One of my February BOTM choices was The Holdout by Graham Moore. Several of my friends read it and liked it, so I moved it to the top of my pile and just finished it this weekend.
Summary: The story is told in both present day and in flashbacks. It revolves around a woman named Maya who served on a jury ten years prior. The trial she served on was super controversial and it ended with a not guilty verdict (mostly due to Maya’s influence on the rest of the jury). The jury members’ lives were forever changed after the trial as they became sources of ridicule in the public eye for letting the defendant walk free.
Fast forward 10 years and Maya is a successful defense attorney. A career she chose after the trial that changed her life. On the 10 year anniversary of the verdict, a documentary decides to reunite the jurors, one of whom is now convinced he has proof the defendant was guilty all along. But the night before the big reveal, that juror is found dead…in Maya’s hotel room. Now it’s Maya’s turn to prove her innocence when all the evidence makes her look guilty.
Genre: Legal Thriller
My Review:
What I liked: I liked that the story weaved flashbacks into the current events. It made the story unravel in smaller pieces and kept the suspense building. There were chapters about each of the jurors in the past, which allowed the reader to now the motivations of each character. I will be honest and say it was hard to keep all the jurors straight in the beginning and I did have to keep going back to previous scenes at times to review. This could have also been because I read it over a longer period of time than usual. I’m thankful though that I read a print copy which made the flipping back easier 😉
I also liked that the twists at the end were unexpected. Just when you thought they were over, another one was thrown in right up to the very last chapter. I also appreciated the larger message of justice and what does justice really mean or look like? Is justice the same for everyone and for every circumstance? It was definitely thought provoking in that aspect.
What I didn’t like: While I appreciated the last twist, it didn’t provide a lot of closure for any of the characters. I would have liked another chapter or two to wrap things up more. The language was honestly pretty bad in this one, so I could have done with less foul language personally. There were moments where you sometimes questioned, “really?” Or “you want me to believe that actually happened?” But no more than some other thrillers I’ve read.
Disclaimer: R rated for language
Do You Read Me?: Yes! I really enjoyed this one. It kept you guessing about the crime ten years ago and the present day crime. It definitely held my interest and kept me reading!
Overall, a very good read! It was suspenseful and thought provoking. I am typically a fan of legal thrillers and this one did not disappoint!