Compelling legal thriller with a pertinent unfolding investigation and a credible defence lawyer protagonist.
The Darkness Around Her is an intriguing legal thriller set in the fictional northern valley town of Highford and is the second novel to feature Dan Grant, a hard-working and dedicated defence lawyer of ten years standing. Despite not having encountered Dan before it did nothing to hinder my enjoyment with Neil White drip feeding any required background as the story unfolds in an unobtrusive manner. Despite predominantly being a legal thriller the novel is given an added pertinence by a race against time investigation unfolding alongside the courtroom drama with critical repercussions for all parties involved.
Dan Grant stands on the eve of his first solo murder trial defending client, Peter Box, who is accused of murdering Lizzie Barnsley in the early hours of New Year’s Day along the unlit towpath beside the canal. Fleeing her abusive boyfriend after a violent public argument, Lizzie escapes into the darkness only to fall prey to her killer when she is attacked and drowned. Peter is apprehended with the circumstantial evidence strong and his blood on Lizzie’s stiletto and a head wound that matches the shape of Lizzie’s heel making his imprisonment seem a foregone conclusion. For four long months Peter has maintained his silence, effectively leaving it up to Dan to find a defence which realistically hinges on undermining the prosecution case. Together with his insistence that Dan is his sole representative in court and to proceed without the usual Queen’s Counsel risking antagonising the judge, Dan cannot afford to get his hopes of a successful verdict up.
As Dan looks for anything to improve Peter’s chances and sets his ally and private investigator. Jayne Brett, on the case the last minute intervention of his boss and mentor, Pat Molloy, casting doubt on the overturned conviction of Sean Martin, changes the game. In a murder than Peter also tried to confess to, Sean Martin spent six-years in prison for the canal side murder of his fourteen-year-old stepdaughter, Rosie Smith, before being freed in a retrial. Bound by the client-lawyer privilege and unable to use Sean’s confession to Pat in court, Dan must focus on proving that Peter is innocent and telling an alternative plausible story that would link a significant number of murders along the canal path over the years which could point to the work of a serial killer. Well aware that practicing criminal law runs the risk of upsetting the wrong people and his own actions could leave Pat and Jayne in danger, Dan’s conscience weighs heavy only for things to become personal, leaving Dan determined to nail Sean Martin...
Dan is an immensely likeable and well-intentioned protagonist and a determined defence lawyer who is entirely practical when it comes to his job and the occasionally uncomfortable truths and harsh realities of dispensing justice. There is a huge burden of responsibility on his shoulders because not only is he taking on the entrenched attitudes of a courtroom full of officials waiting for a solicitor-advocate to fail in his first murder trial, but risking casting aspersions that his client could be a serial killer. With the case already in progress there is an added urgency to Dan and Jayne’s quest for an alternative angle as they test different theories against the raw data and Neil White encourages his readers to play along and think for themselves, making for an engrossing read!
Jayne Brett is an energetic and tenacious investigator who leaves no stone unturned when it comes to scrutinising Sean Martin’s life and categorising and filtering the various canal side attacks. Jayne is desperate to provide something of substance for Dan to use in court and she is every bit as dogged and willing to put in the hard yards that her her job entails. From tracking down Rosie’s teenage friends and getting of sense of Rosie’s relationship with her step-father to establishing whether the females who disappeared knew Sean through to searching for any possible link between Sean Martin and Peter Box she is unstinting in her efforts. There is an obvious chemistry and camaraderie between Dan and Jayne with her being clear about her willingness to take their relationship to the next level. Ever the professional, Dan struggles to keep his relationship with Jayne platonic given that the duo first met in a lawyer-client capacity with Dan instrumental in securing Jayne’s freedom. Both are realistically flawed and feel human which makes vying for them easy, however I found the characterisation of Peter Box far less impressive with his sudden transition from classic oddball to articulacy on the stand not quite ringing true.
The third-person narrative moves between focusing on all of the main characters and offers an insight into their line of thinking with a good balance between Jayne’s unfolding investigation and how Dan deploys this knowledge in the courtroom, ensuring that the story is far less dry than many legal thrillers, Neil White writes with the confidence of someone who is conversant with all the intricacies and bureaucracy of judicial proceedings and he showcases this to excellent effect to offer readers an insight into the often intimidating legal processes and behind the scenes colour that proves so effective is creating an austere sense of place.
The final quarter of the novel is accompanied by a feeling of steadily ratcheting tension and builds up to a grandstanding finale with a courtroom showdown for Dan and a pulsating quest to stop a killer hellbent on stopping the truth being exposed with Jayne in a race to secure and convey crucial evidence. I was unprepared for how many times the pendulum would swing and the balance of evidence would alter the probable verdict of the the jury. The denouement is immensely satisfying, pulling together all of the questions which are raised along the way and delivering answers and feels realistic, if bittersweet, with the on/off romance the only element hanging in the balance... I would be keen to read the previous novel, From The Shadows, and am hopeful of future outings featuring the characters of Dan and Jayne, but failing that I am certain this will not be my last encounter with Neil White!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Dan Grant stands on the eve of his first solo murder trial defending client, Peter Box, who is accused of murdering Lizzie Barnsley in the early hours of New Year’s Day along the unlit towpath beside the canal. Fleeing her abusive boyfriend after a violent public argument, Lizzie escapes into the darkness only to fall prey to her killer when she is attacked and drowned. Peter is apprehended with the circumstantial evidence strong and his blood on Lizzie’s stiletto and a head wound that matches the shape of Lizzie’s heel making his imprisonment seem a foregone conclusion. For four long months Peter has maintained his silence, effectively leaving it up to Dan to find a defence which realistically hinges on undermining the prosecution case. Together with his insistence that Dan is his sole representative in court and to proceed without the usual Queen’s Counsel risking antagonising the judge, Dan cannot afford to get his hopes of a successful verdict up.
As Dan looks for anything to improve Peter’s chances and sets his ally and private investigator. Jayne Brett, on the case the last minute intervention of his boss and mentor, Pat Molloy, casting doubt on the overturned conviction of Sean Martin, changes the game. In a murder than Peter also tried to confess to, Sean Martin spent six-years in prison for the canal side murder of his fourteen-year-old stepdaughter, Rosie Smith, before being freed in a retrial. Bound by the client-lawyer privilege and unable to use Sean’s confession to Pat in court, Dan must focus on proving that Peter is innocent and telling an alternative plausible story that would link a significant number of murders along the canal path over the years which could point to the work of a serial killer. Well aware that practicing criminal law runs the risk of upsetting the wrong people and his own actions could leave Pat and Jayne in danger, Dan’s conscience weighs heavy only for things to become personal, leaving Dan determined to nail Sean Martin...
Dan is an immensely likeable and well-intentioned protagonist and a determined defence lawyer who is entirely practical when it comes to his job and the occasionally uncomfortable truths and harsh realities of dispensing justice. There is a huge burden of responsibility on his shoulders because not only is he taking on the entrenched attitudes of a courtroom full of officials waiting for a solicitor-advocate to fail in his first murder trial, but risking casting aspersions that his client could be a serial killer. With the case already in progress there is an added urgency to Dan and Jayne’s quest for an alternative angle as they test different theories against the raw data and Neil White encourages his readers to play along and think for themselves, making for an engrossing read!
Jayne Brett is an energetic and tenacious investigator who leaves no stone unturned when it comes to scrutinising Sean Martin’s life and categorising and filtering the various canal side attacks. Jayne is desperate to provide something of substance for Dan to use in court and she is every bit as dogged and willing to put in the hard yards that her her job entails. From tracking down Rosie’s teenage friends and getting of sense of Rosie’s relationship with her step-father to establishing whether the females who disappeared knew Sean through to searching for any possible link between Sean Martin and Peter Box she is unstinting in her efforts. There is an obvious chemistry and camaraderie between Dan and Jayne with her being clear about her willingness to take their relationship to the next level. Ever the professional, Dan struggles to keep his relationship with Jayne platonic given that the duo first met in a lawyer-client capacity with Dan instrumental in securing Jayne’s freedom. Both are realistically flawed and feel human which makes vying for them easy, however I found the characterisation of Peter Box far less impressive with his sudden transition from classic oddball to articulacy on the stand not quite ringing true.
The third-person narrative moves between focusing on all of the main characters and offers an insight into their line of thinking with a good balance between Jayne’s unfolding investigation and how Dan deploys this knowledge in the courtroom, ensuring that the story is far less dry than many legal thrillers, Neil White writes with the confidence of someone who is conversant with all the intricacies and bureaucracy of judicial proceedings and he showcases this to excellent effect to offer readers an insight into the often intimidating legal processes and behind the scenes colour that proves so effective is creating an austere sense of place.
The final quarter of the novel is accompanied by a feeling of steadily ratcheting tension and builds up to a grandstanding finale with a courtroom showdown for Dan and a pulsating quest to stop a killer hellbent on stopping the truth being exposed with Jayne in a race to secure and convey crucial evidence. I was unprepared for how many times the pendulum would swing and the balance of evidence would alter the probable verdict of the the jury. The denouement is immensely satisfying, pulling together all of the questions which are raised along the way and delivering answers and feels realistic, if bittersweet, with the on/off romance the only element hanging in the balance... I would be keen to read the previous novel, From The Shadows, and am hopeful of future outings featuring the characters of Dan and Jayne, but failing that I am certain this will not be my last encounter with Neil White!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.