The Cut Throat Trial

The explosive legal thriller from the No. 1 bestseller

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Get this deal

Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.

More purchase options

The Cut Throat Trial

By: The Secret Barrister

Narrated by: Toby Jones, Annie Aldington, Maya Sondhi, Wesley Ruthven, Nathalie Buscombe, Kenton Thomas, Simon Vance, Tyreke Leslie, Rupert Farley, Eddie Toll, Ben Miles

Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.20

Brought to life by a full-cast, starring Toby Jones OBE (The Hunger Games, Harry Potter), Ben Miles (The Crown, Wolf Hall), and AudioFile Golden Voice Simon Vance.
Full of twists you won't see coming, The Cut Throat Trial is an edge-of-your-seat courtroom drama from the No. 1 bestselling Secret Barrister. And you have a front row seat.
‘An astute, empathetic, and satisfyingly twisty read’ - Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal
‘A diamond class legal thriller . . . I loved every moment’ - Janice Hallett, author of The Twyford Code
It is one of the biggest trials of the year. Three seventeen-year-old boys are accused of the brutal murder of an elderly teacher on New Year’s Eve. Each boy denies it. Each points the finger at the other two. But they can’t all be innocent.
The three defence barristers have only one job: to persuade the jury that their client is not guilty. But they’re up against a prosecutor who needs to win the case, no matter the cost.
Written by a criminal barrister with an expert insider’s knowledge, The Cut Throat Trial is an unputdownable legal thriller.

Cast:

“The Narrator” - Toby Jones OBE
Baxter Wyatt KC - Ben Miles
HHJ Jeremy Letts - Simon Vance
Craig Mervyn-Scott - Wesley Ruthven
Arron Freeman - Kenton Thomas
Jamal Lowton - Tyreke Leslie
Aliyah Arshad - Maya Sondhi
Jennifer Rennie - Nathalie Buscombe
Bob Evans KC - Rupert Farley
Rita Hooper - Annie Aldington
Jared Grimes - Eddie Toll

The Secret BarristerToby JonesAnnie AldingtonMaya SondhiWesley RuthvenNathalie BuscombeKenton ThomasSimon VanceTyreke LeslieRupert FarleyEddie TollBen MilesPicador

Crime

Crime Thrillers

Suspense

Thriller & Suspense

Murder

Exciting

Scary

Law

Crime Crime Thrillers Suspense Thriller & Suspense Murder Exciting Scary Law

Critic reviews

A sharp legal thriller that grips you from the first page and puts you right inside the courtroom. The author's legal expertise combines with a twisting plot and a compelling cast of characters to deliver a thrilling page turner. (Mason Cross, author of The Killing Season and the Carter Blake series)

Weaves a really compelling plot-driven story with great characterisation. Pacy. Intriguing. Thrilling. (Imran Mahmood, author of Finding Sophie and You Don't Know Me)

Like a front row seat at a hotly contested murder trial. Fast, furious, fascinating and impeccably plotted . . . Legal thrillers don't get better than this! (Neil Lancaster, author of Dead Man's Grave)

Not so much a front row seat in a murder trial as a journey inside the minds of the necessarily unreliable defendants, judge and counsel, The Cut Throat Trial is both scathing examination of the criminal justice system and an astute, empathetic, and satisfyingly twisty read. . . I’ll be thinking about this one for quite some time. (Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal and Reputation)

This book is phenomenal!

If you want to know how the law takes its course with people’s lives, you won’t get a more accurate picture than this. It’s truly fascinating to see it turned into a page-turning story. (Wendy Joseph, author of Unlawful Killings)

A diamond-class legal thriller . . . Five stars (Janice Hallett, author of The Twyford Code)

A clever, compelling, insightful and often witty courtroom thriller from a writer who truly understands the machinations of the criminal court and the human mind. The brilliantly-drawn characters and deft double-crossing kept me reading late into the night. Loved it. (Anna Sharpe, author of Notes on a Drowning)

The verdict is in and it’s unanimous – The Cut Throat Trial is an absolute cracker. A deviously plotted, whip-smart courtroom thriller that oozes tension. (Neil Broadfoot, author of Falling Fast)

Brilliant . . . pitch perfect dialogue, wit and insight, as well as drama, thrills and big reveals . . . Moving, emotional and gripping. (Helen Fields, author of The Shadow Man )

Most relevant

I went into The Cut Throat Trial expecting a fairly straightforward courtroom drama of three lads in the dock, each pointing the finger at the other, with the Crown pushing for a guilty verdict. What I actually got was something far richer.

From the blatant assumption of where the trial was heading, it quickly turned into an onion, one layer pulled back, only to expose another, and then another, each unexpected and inextricably linked through cause and effect. By the end, I felt like every assumption I’d made had been quietly dismantled.

What stood out most was how the book gave insight into the private worlds of judge, counsel, and even the defendants. It doesn’t paint barristers as untouchable masters of their destiny. Instead, you see the scrapes, the moments of doubt, the real graft behind the veneer. The language throughout has a sharpness to it, authentic and believable, while still carrying weight.

Listening to it on Audible the performance adds a whole other dimension. Each character was voiced with their own accent, their own pace, and a real sense of authenticity. It never once felt forced or overdone, more like being dropped into the courtroom yourself.

Overall, this isn’t just a murder trial story. It’s an exploration of truth, perception, and how quickly certainty can unravel. I came away impressed not just by the twists and turns, but by how human it all felt. A proper piece of work.