Times have changed rather dramatically for barrister Charles Holborne. The Kray twins, London’s premier gangsters of the 1960s, are behind bars, and better still, they were tricked into giving up the hold they had over Charles. He’s proposed to Sally, his girlfriend, and the wedding appears to be sooner rather than later. He’s even thinking about becoming Queen’s Counsel, or “taking silk,” as the British call it. Not bad for a Jewish boy who grew up rough and tumble in the East End.
A wealthy building developer and his son are accused of forcibly removing tenants in the path of a new housing development project. One tenant, in fact, was itched though a second-floor window, bundled up in the back of truck, and taken away. A local thug has admitted to participating under the direction of the developer’s son. And the developer calls upon Charles to defend them both.
The case is more complicated than it looks. The developer is a survivor of Auschwitz, as is his wife. The son is borderline autistic (although this is earlier than autism becoming an official diagnosis). A crooked policeman is involved. And neither of Charles’s clients are telling him the complete truth, as if they’re protecting someone else. Did they really do what they’re accused of? Or are they being framed?
Simon Michael
Death, Adjourned is the 9th Charles Holborne legal suspense novel by British author Simon Michael, and it’s a welcome addition to the series as well as something of a departure. For once, the specter of the Kray twins doesn’t overhang the story. There’s a hint they may play a role in the future, but for now, the murderous Krays are safely behind bars, their criminal empire being divided up and fought over.
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.
Death, Adjourned is a riveting story. Michael knows exactly how to build suspense to fever pitch and throw in significant courtroom drama along the way. And here’s hoping for No. 10!
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.
Some Monday Readings
E.O. Hoppe’s Londoners – Spitalfields Life.
481 – artwork by Sonja Benskin Mesher.
An Enduring Song: Remembering A Canticle for Leibowitz – Bethel McGrew at Miller’s Book Review.
This Fiction Business: Revisiting the wisdom of the king of the pulps – Frank Theodat at Ink & Grit: Masters of Pulp Fiction.
Winners and Losers – Brian Miller at A South Roane Agrarian.
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