The Brief by Simon Michael Book Review!

• File Size: 1264 KB
• Print Length: 280 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1913028534
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Sapere Books (June 10, 2019)
• Publication Date: June 10, 2019
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English

In the 60s London of gangsters, prejudice and terrifying gang wars, Barrister Charles Holborne spends his life dealing with the worst examples of violent criminality. After successfully winning a number of high profile cases, he is building a reputation among Soho’s criminal classes as a man who gets the job done, a reputation that doesn’t endear him to his establishment colleagues.

Yet Charles is not all he seems, and is battling both personal demons and his own past. When his philandering wife Henrietta is found with her throat slashed, Charles finds himself on the wrong side of the law and in serious trouble of the murderous kind. Arrested for her murder, can Charles discover the truth of her brutal slaying and escape the hangman’s noose?

Based upon a real case and genuine court documents, The Brief is a compelling criminal drama, and an evocative slice of sleazy glamour from the Swinging Sixties. Simon Michael delivers an addictive read for any crime fan.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45697576-the-brief

My family came to England in 1492, refugees from the Spanish Inquisition, and remained in the East End of London for the next 450 years. London is in my blood and as will be seen from my current series of novels, is an important character in its own right. 

I practiced as a barrister (trial attorney)for 35+ years, doing all sorts of criminal cases, including murder, which now form the plots of my books. I include actual court documents not usually seen by the public.

 I was published in the UK and the US in the late 1980s and early 1990, but my books were dropped in the middle of a 2-book deal when Virgin Books bought out WH Allen and I stopped writing for public consumption for 25 years. I still wrote – as I think all authors have to, to keep sane – but then in 2016 I decided to give up the day job and have another go at doing professionally the thing I loved most. 

I was picked up almost immediately by Urbane Publications and my former agent, Lisa Eveleigh, and the first two books of the Charles Holborne series have now been published, with the third due out 8 June 2017. I have three children (theatre director, actor and school student respectively). I was one of the founder members and last year the co-chairman of the Ampthill Literary Festival. 

http://www.simonmichael.uk/

My Review
The Brief by Simon Michael is a legal thriller that takes place in the '60s, a British whodunnit. The British are known to tell a great story, especially the mysteries. This one is no exception. A story of crime and corruption right in the legal system. 

Barrister Charles Holborne is not a popular person, as he is a Jewish East Ender, not wanted in the "prestigious Establishment profession". He gets a high profile case that he hopes will help turn around his life. But when his wife is murdered, he becomes a suspect and he must run for his life, trying to find out who the killer is. He gets the help of a clerk in the office that he works in to help him as he has nowhere else to go but to her.

A good British mystery is one that keeps you guessing until the end. The characters were well written and the British legal system explained so it was more understandable. I liked this book and do want to read the next one in the series as I think that The Brief is a good start to the series. Loved it as I love a great British mystery!

I received a copy to the book for review purposes only.