“The Fall Guy” by Simon Michael

Barrister Charles Holborne finds himself caught up in the world of 1960s pop music. 

An American pop group has started its British tour, the prelude to a longer European tour. A British promoter is handling both the British and European itineraries. That is, until a 15-year-old-girl is found dead where the pop group is staying, with a heroin needle hanging out of her arm. And it’s the promoter who’s charged with her death and related crimes.

 

Holborne smells a rat. This is a period when the London Metropolitan Police is riddled with corruption of all kinds – drugs, shakedowns, blackmail, and organized theft rings. Through his contacts, detectives, and friends, the attorney learn his client is innocent, but he’s going to have to dip into the criminal world of the police to prove. And that can be as dangerous as the “regular” criminal underworld itself.

 

But if the music promoter is willing, there’s an opportunity to rip the lid off the entire mess.

 

Simon Michael

The Fall Guy is the 10^th Charles Holborne legal thriller by British writer Simon Michael. It’s a doozy of a story, based like its predecessors on real events and real people (London’s police was indeed riddled with corruption in the 1960s). A former practicing attorney, Michael knows his police procedure, law, and criminal trials, and that understanding undergirds each of the Charles Holborne stories.

 

Michael studied law at Kings College, London University and was called to the Bar in 1978. He worked primarily in the field of criminal law until the late 1990s, when he focused his practice on clinical negligence. He began writing in the 1980s and resumed it when he retired from legal practice.

 

Each of the Charles Holborne novels has been a consistently enthralling story. Michael draws his characters deeply and well, including the minor characters. Details matter. And the stories make you care about what’s happening, what should happen, and what will happen. The Fall Guy is yet another great story about crime, the law, and the people who try to navigate both – for good and for bad.

 

Related:

 

My review of The Brief by Simon Michael.

 

My review of An Honest Man by Simon Michael. 

 

My review of The Lighterman by Simon Michael.

 

My review of Corrupted by Simon Michael.

 

My review of The Waxwork Corpse by Simon Michael.

 

My review of Force of Evil by Simon Michel.

 

My review of The Final Shot by Simon Michael.

 

My review of Nothing But the Truth by Simon Michael. 

 

My review of Death, Adjourned by Simon Michael.

 

Some Monday Readings

 

The shameful wat the BBC covers the migrant protests – Chris Middleton at The Critic Magazine.

 

Neil Postman’s Tips for Tech – Joshua Pauling at Modern Age.

 

Tindals Burying Ground (Bunhill Fields) – A London Inheritance.

 

Sweet Thames run softly while I sing my song – Henry Oliver at The Common Reader.

"Fatal Proof" by John Fairfax

Barrister William Benson has an unusual defendant in a murder trial. Karmen Naylor is the daughter of Tony Naylor, the leader of one of London’s two crime families. Karmen appears to be the exception – she left home early, made her way to university, and stayed away from London. She only returned to care for her father after he suffered a stroke. She’s charged with the murder of one her father’s top lieutenants. 

Of course, Benson himself is unusual, especially for a barrister. He served 11 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, studied law, and determined that he would become a criminal defense attorney. He has a string of legal victories over some of London’s top prosecutors. The prosecutors, and sometimes the judges, hate Benson and believe he was guilty. His assisting attorney is Tess De Vere, who hails from one of London’s top legal firms. She’s a top-notch investigator, more than attracted to Benson, and struggling with her own demons from the past.

 

The case against Karmen Naylor is largely circumstantial, complicated by the fact that the victim’s body has never been found. Investigators found his blood, and a lot of it, at the office where he worked. Traces of his blood were found in Naylor’s car and her boat. But the case is becoming more complex. More evidence unfolds. More witnesses emerge. And Benson is warned that if his client walks free, Benson and his associates won’t live to enjoy the victory. 

 

John Fairfax, aka William Broderick

Fatal Proof is the fourth William Benson novel by British author John Fairfax. Like its predecessors, it’s finely written, a gripping story that grabs you by the throat. Fairfax throws so many curves at his legal heroes that you wonder how they’re going to overcome them. But Benson’s prison time, extraordinary mind, and knowledge of the law will see the story through. More problematic is his relationship with De Vere, which is full of its own seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

 

John Fairfax is the pen name for British writer William Brodrick, the author of the Father Anselm mysteries. Under the Fairfax name, he’s also published Blind Defence and Forced Confessions. Brodrick was a friar in the Augustine order before he became a barrister and a writer. The Father Anselm mystery A Whispered Name won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award in 2009, and Forced Confessions was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Award in 2020. Brodrick lives in France. 

 

Fatal Proof and the other William Benson novels, like the Father Anselm stories, are among the very best mystery and legal thriller novels being written today. Fairfax / Brodrick has a gift, and I’m glad he’s sharing it with his readers.

 

Related:

 

Forced Confessions by John Fairfax.

 

Blind Defence by John Fairfax.

 

Summary Justice by John Fairfax.

 

My review of The Day of the Lie by William Brodrick.

 

My review of Brodrick’s The 6^th Lamentation.

 

My review of The Gardens of the Dead by William Brodrick.

 

My review of A Whispered Name by William Brodrick.

 

My review of The Discourtesy of Death by William Brodrick.

 

My review of The Silent Ones by William Brodrick.

 

Some Monday Readings

 

Ten of the Most Important Battle Sites in the United States – Aaron Spray at The Travel.

 

Hitting the Road with Gettysburg – Elliott Drago at Jack Miller Center.

 

One Island in Time – Jeffrey Bilbro at Current Magazine reviews A History of the Island by Eugene Vodolazkin, as does J.C. Scharl at The European Conservative.

 

AI Is a Lot of Work – Josh Dzieza at The Verge.

"Nothing But the Truth" by Simon Michael

For more than a decade, the Kray Twins ruled London’s underworld. From the late 1950s to the late 1960s, identical twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray ran what they called “The firm,” involved in just about every criminal activity there was – drugs, prostitution, gambling, protection rackets, and more. The Krays are the subject of numerous books and five films. including “Legend” in 2015, starring Tom Hardy as both the twins. 

The Krays also have a somewhat starring role in the Charles Holborne legal thrillers by British author Simon Michael. And in the recently published eighth book in the series, Nothing But the Truth, the Krays finally meet justice – with a little help from Holborne.

 

Scotland Yard has had enough of the Krays – and Detective Superintendent Leonard Read has a highly secretive operation underway to nab them. It’s based away from Yard headquarters – the Krays have a lot of the police force on the payroll. When they’re arrested for involvement in a murder, they turn to defense attorney Charles Holborne. Like the Krays, he’s East End born and raised. His birth name is actually Horowitz; he changed it in an effort to escape his Jewish and East End roots. But those roots have a habit of ensnarling his feet. The simple fact is that the Krays have a file on Holborne – enough to get him disbarred and sent to prison.

 

Simon Michael

A Kray cousin is set up to take the fall for the murder rap, and it’s Holborne’s assignment to get him to plead guilty or defend him in such a way that he’s convicted. But there are some things Holborne simply cannot do, even if it means disobeying the Krays. What follows is one of the best literary sleights-of-hand that I’ve read in a very long time. 

 

Michael studied law at Kings College, London University and was called to the Bar in 1978. He worked primarily in the field of criminal law until the late 1990s, when he focused his practice on clinical negligence. He began writing in the 1980s and resumed it when he retired from legal practice.

 

Nothing But the Truth has the feel of a final volume in the Charles Holborne series, as it’s difficult to imagine Holborne without the Krays breathing down his neck at every turn. But if Simon can write a story with such a delightfully unexpected turn as this one, I’m confident he can figure out how to keep Holborne moving ahead.

 

Related:

 

My review of The Brief by Simon Michael.

 

My review of An Honest Man by Simon Michael. 

 

My review of The Lighterman by Simon Michael.

 

My review of Corrupted by Simon Michael.

 

My review of The Waxwork Corpse by Simon Michael.

 

My review of Force of Evil by Simon Michel.

 

My review of The Final Shot by Simon Michael.

"Blind Defence" by John Fairfax

Barrister Will Benson is defending a particularly obnoxious client accused of murder. The client is a borderline small-time hoodlum, prone to use his fists, once accused of beating a policeman senseless but inexplicably released and not brought to trial. He’s now accused of killing the young woman he’d lived with for years. She was found hanging by her neck, a blood orange jammed into her mouth. 

Benson has his own deep issues to deal with. Convicted for a murder he said he didn’t commit, and serving 11 years of his sentence, he changed his plea and obtained an early release – and promptly became a barrister, causing no end of consternation in London’s legal and political establishment. An anonymous benefactor has backed him, providing him with funds to obtain his license, set up his practice, and even buy a houseboat, where he lives on one of London’s canals. Benson himself doesn’t know who the benefactor is. 

 

He’s already had one spectacular jury trial, defending someone everyone thought was guilty (Summary Justice). In this current case, even the DNA evidence says his client committed the murder, not to mention motive, opportunity, and how many times the client has lied to police. Benson has to raise the idea of the victim being a possible suicide, at least sufficient to raise a reasonable doubt. 

 

John Fairfax, aka William Brodrick

With the help of his legal solicitor Tess De Vere and his loyal office staff, Benson soon finds himself embroiled in a case with roots in organized crime, police corruption, and his own old demons from prison. And the Cabinet-level minister of Justice is pulling out the stops to destroy him, and Benson doesn’t even know it.

 

Blind Defence (British spelling) by John Fairfax is the second of the Will Benson legal thrillers, It is so engrossing that the reader finds himself on the edge of his seat, holding his breath as he wonders what will happen next. It’s a story in which nothing is ever what it seems to be, with an defending attorney whose fight for his clients is saturated with his own guilt and innocence.

 

John Fairfax is the pen name for British writer William Brodrick, the author of the Father Anselm mysteries. Under the Fairfax name, he’s also published Summary Justice and Forced Confessions. Brodrick was a friar in the Augustine order before he became a barrister and a writer. The Father Anselm mystery A Whispered Name won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award in 2009. Brodrick lives in France. 

 

With Blind Defence, Fairfax has produced a story in which the supposed upholders of law and justice often compromise themselves, villains can emerge from the dark at a moment’s notice, and the ghosts of past crimes return to haunt the living. Including the barrister.

"Summary Justice" by John Fairfax

William Benson is not your typical British barrister. In his early 30s, he has a philosophy degree. He comes from a family of fishermen. Never married, he lives by himself with a cat on a houseboat on one of London’s canals. He’s also a convicted murderer. 

Summary Justice by John Fairfax is the first in the William Benson legal thriller mysteries, and it keeps the reader wide-eyed at how all of this happened, the murder case Benson’s defending, how he’s managed to practice law after serving 11 years of a life sentence in prison, and how he’s managing to continue working despite the opposition of the legal establishment, a leading member of Parliament, and the family of his alleged victim, who are not above acts of petty harassment, vandalism, and even physical attacks. 

 

The case Benson is the defending attorney for involves the murder of the owner of a transport company. A woman working for the company is accused of the murder, and it looks like an airtight case. Her DNA was even found on the murder weapon, a broken bottle of beer. She had motive, opportunity, and was seen at the scene of crime. The evidence seems seriously stacked against her. 

 

John Fairfax, aka William Brodrick

What Benson sees, however, is the similarities to his own murder trial, and a successful defense may help vindicate his own experience, at least in his own mind. How the author weaves the past and the present together is one of the hallmarks of this first-rate mystery novel. And he adds to the narrative blend with Tess De Vere, the woman solicitor who is working with Benson. De Vere is a member of one of London’s most reputable legal chambers, and she faces intense opposition to her work with Benson. She’s also learning that Benson isn’t what she first thinks he is.

 

John Fairfax is the pen name for British writer William Brodrick, the author of the Father Anselm mysteries. Under the Fairfax name, he’s also published Blind Defence and Forced Confessions. Brodrick was a friar in the Augustine order before he became a barrister and a writer. The Father Anselm mystery A Whispered Name won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award in 2009. Brodrick lives in France. 

 

Summary Justice becomes one of those books that is difficult to put down – until it becomes impossible to put down. Fairfax/Brodrick had a different sleuth altogether in his previous novels – a former lawyer who became a monk. In this series, he has a different kind of monk – a convicted murderer. It’s a crackerjack story.

 

Related:

 

My review of The Day of the Lie by William Brodrick.

 

My review of Brodrick’s The 6^th Lamentation.

 

My review of The Gardens of the Dead by William Brodrick.

 

My review of A Whispered Name by William Brodrick.

 

My review of The Discourtesy of Death by William Brodrick.

 

My review of The Silent Ones by William Brodrick.

"Force of Evil" by Simon Michael

London barrister Charles Holborne, formerly known as the Jewish East End boxer Charles Horowitz, meets his good friend Detective Sergeant Sean Sloane at a pub for a drink. Charles and Sloane have a lot in common; both have strong stubborn streaks, and both have a certain prejudice against corrupt politicians and police officers. It’s the mid-1960s. Despite his courtroom success, Charles is an outsider in his profession, because of his profession and the stain of being too friendly with the wrong kind of crowd. Sloane, too, is an outsider, an Irish cop working for the London Met who finally got his transfer out of the corrupt Vice Division.  

Sloane may have transferred out, but both he and Charles are about to get sucked into a case that involves stolen goods from the Royal Air Force, two murders, the gangs running London’s underworld, and police corruption that makes the Vice Division look clean.  As they leave the pub, they see someone checking nearby rail cars – someone who shouldn’t be. Sloane gets severely beaten up; the villain is allowed to go free by the apprehending officer. The detective sergeant recovers at a local hospital, and he finds himself becoming interested in his attending physician, Dr. Irenna Alexandrova, who fled South Africa after her parents were jailed by the apartheid regime. 

 

Despite being told to stop his investigation into the railyard incident, Sloane continues, while developing a relationship with the doctor. Soon, she’s framed and arrested by police officers attempting to pressure Sloane. If she’s convicted, she’ll be deported to South Africa, where she probably faces death.  Charles takes on her legal case. The attorney is also juggling his blown-up relationship with his former girlfriend and working with his brother to figure out a solution to their mother’s failing memory.

 

Simon Michael

Force of Evil is the sixth Charles Holborne legal thriller by British author Simon Michael, and it’s every bit as good as its outstanding predecessors. Michael draws upon his own legal background to tell his stories, and it’s fascinating to watch the twists and turns each story takes.

 

Michael studied law at Kings College, London University and was called to the Bar in 1978. He worked primarily in the field of criminal law until the late 1990s, when he focused his practice on clinical negligence. He began writing in the 1980s and resumed it when he retired from legal practice.

 

Force of Evil builds quickly, with tension mounting as the story moves toward the courtroom drama of a case brought against an innocent woman by corrupt police officers. It’s a top-notch story by one of the best writers in the genre today.

 

Related:

 

My review of The Brief by Simon Michael.

 

My review of An Honest Man by Simon Michael. 

 

My review of The Lighterman by Simon Michael.

 

My review of Corrupted by Simon Michael.

 

My review of The Waxwork Corpse by Simon Michael.

"An Honest Man" by Simon Michael

C

harles Holborne is approaching desperation. He’s getting no legal cases at chambers, except where he can tag along with junior barristers. He’s behind on his rent and overdrawn at the bank. He survived being charged with the death of his wife (The Brief) but it seems he’s become untouchable. And then Sally, the clerk from his former chambers falls into his life, and what had been a dearth of work becomes a flood.

The big cases is defending an elderly attorney accused of conspiring with criminals in a diamond heist. The attorney is known for close connections to various criminal enterprises, but the evidence looks planted. Charles takes the case on.

In the meantime, his father becomes ill and appears to have had a small stroke. Charles has been estranged from his family; in college, he turned his back on his Jewish heritage and changed his name. His mother is still unhappy with him.

Simon Michael

An Honest Man is the second in the Charles Holborne Legal Thriller series by British author Simon Michaels. Set in 1960s London, it’s a time of the Profumo / Christine Keeler scandal bringing down a government, of when criminal gangs were almost out of control, and of when there were almost as many crooked as honest police officers. It’s a top-notch story, with an account of a trial that makes the book almost impossible to put down. Michael draws upon his extensive experience in and knowledge of criminal law, and he knows how to tell a riveting story.

Michael is the author of five novels in the Charles Holborne series. He studied law at Kings College, London University and was called to the Bar in 1978. He worked primarily in the field of criminal law until the late 1990s, when he focused his practice on clinical negligence. He began writing in the 1980s and resumed it when he retired from legal practice.

An Honest Man is an outstanding legal drama story, and Michael manages to keep several mysteries and story threads going simultaneously. The conflicted Jewish-by-heritage attorney will not be bought and will not be compromised, and Michael knows exactly how to play that in a criminal and often dangerous world.

Related:

My review of The Brief by Simon Michael.

“Little Boy Lost” by J.D. Trafford

Not many adult American read fiction these days, and that includes Christians of all varieties. The Washington Post reported on a study recently that says people who read fiction are more empathetic than those who do not. Buffer explored the same study and found nine benefits in reading fiction, of which increased empathy was only one.

Little Boy Lost by J.D. Trafford may go a step further. It’s a mystery novel, and specifically a legal mystery novel. The hero is a lawyer in St. Louis who has a struggling practice, despite his being a member of one of the city’s powerful political families. Justin Glass’s father is a congressman; his older brother is a state senator. Justin is another kind of man, however; he cares about the people of his city, and he represents all comers, including those who can’t afford to pay, which is most of his client base.

Justin lives with his daughter Sammy in a carriage house of a home owned by his grandfather. His mother lives in the house. The grandfather and the mother are white. Justin’s father is black. The reader knows going into the story that a major theme will be race, relationships with police, political power structures, and the poor who are too often caught in a system they can’t, and sometimes won’t, escape.

A little girl shows up with a jar of change and asks Justin to find her missing teenaged brother. There’s nothing new in a missing inner-city kid; it happens so much that it’s an accepted part of “the system.” But Justin decides to accept the request. He checks with his contacts at the police department. He starts reading files. And then the boy’s body is found in a county park’ along with the bodies of eight other boys, their hands in plastic hand ties behind their backs.

Suspicions center on a parole officer who happens to be a white supremacist and neo-Confederate. The news about the suspect goes public, and the city erupts in protest and violence. And if that had been the basic story, Trafford would have drawn just another race relations cartoon stereotype. But stereotypes are not where this story goes.

J.D. Trafford

Instead, we see race through Justin’s biracial eyes. There’s no question he considers himself a black man, but he doesn’t look at life, how own or that of others, in black and white or even shades of gray. Instead, he looks at life in terms of people, and he sees people who have value and people who matter, no matter their race, income and education level, or arrest record.

Trafford is the author of three legal mystery novels, No Time to Die, No Time to Run, and No Time to Hide. Graduated with honors in law, he’s been a civil and criminal prosecutor, worked at a large national law firm, and as a non-profit attorney. He’s lived in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, and currently lives in the Midwest. He knows his St. Louis; this story is so well anchored in St. Louis streets, neighborhoods, landmarks, and people that it could almost serve as a reality tour guide.

Little Boy Lost is indeed a mystery story, but it’s far more than that. It’s a story of a city, a story about race, and a story that reaches for understanding in a way that newspaper articles and editorials never could. And it stands as a good reminder about why it’s important to read fiction.

Photograph of downtown St. Louis from the Arch by Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash. Used with permission.