The Pinocchio Brief by Abi Silver

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for The Pinocchio Brief by Abi Silver. The Pinocchio Brief was published by Lightning Books on 23 July 2017.

The Pinocchio Brief
By Abi Silver
Lightning Books (Ebook - 10 July 2017; Paperback - 23 July 2017)

Publisher's description

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? 

My verdict
The crime market is flooded with psychological thrillers and domestic noir, so it was a welcome change to read The Pinocchio Brief, which is a courtroom drama and legal investigation.

The story centres around quirky & academically gifted 15-year-old Raymond, who has been accused of murdering his teacher at his private school. The two other main characters are his legal team - Judith (the older, experienced and more reserved one) and Constance (younger, more reckless and very enthusiastic).

Abi Silver has a great knack of describing her characters, both in terms of appearance and their thoughts and feelings. The chapters alternative between the points of view of Raymond, Judith and Constance. But, unusually, within every scene you get inside each person's head (known as head hopping). I don't often see this in crime fiction.

The premise of the novel - a lie-detecting device used in courtroom trials - is an interesting and intriguing one and instantly grabbed my attention. You can tell that the author has a legal background and is also a great researcher, as there's a lot of information packed within the pages. The book is divided into four parts, but I really found it to be a book of two parts. The first half (parts 1 and 2) contained a lot of scene setting, developing the characters and the build up to the courtroom drama. The second half (parts 3 and 4) was written at a much faster pace with lots of surprises.

Abi Silver certainly kept me guessing and knows how to plot a twisty book. I'll be interested to see what she comes up with next.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Abi Silver talks about The Pinocchio Brief

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All The Little Pieces by Jilliane Hoffman

All The Little Pieces
By Jilliane Hoffman
Published by Harper Collins (4 June 2015)
ISBN: 978-0007311705

Publisher's description
She could have stopped an awful crime. She could have saved a life. She tried to forget about it. But now, the truth is out.

Faith Saunders is the perfect wife, mother and sister - loved and admired by all who know her.

One night will change everything.

As she drives home in the pouring rain, a dishevelled young woman appears out of nowhere, pleading for help. The isolated stretch of road is dark, and with her four-year-old daughter Maggie asleep in the backseat, Faith refuses to let the stranger in.

What she sees next will haunt her forever.

When the missing-person posters go up, Faith's guilt consumes her. Then the girl's body turns up and her perfect life begins to unravel. Because it turns out Maggie wasn't asleep that night and - unlike her mother - she's not afraid to speak up. Maggie's testimony leads to an arrest, but Faith is the only one who can identify a second man who was at the scene of the crime. She has one chance to convince a jury of what happened. If she fails, two murderers will go free - two men who have killed before and who will undoubtedly kill again. And they know exactly where to find Faith and her family.

My verdict
All the Little Pieces is a roller coaster read. It's an enjoyable mixture of courtroom drama, psychological thriller and crime novel.

Faith seems to have the perfect life, until you delve beneath the surface. Driving home from her sister's house late at night, in the middle of nowhere, a girl's battered face appears at her car window, asking Faith for help. Faith panics and drives off into the darkness, determined to protect her young daughter who is sleeping in the car.

When her daughter identifies the murdered girl on a news bulletin, Faith's nightmare begins. Her daughter wasn't asleep after all. Faith realises that she may have prevented a violent murder if she had just opened her car door and let the stranger in. The guilt over what she has done leads her state of mind to spiral out of control and puts her and her family's lives in danger.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Its fast-paced writing kept my heart pumping throughout the book. However, I was slightly let down by the ending, which left me hanging and didn't feel complete.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through the Lovereading Reviewer Panel in exchange for an honest review.