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Blind Defence

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Blind Defence

By: John Fairfax
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
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'An all-action court drama' Sunday Times on Summary Justice

She was found hanging in a dingy London bedsit with a blood orange in her mouth. Diane Heybridge, a young woman without a past or much of a future, has captured in death the compassion denied her in life.

For the prosecution, this seeming suicide is nothing more than a bungled killing and a disgusted public looks to Court 2 of the Old Bailey for justice. Her callous, jilted partner Brent Stainsby stands accused of her murder and he's turned to the maverick legal team William Benson and Tess de Vere to defend him.

However, as the trial unfolds it soon becomes clear that there is far more to Diane Heybridge than meets the eye. She wasn't the weak and downtrodden victim now being presented to the jury. She was capable of a sophisticated form of vengeance. By the same token, Brent Stainsby isn't who he seems to be either. He's hiding a motive for murder unknown to the police and may well be playing a deadly game of poker with the judicial process. What began as a simple trial rapidly turns into a complex search for the truth beyond the confines of the courtroom...©2018 John Fairfax Crime Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Mystery Thriller & Suspense Law Thriller Crime Exciting Fiction Suspense Murder
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Critic reviews

Assured storytelling and highly intriguing moral complexity. I tore through it (Chris Brookmyre)
Vivid and exciting, and the novel raises some important issues to do with prisons and the ethics of the legal system (Marcel Berlins)
A good mystery, meaty courtroom drama, the ongoing puzzle of Benson's own history and some knowledgeable assaults on the Tories' policy of justice on the cheap add up to a great read
I hope John Fairfax is planning a long series involving Benson. [An] excellent legal thriller
The courtroom scenes are brilliant, and Benson really comes alive under pressure. Stubborn, fitful and contradictory, he's a highly individualised creation
Punchy dialogue and devious plotlines . . . compelling
All stars
Most relevant
Strong follow-up to last year’s Summary Justice, fleshing our the characters and dropping hints about new and as yet undisclosed secrets.
The prison scenes are a fascinating insight into confined living and the courtroom drama is gripping.
The main female characters are not as strongly drawn as the males (and their descriptions seem a little laboured and repetitious), but it’s a great story with excellent narration.

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Just as good as first book, leaves issues yet to be resolved for next book.

So enjoyable! Loved the characters.

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Good follow up but dont keep it going too long. I need to know about Benson's case.

Great

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Really enjoyed this gets under your skin somehow not my usual crime thrillers with police and detectives but
easily as good.

Second book as good as the first

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A step up in story writing from book one. Highly enjoyable. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Very well written

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