“Until Proven Innocent” was my first experience of reading detailed courtroom scenes, and it was just as tense as you’d expect.

Read it if: police/crime/legal procedurals are your thing.

Don’t read it if: you are triggered by the subject of racism within the police force, as this is a central theme.

This books tells the story of a young black barrister, Lee Mitchell, who ends up having to defend a prolific corrupt and racist police sergeant, Jack Lambert.

Lee lives close to where she grew up, but decidedly in a much more affluent part, and her struggles with her identity as she navigates this dichotomy is one of the book’s central themes. The tension between her and her community is exacerbated when it’s revealed that she will be defending Jack, and it also threatens her relationship with her partner.

The parts of the novel where we hear from Jack, and how he has been prejudiced throughout his police career, are sometimes difficult to read. Institutional racism within the UK police is a pertinent and very current issue and for most readers, many real life cases come to mind whilst reading.

Whilst I found the subject matter of the book very interesting, I feel like it spread itself a little thin in places. Characters which feel a little irrelevant seem to be given a lot of airtime, like you’d expect from a series. That said, I enjoyed learning about Lee and she’s a character I’d be happy to read about again.

With thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nicola Williams writes a gripping race, crime, community, and legal drama set in a South London black community facing the challenges of gentrification. Leanne 'Lee' Mitchell, who against all the odds, has succeeded in carving a successful career as a black barrister at Maple Court Chambers. However, she has never forgotten where she came from, as she continues to volunteer at the local law centre, now she is persuaded to serve as a board member. Life is good, she has all the trappings of success, and she is living with and in a great relationship with jazz musician, David. A young boy, 15 year old Paul, is shot in the face, and is now lying in hospital in a coma, the prognosis does not bode well. The victim is the son of a well known and well regarded black pastor and community activist, Desmond Matthews, and his wife, Eloise, their lives now broken and shattered.

DCI Danny Wallace too is from the same community, he managed to turn his troubled life around as a youngster when he received support from the pastor. He is leading the police investigation, and it not long before a prime suspect emerges, only it turns out he is one of their own, the notorious Sergeant Jack Lambert, a long serving racist officer with a reputation for brutality. Whilst the evidence provided by a gun is far from conclusive, it appears to be obvious he is their man, he is charged and a trial date is set. Lee wants nothing to do with the vile Lambert, but finds herself in the invidious position of being forced to defend him, an act that will have repercussions on her position in the community, and those close to her. The stage is set for a high profile trial, the Matthews family supported by tory councillor, Hugo Cunningham, with intense media scrutiny, attracting loud and vociferous protests, and dramatic courtroom scenes.

Receiving far less attention, is the murder of drug dealer, Jimmy Thomas, Lambert's informant, the police focus is on getting Lambert convicted. It is fascinating to observe Lee's handling of the case, her distaste for her unpleasant client, the stress and pressures coming from every direction, her professional pride, her inner desire to win, and the lack of any kind of defence available. This is a compulsive read, packed with some surprising twists and turns, the lies, deception, and with a riveting court trial at its heart. Many of the issues raised resonate with our contemporary world realities, such as the issue of race and the Black Lives Matter movement, and the controversial gentrification of parts of London. A great crime novel. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced
3.5 stars

If you want a really slow no action “thriller” then this might be the book for you. It held promise but it was really difficult to get into and did not pick up until 60% of the book. It felt like there was more waffling than plot progress for several chapters and it never really wrapped up the story at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Blood, Murder, Medical content, and Sexual content

Moderate: War and Homophobia

A mixed bag for me.

It was very detailed and legalese was dotted throughout which put me off a bit. I know to expect this in a courtroom drama but I felt there was too much of it and it got in the way of the plot

I liked the fact the culprit was arrested early on and that the book was more focused on the trail and behind the scenes.

Just not one for me.

An unusual courteoom drama in that the suspect is caught quite early on the book and it's as much about what sort of defense can be made given the nature of his lawyer.
Very well written with an engaging plot although I couldn't take to any of the characters so ended up not caring who was guilty or innocent anyway.
A lot of background given in the early stages, with several introductions meant the case didn't really become absorbing until two thirds of the way through for me I'm afraid.

Lee Mitchell is a London barrister from a Caribbean background. Female, working-class and of colour means Lee has to fight extra hard to keep her rising place in the hierarchy in an already cut throat Chambers environment. On her way home from a glittering Chambers party her journey is held up by police attending a shooting. The victim proves to be Paul, the 15 year old son of a well-known pastor of a church with a principally black congregation. The community is outraged, Paul being a decent and upright young man with no police convictions and there is further outrage when evidence points to Sergeant Jack Lambert as the perpetrator. Lambert is well known to be corrupt and a racist . Much against her will Lee is forced to defend Jack when the case comes to court. How will Lee ride out the inevitable storm?

This novel from an author who is new to me proves to be hard to put down. It’s very current, making powerful and thought provoking points especially about racism and pulling no punches and why should it? It feels very real and authentic with the south London neighbourhood, the characters and the various situations all ringing true, making for compelling reading.

I really like Lee, she’s an excellent character and you root for her with all the difficulties that accompany this particular case. There are some very good scenes such as in the courtroom along with many plot twists and turns to keep you glued to the pages. It shocks you at times as it’s meant to . Although I do figure out part of the answer it is still a cracking read. I look forward to hopefully reading more about Lee and more novels by the author.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General U.K. for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very cleverly written and the ending was very unpredictable. I thought the characters were extremely strong and dealt with really important things. I loved the way the story was written and how it kept me hooked. It took a little bit of the book for me to be able to keep track of who all the characters were but overall I loved the twists and turns and thought it was a really great book.

This book was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters, it was a gripping read that engaged me the whole way through. A really enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

Nicola Williams is a new author to me and I thought from the premise of this book it looked like my kind of read. It definitely was, and I found this to be a good, enjoyable read.

I really liked the main character Lee, a barrister, who takes on a case and defends a Police Officer who is accused of murder. Her personal life and relationship suffers and tensions rise in the local community as the case comes to Court. The author deals with many current issues in todays society very well and, in my opinion, has created tension and suspense in her writing which kept me engaged in the story throughout. There are quite a few side characters, mostly likeable, all with their own secrets which add depth to the story. I would have liked the courtroom scenes to have been a bit longer though. I think the author has written a good book with an all too believable plot line. The last quarter of the story was a very riveting read with twist after twist that just kept coming and raced to an ending that stunned me. If you enjoy books with a crime element and deal with current everyday issues then give this book a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

3.5 stars