Elliot Rook is a QC in London, recently made silk, and is something of a maverick with a lot to hide from his past. He employs a new junior from his home town, Nottingham, much against the wishes of his colleagues, and together they take on the case of a hoodlum from Elliot's past, a vicious character who has blackmailed Elliot into representing him, who is on trial for the nasty murder of a young girl in Cotgrave. Just when you think everything has been solved, the story takes an unexpected turn. The final pages were absolutely gripping as Elliot and Zara find themselves confronting the killer. The characters are really well rounded and interesting, and I particularly enjoyed the setting as they go back to Nottingham (my former home town) to gather local evidence. The interaction between the life-hardened QC and the naive young assistant is very well handled. Prejudice and bigotry in many forms abound throughout the book, and again this is well portrayed without labouring the point. The book is, I understand, written by a QC and it very convincingly brings us into a world that is a closed book for most of us. I look forward to more in this series. Rook and Rookie rock! Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond reasonable doubt is a page turning legal thriller with a cast of characters that are interesting, well rounded with each given a depth that adds to their appeal, or maybe not with some of them. Elliot Rook is quite a character from his physical description you but think of Rumpole, but there are major differences. Rook has dragged himself up from a violent poverty ridden past even including a spell in prison. Apart from his mentor and Head of chambers no one else knows this, all assuming he has an Etonian Oxbridge background. Enter Mixed race Zoe from the same background as Rook who is desperate to be taken on as a pupil, Rook sees a lot of himself in her and takes her on as his junior, their banter and growing respect for each other makes especially good reading. A 16 year old girl has been found brutally murdered on waste ground in Nottingham, where Rook is originally from. The accused is well known to Root, a violent racist having spent many years in and out of Prison. Rook is blackmailed into defending him otherwise all his previous background will be revealed. As Rook and Zoe look more deeply into the case there are many unanswered questions and the accused refuses to help refusing to volunteer information. When the court case begins the thrust and parry of both barristers arguments are brilliant, though it looks like an uphill struggle for Rook, but he’s a fighter and determined to get to the truth despite how guilty his client appears. A wonderful read with a great finale, a page turner and with Rook and Zoe proving to be a good team I hopefully see a great future for a series with these two. My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

This is the first book in a new legal thriller series featuring Elliot Rook. Mr Rook is a highly successful, well respected QC in London. He is an old Etonian of high standards, but is he ? Rook is actually an ex petty criminal with a colourful past which he has worked hard to keep secret. Suddenly from Rook's past, Billy Barbour appears. Billy has been accused of murdering a young woman and is insisting that Rook represents him, or he will reveal his past to all. Rook is in a corner and reluctantly agrees. I really enjoyed this legal drama which was a real page turner. There was plenty of action and the courtroom scenes in The Old Bailey were well described. The author Gary Bell is himself a QC and there are many similarities in his early life, as his main character Rook. I look forward to the next book in this series and would recommend this novel.

Starts slow and gradually picks up pace to a terrific ending. Looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

This is a fantastic whodunit but in a non-conventional style. When woman of Arab descent is murdered, a vicious football thug (and white-supremacist) is in the frame and wants the famous old Etonian QC Elliot Rook to defend him. Elliot wouldn’t normally lower himself to defend such scum but Elliot is not as he makes out. In fact his secret background includes law breaking and he was the accused’s brother’s best friend in his former life. To avoid exposure and a scandal he takes on the case. The story is gripping and the details of the Old Bailey trial are fascinating. I really found the narrative engaging and the characters well rounded and the plot lines very realistic. A really good read