Published by Penguin
Publication Date 4th January 2024
Book Description:
A woman falls to her death from a London bank's twenty-fifth-floor roof terrace.
You're arrested for her murder.
You tell the police that you only met the victim the previous night at your office party. She was threatening to jump from the roof, but you talked her down.
You've got nothing to do with this tragedy.
You're clearly being framed.
So why do the police keep picking holes in your story? Even your lawyer doesn't seem to believe you.
It soon becomes obvious that you're keeping secrets.
But who are you trying to protect? And why?
My Thoughts:
I love a book that gets stuck straight into the action, and this one certainly fits the bill on that score. The reader is introduced to Tate Kinsella as she is rudely awoken by the police who have come to arrest her for murder. She protests her innocence, but does admit that she was in the vicinity when a woman fell from the roof of the office block where she was working in London. And things get no clearer for a good chunk of the book until Tate finally confides in her lawyer, Sarah, as to what actually happened.
This story is a real page turner as the layers get peeled back far further than the initial introduction suggests. The tension between Tate and her lawyer is tangible - Tate's statement is full of holes which she seems reluctant to explain, which makes a tough job for the defence. Then, as the trust builds between the two women, facts are gradually disclosed out of the earshot of the detectives. The implications of what Sarah has been told completely change the view she has of the woman sitting in front of her. She just has to work out how she can use the law in their favour.
The knowledge the author has of the legal system shines through strongly and makes for an easy to read account of some sensitive issues, and a clever way to get justice in a case where outdated laws could have led to a very negative outcome. Only a lawyer could have plotted this book so well!
My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book via NetGalley
About the Author:
RUTH MANCINI is a criminal defence lawyer and author. She continues to practise for a large criminal law firm with offices in London, conducting advocacy in the courts and defending people arrested at police stations. She also reviews trial files across the firm and juggles her legal work with writing crime and psychological fiction.
Ruth lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and two children.
She can be found on Twitter @RuthMancini1 and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ruth.mancini.author
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