Reviewed by: Richard Jaffa
Author: David Crigman
Publisher: Librario Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 9781906775247
Price: £9.99

David Crigman has been a successful criminal silk for many years but has managed to combine that demanding career with his 'part-time' job as a writer of crime fiction and his latest offering - his fourth - leaves no doubt that a great deal of effort, as well as his inside knowledge of the legal system, has gone into his work.

Like any good crime novel he has conjured up some pretty unpleasant characters - and in this novel the villains are found (but not exclusively) among the judiciary and legal establishment.

In fact I don’t think any one of us would want to appear in front of the two judges in this novel - even on a speeding offence.

I hope he has more confidence in the real judges in front of whom he appears.

The greatest strength of the novel is the tightly-drawn plot.

The elements of the story are well-constructed and maintain the tension of the narrative throughout.

With his knowledge of the system, he never strays far from what is credible.

The novel starts with an execution back in the 1960s, before capital punishment was abolished.

The executed man had insisted to the last that he was innocent.

The barrister who defended him believed his client, but died without proving his innocence.

A generation later the barrister’s daughter and executed man’s son embark on the seemingly impossible task of proving that he did not commit the crime.

To succeed they have to take on and beat the legal establishment, which puts every obstacle in their path.

The novel creates a number of real villains - on both sides of the court room.

Like any successful book in this genre you are never certain that they will succeed and the suspense is maintained as the denouement is very well disguised.

David Crigman has written an enjoyable and absorbing thriller which could stand comparison with any novel by Dick Francis.

If you want to turn off your Blackberry but still want a little law for you holiday, this is perfect deckchair relaxation.

Like most lawyers he can occasionally be a little over descriptive but this does not detract from the success of this book.

He can be assured that if ever his day job in the law becomes unprofitable, he has another string to his bow.

Richard Jaffa is a consultant solicitor with Dass Solicitors in Birmingham.

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