Category: Mystery/Suspense Publisher: White Owl
Type: Fiction
Pages: 400
Copyright: July 4, 2011
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
Once there was a barrister who thought a trial was just a game of proof. Then she learned better.
A mother's worst nightmare - can her son be guilty of murder?
Sarah Newby, who left school at 15 and was living as a single parent on an inner-city estate, has worked her way up to begin a career as a criminal barrister. But what should she do when her own son, Simon, is arrested and charged with a series of brutal rapes and murders?
Has Sarah, in her single-minded determination to create a career for herself, neglected her so much that she no longer knows him? He has often lied to her in the past, so how can she trust him when he says he is innocent this time? And what should she do when she herself uncovers evidence that seems to suggest his guilt?
Excerpt
‘My Lord, I call Sharon Gilbert.’
A gust of small movements disturbed the still air of the courtroom, as people coughed, shuffled papers, and leant forward to get the best view of the witness box. The court usher, a woman in a pink blouse and black robe, opened the door in the panelled wall at the back of the court.
‘Sharon Gilbert, please.’
At the barristers’ table in the well of the court, Sarah Newby leant forward, her fingers laced under her chin. This was the first time she would see the victim, the woman the prosecution said her client had raped. The woman whose evidence she would have to demolish, to keep Gary Harker out of prison. The woman whose reputation she would have to destroy, to continue the steady rise of her own. Sarah had been a qualified barrister for three years and this was her first rape case. A great opportunity, if she did well. The first step on the ladder to becoming a Queen’s Counsel, like the Crown Prosecution barrister, Julian Lloyd-Davies QC, who stood next to her facing the jury.
Lloyd-Davies placed his notes on the portable lectern which he had brought with him, and tapped a silver pencil on it nonchalantly as he waited for his witness to appear. Where Sarah was intent and nervous he appeared calm, relaxed and confident. The lectern, silver pencil, silk gown and expensive tailored suit were all signs of a status that Sarah both coveted and feared. Beside him sat his junior, James Morris, pen poised to take notes. I belong here, all these things said, this is my stage to command. Sarah felt like a novice beside him. Even in her best Marks and Spencer black suit, tight starched wing collar and bands, she was painfully conscious of how the black cotton of her gown marked her out as a junior barrister like James Morris, someone who would normally assist a QC in a case like this rather than lead it herself.
In front of the barristers sat the judge, his lordship Stuart Gray, raised high on his dias under the prancing lion and unicorn of the royal coat of arms. His long cadaverous face surveyed her from under his wig with drooping bloodhound eyes. He had once practised as a QC too, Sarah reflected gloomily, and before that no doubt attended one of England’s best public schools – perhaps the same one as Julian Lloyd-Davies.
Certainly he had not left school at fifteen and spent his teenage years, as Sarah had, bringing up a baby on one of the worst council estates in Leeds.
Sarah drew in a slow, deep breath and let it out again, tensing the muscles of her stomach as the butterflies danced within. ‘I’ve earned the right to do this and here I am,’ she thought. ‘They didn’t have to fight to get here, but I did. And if I win this time, it will be the best ever.’
A woman came through the door in the back of the court and looked about her uncertainly. She was a tall, slim woman in her late twenties, smartly dressed in a green suit with three quarter length sleeves. The waves in her long, bleached shoulder-length hair suggested hours of careful attention in front of the mirror. She entered the witness box and took the testament and card from the usher.
‘Take the book in your right hand and read the words on the card.’
‘I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’
Professional Reviews
A Game of Proof
A Game of Proof was originally published under the pen name of Megan Stark, and follows tough Barrister Sarah Newby as she defends the indefensible, and, ultimately, her son.
The book is set in York, and is a very British crime book. The books begins with Sarah Newby defending a thug who is up for the crime of rape. Sarah believes that the courtroom is a game, a game of proof. She ultimately has doubts in her mind about the guilt of her client, but she defends him regardless. She is a tough, driven woman who has battled the odds to reach the upper echelons of the British justice system.
As the story progresses, we see Sarah take on the case of her son, Simon, who is accused of the brutal rape and murder of his girlfriend. The book is gory and gruesome when the nature of the crime is recounted, but you do get a real feel for the almost clinical and detached nature of the British courtroom. As the story, and case against Simon, develops you, as the reader, begin to think yourself about the validity of any conviction. You work in your mind alongside the police as they try to piece together other possible suspects for the rape and murder.
A Game of Proof kept me engaged throughout. It's skilfully written and I'll be looking to read more of the Sarah Newby trials books. She isn't an especially likeable character - there are times as which she epitomises the eternal question of can you ever have it all? The successful career, marriage and family life. At times she appears cold and calculating but is she ultimately just doing her job? The book is very thought provoking in this regard.
There are some very minor inconsistencies in this book, and some frustrating typing/spelling errors but not what Vicary does is to uncover the workings of the British legal system, and the importance of presentation. You can't help but feel that, at times, it is all just a game, albeit with a very high price. Witnesses are treated appallingly, in the name of justice, and at stages this book makes for painful reading when you put yourself in the place of the witness. The book is well written and is a brilliant British crime thriller that you really should read. And even better is that at the time of writing, A Game of Proof, is free on amazon.
Sarah Burns ~ On Behalf of the Kindle Book Review
Top class British legal thriller
This book is a top class British legal thriller. It's the first in a series of novels which follows barrister Sarah Newby and in my view puts the author up there with his American counterparts, John Grisham, Scott Turrow and Michael Connolly. Right from the start it had me turning the pages with a superb depiction of a criminal trial and the behind the scenes manoeuvrings of the lawyers involved. The dialogue is sassy and authentic but it was in the constant opening up of new layers both in plot and with the characters which truly had me turning the pages. In fact, I read it in a day which is the biggest compliment I could offer. I'm not going to give the plot away here and simply recommend it as a top read not just for lawyers but for all those who enjoy a great yarn well told. Tim Kevan
If in doubt ... Flat out!
Game of Proof can be summed up in one word ... Stunning!
The storyline is clear, the characters totally believable and you are drawn in from the very first page. Technically this book is spot on... the author clearly has a great depth of knowledge of our flawed justice system and its process. In my opinion, and I've read many legal thrillers (including all of Grisham's), Game of Proof is one of the best, if not the best legal thriller/court room dramas that you will find... I try to avoid the usual clichés, but it's unavoidable.... I genuinely couldn't put this book down... the ending is stunning!
