The Trial: The No. 1 bestselling whodunit by Britain’s best-known criminal barrister

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The press and public all seemed to agree on one thing: there was only one thing worse than the murder of a police officer, and that was the murder of a police officer who was also a minor celebrity. Maybe ‘celebrity’ was the wrong word; Cliveden hadn’t exactly courted the media’s attention – he’d turned down Strictly ‘at least four times’, according to this particular breathless Sun write-up. But he’d nevertheless found a place in the nation’s psyche, somewhere between national treasure and bastion of society. In an age of influencers and reality stars, Cliveden represented real heroism, duty and integrity; he had been, in short, everything the British thought their public servants should be. Adam had only been eleven when Cliveden had thrown himself between the Queen and that madman with a gun, but he still remembered how his own mother had wept at the grainy footage of the baby-faced officer prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. I didn't think there were any untied bows. Any questions I had were answered by the end of the story. Throughout, there are some very deep, thought-provoking and moving quotes, that may make you rethink what you thought of the English legal system in terms of criminal justice and potential miscarriages of justice. The book takes you through the life of a baby barrister, and all the hard work, long nights and sometimes personal feelings, that goes into fighting for tenancy during pupillage. As well as balancing home life with networking events, trials after trials and everything in between, the grittiness and honesty are clearly shown through the eyes of an author who has been through it all before himself. Rinder still brings joy to TV – his facial expressions when he competed on Strictly Come Dancing are seared into my brain – but in recent times he has made serious and moving documentaries, including an exploration of Israel and Palestine and My Family, the Holocaust and Me, both for the BBC. His maternal grandfather, known as Morris, was born in Poland; his family were sent to the Treblinka camp, where they were murdered, but Morris, a fit young man, was sent to work in a factory, then to other forced-labour camps. Being the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, says Rinder, has “informed my politics, my view of the world, my instinctive reaction to people, this idea of who in the community is a bystander, a rescuer, a perpetrator”. In 1945, his grandfather was one of several hundred Jewish orphans who were flown to the Lake District to begin new lives; Morris lied, saying he was younger than he was to get here. There are parallels with today’s migrant crisis, with young people, particularly men, accused of “faking” their age to come to the UK. Rinder's writing is fast-paced and genuinely intriguing, the twists and turns providing surprises throughout. The story holds a magnifying glass up to the criminal justice system, exposing levels of corruption and injustices which are an uncomfortable truth for the reader. Whilst Adam makes some questionable choices in his pursuit of the truth of what happened to Cliveden, we never stop rooting for him to find fulfilment, a permanent job in his chambers and the right outcome for his client. No easy feat!

This is a book that takes you to the dark heart of the criminal justice system. They are all here - the good, the bad, the innocent and the guilty. I have not enjoyed a legal thriller this much since Grisham's The Firm." - Tony Parsons Energetic, warm, laced with humour with a truly inventive mode of murder' Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal Good, good,’ said Jonathan. ‘Did you add the bit about how I miss her milky thighs, or did we decide that was a bit much?’An exciting start to what promises to be an excellent series, with an appealing central character' The Guardian Rinder was 21 when he came out, “but I was meandering out at university. It wasn’t so much that I was worried about being gay, as much as doing something that would make my mum fearful for me. When I realised I was gay, HIV/Aids was a death sentence, a looming shadow. It was the time of section 28, where this was something dirty and furtive.” Also, he says: “There were so many complexities about disappointing my mum. We were the first divorced family [in her family], there was pressure on her as a single mum. At that time, being gay was cloaked in shame, and I was probably conscious about wanting to make sure my mum wouldn’t experience that.” He had also wanted to marry and have children. “That wasn’t part of the narrative for gay men then.” Accepting his sexuality “required a conscious loss”. Where’ve you been anyway, Green?’ Tony growled. ‘I could not ’ave been clearer about the start time of today’s event.’ The women who wore tight fitting or "salacious" clothes were Raquel, Gloria and similar. The well to do, casually chic were given Charlotte, Georgina...

So,’ said Jonathan, arranging a crocodile smile on his boyish features. He was in his fifties but still retained his roguish good looks, notwithstanding the little paunch he’d developed in his middle age. ‘How did we get on today?’A ridiculously entertaining whodunit. The Trial is sharp, witty and has a huge amount of heart. You're all going to love it when it hits shelves in June." - Tom Hindle Adam Green is on his first murder case. Meanwhile his mother is popping round to his flat to put food in the freezer and trying to match him up with lots of unsuitable women. He has to focus on work, because his latest case is his last chance to prove himself and to get a position in his firm. Unfortunately, the leading barrister thinks that the case is a dead loss. Career criminal Jimmy Knight is accused of killing hero policeman Grant Clivedon, and with both motive and opportunity this seems like an open and shut case. However, Adam isn't so sure that Jimmy is guilty, and is determined to defend him to the best of his ability, despite the lead barrister's reservations.

Brilliant courtroom drama, humorous as you would expect from Rob, and one that I had to read slowly because I didn't want it to end' Heidi Perks

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Adam has personal reasons for trying to clear Jimmy’s name despite his guilt seeming to be obvious and he works hard to find out the truth of the case before trial. He learns that the deceased was not quite as saintly as he first appeared. No, no, no, I don’t mean that,’ Jonathan said, waving away Adam’s words like a bad smell. ‘I mean, how did you get on with the flowers?’ The Trial is in the best tradition of John Mortimer's Rumpole series. A hugely enjoyable British courtroom drama' Steve Cavanagh Adam opened his mouth to answer, but didn’t get the chance before their conversation was unceremoniously interrupted by Tony. The clerk’s previous fury seemed to have passed, replaced with a fizzing, malevolent excitement.

What can I say? I really loved this book and whizzed through it in a couple of days. Books by celebrities can be pretty hit and miss so although I like Rob Rinder’s Tv persona and humour I wasn’t sure if this would translate into his first novel. Well it definitely did! Er, yes, sorry about that,’ said Adam, raising his voice in an effort to drown out the escalating grunts and moans coming from the other side of the door. ‘I was at Bexley Mags.’ The evidence points to one man. Jimmy Knight has been convicted of multiple offences before and defending him will be no easy task. Not least because this is trainee barrister Adam Green's first case.This was definitely a five star read for me, I just couldn’t put it down and that’s always a good sign! Rob Rinder is a well-known and liked TV personality, a take-no-prisoners pantomime and Strictly Come Dancing performer, a breakfast show presenter and a JC columnist. He is also, for many people, the calm and knowledgeable voice speaking the unspeakable about the Holocaust, as demonstrated in two successful documentaries on BBC. He was awarded an MBE for his services to Holocaust education. We are familiar with scenarios where the senior lawyer is a bit of a pompous idiot and the young and ambitious lawyer solves the mystery. Rinder does not shy away from this, though he makes Adam such a nerd that it is more of a mystery how he blunders his way to the solution.