THE HOLDOUT Paperback – 16 February 2021

Having read the previous two books by Graham, I was really excited for this law thriller. And true to my expectations, it’s a well crafted, superbly paced legal thriller. Wonderful twist at the end. Finished in a night.

Racism and its painful face is never far from anyone’s mind, the case of George Floyd that rocked the world a case in point. The Holdout by Graham Moore gives the reader a glimpse of this ugly issue using the legal system as the base. It shows how each and every one of us can be manipulated into thinking something but then be convinced of an entirely different thing. The whole process of convicting or acquitting a person using data provided by both sides of law can lead to such unforeseen circumstances.1 black man accused of killing a 15 yr. old white girlA grieving father12 jurors whose lives go for a toss.A very taut and tensely written thriller with multiple POV’s, The Holdout was immensely enjoyable. 10 yrs. Before, Maya Seale is on the jury of a case that has created waves, Bobby Nock a music teacher is accused of killing his student Jessica Silver, daughter of millionaire Lou Silver. A decade later, Maya is herself a lawyer knowing the ins and outs of law but the journey has not been easy as she along with her fellow jurors were pounded to hell for having turned in a not guilty verdict. The twists and turns of the story as it takes us thru each and every juror’s views and the sorry plight of Bobby Nock was undeniably one of the best I have read in recent times.Brilliant and highly recommended.

Well written and a good premise to start with. I debated whether 2 stars would be unfair. The book started out well but then towards the end just started to grate. A good ending could have saved it because I'm a voracious reader who understands that every book can have dull bits. But this end did not suit me. I like books to end with 'good' triumphing over 'evil'... Or as triumphant it can be under the circumstances. This book, well I don't want to give away anything and I don't want to be too harsh but everyone was just compromising and 'settling' a bit too much. Too many people got away with too many things. I re-read most of my books but I know I'll never re-read this one. It didn't leave me feeling good.

Amazing details of the Legal System in the US. The twists and turns in the plot are entirely unique. Human emotions dissected like never before

Finding it rather boring and slow so, not exactly a page turner and I would say far from gripping.

THE HOLDOUT is not only an excellent courtroom drama , it gives the reader an opportunity to take a deeper dive into how racism, economic privilege and our adversarial legal system seek justice, without necessarily learning the "truth". It is character driven and takes place over a 10 year period. The story centers around a jury on a high profile case that is vilified by the press and the public for rendering a "not guilty" verdict that lets a teacher off the hook for the murder of a 15 year old student, he had inappropriate relationship with. The lone holdout for innocence brings the other 11 jurors around to her point of view, leaving untold resentment nd a unanimous verdict. The jurors are reunited for the 10 year anniversary and for a television reality show to examine their respective roles in freeing a man most people are sure is guilty. When one of them is murdered they will have to work together to keep the wrong people from being convicted, to see that justice is ultimately served, and protect their many secretsI highly recommend THE HOLDOUT to mystery, thriller and crime fans, particularly those who like courtroom dramas. Plot, pacing, writing, and character development, are all well done and make for a very interesting and satisfying story.I highly recommend this one, especially to courtroom drama fans.

Empieza muy interesante, se desarrollan historias paralelamente pero por momentos un poco tedioso, finalmente el resultado se vuelve algo previsible.

I was drawn in by the description of this book and have had it on my to read list ever since.The book follows Maya Seale who in 2009 convinced the rest of the jury to change their verdicts and acquit Bobby Nock a 25 year old black English teacher. Bobby Nock was accused of killing 15 year old Jessica Silver who was one of his students and the daughter of a billionaire property tycoon but no body was ever discovered. One of the jurors, Rick Leonard feels psychological pain over the acquittal and spends the next ten years trying to prove Bobby Nock's guilty. The book flips between 2009's trial and ten years later with Maya now a criminal defence lawyer is about to take part in a crime show featuring the same jurors to retry Bobby Nock. All the jurors gather in an hotel prior to the show where Rick Leonard is found dead in Maya's hotel room. Maya finds herself the key suspect and has to try and clear her name.This book really grabbed me from the start and before I knew it I was already over halfway through the book. With the story flipping from 2009 to 2019 I was eagerly following the original trial and also wanting to find out what was going to happen to Maya and Bobby Nock. All the time wondering if one one or both of them were murderers.This is a gripping novel with some excellent characters that kept me reading page after page. My first Graham Moore novel but will be eager to read more after this one.

This is a very well constructed story, part flash back part "now".Recounting a ten year old jury decision and it's fallout may seem a dry proposition but it is brilliantly done with very believable characters and enough revelations to keep you hooked.On another level it is a critique of the jury system and the US judiciary but this is not over done to the detriment of the plot. Matters of guilt and innocence and the lengths people will go to to establish the latter, moral or otherwise, are also explored.Highly recommended.