Published by HQ
Publication Date: 8th August 2019
Genre: Legal Thriller
My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book - although I did actually purchase a paperback copy which is what my review is based upon.
Book Description:
IT’S TIME TO TAKE YOUR PLACE ON THE JURY.
The victim: A sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, neglected by an alcoholic mother. Who accuses the boys of something unthinkable.
The defendants: Four handsome teenage boys from hardworking immigrant families. All with corroborating stories.
WHOSE SIDE WOULD YOU TAKE?
My Thoughts:
I have to admit to having shelved this book for a very long time due to its content. but having done a stint at jury service earlier in the year I can't seem to be able to read enough courtroom thrillers at the moment.This book has two distinct main characters and they couldn't be more different from one another: Zara Kaleel who walked away from a successful career as a solicitor to become an advocate for victims of sexual assault and rape at Artemis House, a legal centre for those seeking support who might not otherwise be able to access such services. And Jodie Wolfe, facially disfigured from birth, whose father walked away because he could not cope and an alcoholic mother who does little to support Jodie either emotionally or financially.Zara and Jodie cross paths at Artemis House when Jodie reports having been raped by a group of 4 youths from her school. Zara is immediately thrown into a dilemma: can she as a Muslim woman, support a white girl who is accusing 4 young Muslim men of one of the worst crimes? Her immediate answer is yes, she can; a young woman has had the courage to report the crime. Any other factors are secondary whether it's Jodie's disfigurement or the social/political implications of the defendants' religion.The book follows the procedure from the moment Jodie reports the crime right through to Zara's thoughts after the verdict has been given in court. The reactions of Jodie's mum and her friends, the thoughts of the young men as they deal with the fallout from the accusation and ensuing trial. Input from Zara's strict Muslim family as they try to dissuade her from supporting Jodie and stressing how the case will reflect badly on her personally in the Muslim community. The whole book makes the reader consider what life must be like on both sides of the story: a young girl who already stands out and 4 young men who are already potential targets for abuse purely on religious grounds. Then social media start to discredit those supporting each side of the argument, with angry scenes taking place outside the courtroom purely down to the sensitive nature of the case.It's an excellent novel which really makes you rethink the impact allegations such as these make on everyone involved. The author demonstrates a good knowledge of the legalities in such cases and has clearly researched her facts and figures to make sure the story, whilst totally fictional, is based in the harsh facts of the real world.I was really unsure who was telling the truth in this gripping thriller but even after the case was over the author still managed to throw in one last twist to the tale which had me demanding a retrial! An excellent page turner which really gets you pondering some of the nastier things in life.
About the Author:
Born in Tower Hamlets in East London, Kia was raised in a family of eight children. As the most stubborn of six daughters, she constantly found herself in trouble for making choices that clashed with her parents’, a habit they came to accept when she became their first and only child to graduate from university – with a first in Computer Science.
In 2007, Kia left her job in tech to pursue the one thing she had always wanted: a career as a writer, taking a 50% pay cut in the process. She worked as sub-editor and later features editor at Asian Woman Magazine where she interviewed British-Asian luminaries including Riz Ahmed, Meera Syal, Nitin Sawnhey and Anoushka Shankar.
Kia went on to join global publisher Penguin Random House where she helped grow digital readership at Rough Guides to over a million users per month. In 2014, she quit her day job to found Atlas & Boots, an outdoor travel blog now read by 250,000 people a month.
Today, she spends her time writing, hiking, mentoring pupils from Tower Hamlets and visiting far-flung destinations for Atlas & Boots.
Kia loves to travel, hates to cook and periodically highlights that, in actual fact, she is one of nine children (one passed away), making her number Seven of Nine… which is cool but only if you’re a Star Trek fan… which she is. But please don’t hold it against her.
You can find her on Twitter @KiaAbdullah
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