Jackie’s Reading Corner

SYNOPSIS

One juror changed the verdict. What if she was wrong?

‘Ten years ago we made a decision together….’

Fifteen year old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion dollar fortune, vanishes on her way home from school. Her teacher, Bobby Nock, is the prime suspect. It’s an open and shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed.

Until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, persuades the rest of the jurors to vote not guilty: a controversial decision that will change all their lives forever.

Ten years later, one of the jurors is found dead, and Maya is the prime suspect.

The real killer could be any of the other ten jurors. Is Maya being forced to pay the price for her decision all those years ago?

MY REVIEW

I loved the first page of this book, in fact I found it quite funny, although that could seem a little sick, when you read the first page. I would have liked to have known if the woman got off with what she did or not, but it never came up in the book again.

However, I really enjoyed this story, if reminded me of 12 Angry Men in some ways, the power someone can have to influence how others vote as to whether someone is guilty or not guilty. But if you are not 100% sure whether someone is guilty if they are charged with murder, surely you should go for not guilty after all it is up to the prosecution to prove that the person is guilty without a doubt.

The story is told in the now and 10 years earlier. Ten years earlier Maya Seale is called up for jury service, along with a 13 others. Three of which are alternates. She hadn’t believed she would be picked, out of the selection of people they had. They are given a number and told not to tell anyone their names just refer to each other as their number. This is where Maya first meets Rick Leonard.

None of the jurors knew what case they had been chosen for until they entered the courtroom, to find it was the case of missing teenager Jessica Silver. On trial was Bobby Nock, the evidence: hair in his car, as well as a bit of blood on the front seat, and a little in the boot. As well as inappropriate text messages. Her father is a big property developer Lou Silver.

The jurors lives were all changed after this trial, no one had expected it to take 5 months. No one had expected that they would have to be sequestered in the Omni Hotel for those whole 5 months.

They hadn’t been allowed to watch the television in all that time, so knew nothing of what was happening on the outside world, or what the public thought about the trial, or what verdict they expected.

But when the jurors came out, they were each hounded by the press, with accusations. Nick and Maya had had a relationship whilst in that hotel. Although only a couple of people knew that. But after the case Nick had written a tell all book about the trial and the verdict, and how he blamed Meya.

Ten years later, Meya is now a successful defence lawyer, and Nick is waiting for her outside her courtroom, this is the first time they have seen each other since the trial. He wants her to take part in a documentary to go out on Netflix with the other jurors, claiming he has new information. But he won’t say what that information is. Meya says no and walks away. But her boss says she should do it. Seeing everyone again in the Omni hotel is difficult but also reassuring as these are the only people who understand what they all went through, during those months. Meya is anxiously looking round for Nick but he doesn’t arrive until late.

Nick and Meya go to her room, as she wants to know what the information is that he has that will change everything. But again he refuses to say until the following day when everyone is together. Meya storms out of her own room, telling Nick to get out.

One of the jury is murdered ten years after the trial, one of the jury members is accused of the murder, and has no way of proving innocence. Who would want that person dead? Why? As the story unfolds, the reader learns of the deliberations that took place in the closed room as they decided what the verdict should be, as well as secrets that some of the jurors have which if known would have led to them being thrown off the jury. Or even a mistrial.

I liked Meya, she stayed strong and true to her beliefs, being on that jury, made her want to be a Lawyer, to defend people. Some of the other jurors were good people, but with different problems in their lives. You gradually learn something about the jurors. As some chapters are about their lives during the trial and ten years later.

Who did kill Jessica Silver? With some clever twists and turns this makes for an interesting read. An ending you don’t see coming.

I would like to thank Orion for an ARC of this book, all views are my own, fair and unbiased. I enjoyed this read and give the book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I would like to thank #Orion publishers for an ARC of this book, this review is my own, is honest, fair and unbiased.