Publication Date: Available Now from Lightning Books
Source: Review Copy
A schoolboy accused of a brutal murder. A retired lawyer with secrets to hide…
A 15-year-old schoolboy is accused of the murder of one of his teachers. His lawyers, the guarded veteran, Judith, and the energetic young solicitor, Constance, begin a desperate pursuit of the truth, revealing uncomfortable secrets about the teacher and the school. But Judith has her own secrets which she risks exposing when it is announced that a new lie-detecting device, nicknamed Pinocchio, will be used during the trial. And is the accused, a troubled boy who loves challenges, trying to help them or not?
I’ve been looking for great legal thrillers and The Pinocchio Brief really hit the sweet spot – addictive, intelligent and with some truly memorable characters it was a real page turner whilst being a brilliantly observant look at human nature and the vagaries of the legal system.
Somewhat speculative (the Pinocchio device giving a different feel to things) there are plenty of twists and turns, the plotting is tight and immersive, we see things from different points of view, the most involving of these for me being the boy who stands accused of this crime – he is a highly intriguing character and somewhat of an unreliable narrator which brings many levels to the mystery elements.
Judith too is a fascinating character, her developing relationship with Constance is one of the strengths of this book, the secrets Judith hides make for a few edgy moments and overall it was just simply a cracking read.
Yes I think I’ll leave it there – The Pinocchio Brief – Simply a cracking read.
Click Here to view The Pinocchio Brief Trailer
Happy Reading!
