James Whitehouse is a rising star in British politics and a close friend of the Prime Minister. When he is accused of the rape of one of his parliamentary researchers the High Court case that follows is inevitably a highly publicised one and James along with his family become tabloid fodder.
James' loyal wife Sophie believes he is innocent and, although understandably devastated, stands by his side, playing the part of a devoted political wife maintaining a united family front, to protect their children along with their status in society.
When the case comes to court Kate Woodcroft, the assigned prosecuting barrister, is certain of James' guilt. She will do anything that she can within her power to prove it.
Which woman is right? Is James innocent or guilty? And has Kate gone too far in her pursuit of justice?
This intelligent courtroom drama is very timely in its release with the current focus on sexual harassment and abuse by high profile men. It was such a well plotted story and (sadly) the situation, complete with the abuses of power and Jame's blitheness, were all too believable.
The writing was clear and precise and I found that the true story was revealed in a very sympathetic way that avoided sensation.
There was a lot of detailed description of various scenes, and while they could have been omitted as they did slow the story down somewhat, I found that they reinforced the reality of the book as they made it feel like actual evidence was being given and mulled over. The strong female characters in the tale were all highly credible and this added even more to the realistic feel of this book.
I don't know if 'enjoyed' is the right word for this one but it is an exceptionally clever and well written book.
Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment