the daughter of an extremely wealthy man went missing. Bobby Nock, a teacher of Jessica's, becomes the lead suspect in her disappearance and what is presumed to be her death. Bobby is black and he and Jessica had carried on a sexual relationship while Jessica was fifteen and his student. Jessica is gone and Bobby is the one that everyone suspects. The trial occurs and the jurors come together with their verdict, bringing their own misconceptions, preconceptions, and prejudices along with them.

The book flips back and forth between the trial, the aftermath, and many characters. We get a glimpse into the questions of race, of police procedures, the way trials are conducted, the deals that are made, and the makeup of juries. Represented as well, is the notoriety of the case using social media as a point of information.

While there were many elements to ponder, the book did get caught up in too many issues. While it did hold my interest, through the bulk of the story, the ending just seemed quite contrived and convoluted. However, overall, it did raise some really intriguing questions, and I did enjoy thinking about the many answers there might have be to some particularly probing and relevant questions.

Thank you to the Graham Moore, Random House, and NetGalley for a copy of this book due out February 18, 2020.

If I ever thought I might like to serve as a juror, I don’t now! Haha! I flew through this book in 24 hours even though there were probably 10 other things I should’ve been doing. I was sucked in and whatever, those 10 other things waited for me😂
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I wasn’t sure if I would like this book when I first read the synopsis but I was intrigued enough to request it on NetGalley. It definitely grabbed my attention in the beginning and got good quickly. It’s full of suspense, mystery, and surprises.
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The chapters switch between the present from Maya’s perspective and the past from the perspective of individual jury members. It was a little tricky keeping track of the characters because there are quite a few, but they’re all totally worth it. If you plan to read Agatha Christie novels some day, watch out because one character gives total spoilers about a few of them. Lucky for me, I have a bad memory! Haha!
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I started having some doubts about the book a little over halfway through because it started to feel a tad slow but I shouldn’t have worried. So if you read this and feel the same way at that point in the book, don’t worry because there’s a lot of craziness to come!
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This was a really good book and if you like stories that involve courtroom drama, this one’s definitely for you.

A decade after serving as a juror in a controversial trail that saw the defendant acquitted, our main character Maya finds herself the center of a whole new murder mystery.
Despite now being a successful lawyer, she still bears the stain of having been vilified by the public and the press due to her influencing other jurors to change their guilty verdicts to not guilty. So, it's unsurprising that she is suspect number one of this new crime. As she works to prove her innocence, we not only get insight into the original crime that started it all, but we get short chapters from the perspectives of each of the other eleven jurors that allow us to see what they were thinking at the time.

An enthralling read that felt almost as if I was binge watching a fictional crime series on television.

This is the first book I've ever read where the focus is on the jury during a trial and, wow! I loved this book! The ending is outlandish and very Agatha Christie, but I loved it! A true page turner that is DIFFERENT than all the rest.

Jury duty. For many Americans, getting a jury duty notice in the mail fills them with dread - having to take time away from work or family responsibilities, not to mention the enormous, weighty task of determining the fate of one of their peers is overwhelming for a lot of people. On the other hand, some folks really enjoy seeing the inner workings of a courtroom and their justice system in action. Regardless of whether or not you pine to serve on a jury yourself, you will likely enjoy Graham Moore's new mystery novel The Holdout if you love courtroom dramas.

Ten years ago, 12 people were brought together to serve on a jury, deliberating on the purported actions of a black English teacher accused of having a relationship with and murdering his white student. One of the jurors, Maya Seale, is the only one who believes the defendant, Bobby Nock, to be innocent. In the vein of 12 Angry Men, Maya picks the jurors off one-by-one, swaying each and every one of them to a "not guilty" vote. Bobby Nock, a man who most of the world believes is guilty, is released into the world a free man.

Now appropriately a successful defense attorney, Maya has been approached by a true crime docu-series which would like to reassemble the jurors in light of new evidence. Maya, who is already hesitant to take part (she considers this period of her life is behind her) soon has an even bigger reason to regret her decision to join in on this project when one of her former jury members is found dead in her hotel room. Maya, now a murder suspect, is about to find out what it feels like to be on the other side of the jury box.

Compulsive and questioning, The Holdout sheds light on group dynamics and just what happens between people when they are thrown together with a melee of strangers and are asked to make life-altering decisions and judgements about other people. Razor-sharp and abrasive, The Holdout is biting and frankly paints its characters in an unflattering light - this is people not at their best. Nonetheless, the story moves along at a fast and reckless clip, despite its despicable characters, until it reaches its unbelievable conclusion.

I gave The Holdout three stars, which means that I liked it, but didn't love it - the reason being the ending. I don't appreciate far-fetched scenarios in my realistic fiction, nor do I like when an author throws in a lengthy explanation of all the story's mysteries at the end of a novel. That's what we get here with The Holdout. Prepare to be entertained throughout much of this brash book, but also get ready to despise the ending.

The Holdout is a whodunit for the modern age, & will have readers racing through the pages to figure out just who committed this heinous act of violence. Was it Maya? Maybe it was Bobby Nock? Or could it possibly be one of the other jurors? No spoilers here - you will have to read The Holdout to find out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Ten years ago, Maya Seale was the lone holdout who refused to convict Bobby Nock of murdering Jessica Silver. One by one, she convinced the others jurors to eventually acquit him of a crime that most of the country was convinced he was guilty of. Now, after years of harassment for the unpopular verdict, the jurors are reunited for a TV show about the trial. When one of the jurors, Rick Leonard, is killed in Maya's hotel room, Maya is faced with having to prove her innocence.

On the surface, this book explores two murders: the murder of Bobby Nock and the murder of Rick Leonard. But most of all, it is a fascinating - and sometimes disturbing - look at our justice system: the advice that Maya's lawyer gives her, the dynamics of the interactions between the jurors, the psychology behind each juror's vote. And this is where this book really shines. There is a repeated theme that the truth is not what's really important in a murder trial. It will really make you think. Does anyone involved in a case like this - the cops, the lawyers, the jurors, the press - really care about the truth? Or do we just want someone to blame?

There are also a couple of mysteries to solve, which mostly involves Maya running around and talking to people about Rick's murder. And while necessary to the plot and moving the forward story, these sections weren't nearly as powerful or thought-provoking as the ones that gave you glimpses of our justice system.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

I was completely surprised by this twisted legal thriller by Gordon Moore. First of all, I expected a historical, based on his previous excellent work on “The Last Days of Night”and “The Sherlockian”. Once I realized that I was reading a contemporary legal procedural, I settled in for the surprise after surprise that the plot provided. This was a can’t-put-it-down read for me!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Holdout By Graham Moore is as good as a legal thriller can get, it is one very entertaining and will keep you guessing, and two makes a statement about how our current legal system is broken and can be manipulated. The Holdout is two mysteries in one, as we get two different mysteries one is a did they or didn't they murder? And the other is a who done it? The book is separated by a ten year span having a jury trial and then ten years later doing a retrospective documentary of what happened during the trial. This book was part 12 Angry Men combined with an Agatha Christie murder mystery (there's one I'm thinking about but the plot could be a hint to where it goes, and would hate to spoil anything) with a dash of John Grisham. This novel is full of little twist here and there with a couple of big ones towards the end that guarantee to put you on your toes. I really enjoyed The Holdout thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me and advanced readers copy. The Holdout is being published on February 18 2020.

The Plot: Maya Seale is an attorney at a law firm in Los Angeles. We see her creatively defend a client and get a damaging police report tossed out on a technicality. She wins the case but before she can celebrate, she is confronted with a blast from her past, Rick. Ten years ago she was on the trial of the century, the Bobby Nock trial, as a juror. She was the one holdout that thought he was not guilty and convinced the rest of the jury of it as well. This victory lead her to go to law school and become a lawyer. The only problem with the Bobby Nock verdict is 84% of a America thought he was guilty with all the information the media got compared to the information in the trial. The jurors names were all leaked the media hounded them for information and insight, some of the other juror's felt manipulated to vote not guilty. Rick wrote a book about it blaming Maya, and has been obsessed with proving Booby Nock, a 25 year old African American music teacher killed his, 15 year old Caucasian high school student, Jessica Silver. Rick is tells Maya that he has found information that is going to change the course of the old case, he and eight of the other juror's ( one has passed away and one flat out said he was not interested) are going to sit down and tell all for a documentary ten years after the trial. Maya doesn't want any part of it, but her boss thinks it will be could for publicity, so she reluctantly agrees. But she gets more than she bargained for when a member of the Booby Nock juror's is murdered. Maya is left to solve this crime, with the more she finds out, the more doubts she has about the not guilty verdict of the the old trial. The only thing she can do, is solve both cases.

What I Liked: The way this story is told really stuck out to me, in the present the story is told in third person, but in the flashbacks to the Bobby Nock trial ten years ago we get a first person view of the trial through each jurors eyes, which was very effective. The Holdout balanced the fun mystery while taking a hard look at our current system of justice and the legal loop holes. There's a great scene where someone is asked plead self defense, because it's easier to plead than innocent. There were a lot of character's with the 12 juror's but everyone had their own personalities and their own agenda. There was plenty of murder suspects that kept me guessing the whole time. I loved the twist in this novel, I guessed wrong about who done it, I only got one plot twist right, but I felt it was a lucky guess, but most of the time this novel kept me guessing.

What I Disliked: I was only upset with one plot point in this book, it was a big one I thought I was going to be blown away by a reveal, and I was more like, that was just okay. The novel did redeem its self with the next plot point involving what to do with that reveal which I thought was really clever and not something that I was expecting.

Recommendations: I totally recommend this novel, I think this was a fun legal thriller that kept me on my toes, with who done it? This novel balanced legal thriller with classic mystery, if you like one or both of those genres than you are gonna have some fun with this novel. If you're looking for a smart book that offers a biting social commentary, then this is the book for you. The commentary on our legal system is not in your face but it ask good questions to the reader, about what is right or wrong? How can a jury remain bias on the subject of race? What the media misses with it's rush to be the first to post new information? I rated The Holdout by Graham Moore 5 out of 5, I was let down by one scene, but the charm and the fun of this novel got me to overlook it. This was the first novel that I have read by Graham Moore and it certainly will not be the last. He has written The Sherlockian which I've heard a lot of good things about and not only is he a novelist but a screenwriter of The Imitation Game the movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kira Knightley, a movie I quite enjoyed.

Wow. This was such a joy to read -- a thriller, with not one but two legal cases at its base, that was smart and well-written.

We often hear of the need for readers to "suspend disbelief," but I've found (sadly) that I often have to "suspend intelligence"to make my way through a modern mystery novel. That was definitely not the case with this book -- there were passages full of insight that somehow, simultaneously, moved the plot rapidly along.

Maya Seale is a lawyer who (10 years earlier) was the lone holdout in a sensational murder trial, the juror who managed to swing all her fellows over to a not guilty verdict. The experience changed every one of the 12, with Maya discovering a love and aptitude for the legal system that took her to law school and a successful carer as a defense attorney.

A 10-year-retrospective true crime docu-drama brings it all back, with one of the jurors killed during the reunion before filming. Maya is charged with the murder, and in the process of clearing her name examines the entire legal system, with the fallibility of jury verdicts front and center.

She observes, "The people who went into those courtrooms looking for divine revelation came out bearing the fruits of bureaucratic negotiation."

Bear in mind that I was reading an ARC, supplied by NetGalley and the publisher. Advance reader copies are often riddled with typos and grammatical lapses that are usually cleaned up by publication. But I didn't find my first typo in The Holdout until I was 78% into the book, and it was a case of two verbs back-to-back.

I both liked and disliked Maya (good job! complexity!) but I really loved how fully-portrayed all the other jurors were -- and the original defendant, and the members of Maya's legal team. High marks also for the number of times I changed my mind about what had happened in each crime's time frame. But the thing that tickled me the most (I know: word nerd!) was that a word choice (defuse, not diffuse) that I have read 10 times this month alone used wrongly in final published documents WAS CORRECT HERE -- in a draft!

Laugh if you like at the pickiness over grammar and punctuation, but to me it shows that the writer and publisher respect their material, and so shall I. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the chance to read this book before publication.

What an addictive story that was hard to put down. We follow Maya’s perspective. She’s a lawyer now but 10 years ago she was a juror member that found a man innocent. She was the one who convinced her fellow juror members that this man was innocent. Now 10 years later, they still wonder if he’s innocent.

I just LOVED this story. If you like suspenseful stories, pick up this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this interesting thought-provoking mystery/courtroom drama in return for an honest review. I had read and enjoyed The Last Days of Night, and learned the author was also the screenwriter for the excellent Imitation Game.

I regret that I am in the minority here, as I found the secondary characters one-dimensional. The protagonist, Maya, I thought annoying with little regard for anyone’s opinion but her own.

Told in two alternating timelines, we feel the tension and stress when serving in a sequestered jury, with shifting alliances and decisions. People who would probably never connect outside the courtroom, deliberate and struggle to come to a unanimous decision on the guilt or innocence of a young black male teacher, Bobby Nock. He is accused of murdering a young white student, Jessica, the daughter of wealthy parents. Text messages indicate an inappropriate relationship, and the prosecution submits DNA evidence, and charge that he lied about his whereabouts. Jessica’s body was never found.

A young juror, Mayo, believes it is better that a guilty person go free than an innocent man goes to prison. The other 11 jurors are leaning towards a guilty verdict, but Mayo persuades each one to change their votes to not guilty by her arguments against each point presented by the prosecutor. Bobby is freed.

The trial becomes a sensation when broadcast on national TV. Themes of morality, legal and personal ethics, persuasion, racial prejudice and profiling, and weakness in the justice system leading to injustice are explored. Sharp criticism by news reporters and in the social media vilify the jurors after their not guilty verdict. Doubt, remorse, and guilt influence their future lives.

I found the chapters which are set 10 years after the trial to be difficult to believe. Maya is now a successful defence lawyer. One of the jurors is involved in an upcoming TV production based on the trial. He gathers the former members of the jury together for a reunion, hinting that he has proof that Bobby was indeed guilty of murder and they made the wrong decision. This man is found murdered in Maya’s hotel room before disclosing the new information. She is accused of killing him. A portfolio of secrets and scandals he compiled about fellow members of the jury is found. Maya is arrested and charged with his murder but gets out on bail.

I may be wrong, but I found it preposterous that she would be allowed to go hunt for Bobby who has disappeared and is obsessed with finding him innocent, interviewing jurors in their homes, and family members. She is adamant in clearing his name and proving she was correct in persuading the other jury members to reach a not guilty verdict. Even more unbelievable for me, is that she is free to go to people’s homes and businesses to investigate who really killed the juror for whose murder she has been blamed. She is certainly a relentless and driven individual.

I thought the twist at the end very surprising and thought it made sense. I think most readers who like courtroom stories would enjoy this book, and should not be deterred by my misgivings. Most reviews have been very positive.