Murder at the Bailey – Henry Milner
A notorious loan shark is shot dead, in broad daylight, right outside the front doors of the Old Bailey. The killer is arrested at the scene and Adrian Stanford is lined up to take on the toughest defence case of his career. Can he steer his client past the no-nonsense Detective Chief Superintendent ‘Iron-Rod’ Stokes, hell-bent on achieving a murder conviction in his last case before retirement? That’s assuming he can keep his client alive in prison long enough for the trial to go ahead. Can his illustrious defence QC, Patrick ‘The Edge’ Gorman, swerve the case past the acerbic judge known to all as Mack the Knife, whose own resolve is being tested to the limit by an adulterous wife? And why is London underworld numero uno Big Jake Davenport showing such a keen interest in the proceedings?
A wickedly eccentric cast of brilliantly drawn characters populate this daring debut from one of Britain’s top criminal defence lawyers. Dripping with sparkling dialogue and delicious wit, Murder at the Bailey is a masterly picaresque romp through the courtrooms, custody suites and London restaurants graced by the cognoscenti.
My thanks to at Biteback Publishing for my review copy and for inviting me to join the blog tour.
I want to read books which are fun, the escapism, engaging characters and a damn good story to hold my attention. Essentially I want to read books like Murder at the Bailey.
A clever, witty and fascinating “romp” through the English justice system as a high profile murder case runs through the courts. But this is no domestic drama to be played out under the radar, the deceased was a gangster – a notorious loan shark who evaded all all attempts to imprison him by putting the frighteners on any prosecution witnesses. He always and walked free from court to the frustration of the police.
But at the start of our story the loan shark doesn’t walk far. As he leaves the courtroom following his latest “not guilty” verdict a man dressed in court garb confronts him on the court steps and shoots him. Twice.
The shooter is arrested and makes a full confession to the police. Then he calls for one of the top defence lawyers and the process of defending him in court begins.
As readers we are treated to the best seats in the house as we follow all the players in this engaging courtroom drama. The judge who has problems at home, the defence lawyer who is bored and seeking a challenge, the arresting policeman who wants one last big conviction before retirement and badly wants to put the defence lawyer in his place. Then there is the gangster who is delighted to see the loanshark dead and wants to help (anonymously) the accused go free. Naturally the gangster has “contacts” so he tries to ensure he knows what’s happening with the jury…it goes on.
All these characters are masterfully depicted. With so many larger than life egos bustling to command the spotlight there could have been a problem ensuring they get the attention they deserve but this just doesn’t happen. When the stakes are this high there is plenty of room for everyone to shine – fantastic control shown by Henry Milner in keeping his characters firmly in their place.
I cannot recommend this book more highly. Smart courtroom powerplays, acerbic wit, duplicity everywhere you turn and at the heart a killer who wants you to believe he had no other choice but to eliminate a bad man before he was a victim himself. Kill or be killed?
If you enjoy a courtroom thriller you will be hard pressed to find one quite like Murder at the Bailey. I absolutely loved it.
Murder at the Bailey is published by Biteback Publishing and will be available in paperback and digital format from 16 November. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09BTS65NK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0