My Review (4 stars out of 5)
For lawyer Charlie Trust, 1994 begins with a bang when the Northridge Earthquake devastates a massive area of LA. As Charlie and everyone else deal with the aftermath, a well-publicised trial collapses with a hung jury, and Charlie and Sandy find themselves in line for representing one of the defendants – Lyle Menendez. But then another famous face hits the headlines, and Charlie gets a call that could make him famous…
I’ve read a lot of Jake Needham’s books, including all the Inspector Tay novels and all the Charlie Trust books so far and I’ve loved every one of them. A Jury of His Peers is book four in the series but this time we’re served up something a bit different. The author often takes his time sliding us into the story, so I was happy to go along with things until the inevitable murder came along. And there are murders, of course, but they’re ones we’ve all heard about. Now, I’ve watch documentaries and dramas about both these cases, and while I’m fascinated by the Menendez and the OJ Simpson killings, I wasn’t sure what to make of them viewed in this way. Certainly, Mr Needham’s writing is as good as ever, and the legal technicalities of dealing with such famous cases is fascinating, but I felt there was something missing.
A fascinating read, for sure, but this isn’t going to be one of my favourites.
Colin Garrow 