The Holdout is a cross between an Agatha Christie novel and The People vs. OJ Simpson. I think I could end my review there, but I have too many thoughts, ha!
It is a VERY unique thriller. Here is the premise: twelve people found a young African American man, Bobby Nock, not guilty of the murder of a teenage girl, Jessica Silver, in a case that was sensationalized over the country. The verdict was largely influenced by the arguments of one juror: Maya Seale. Flash forward, the twelve jurors come together ten years later at the same hotel where they were sequestered for a reunion show and something goes TERRIBLY awry.
I REALLY liked this book — it was perfect for a weekend where I wanted to dive into an all-encompassing story. The writing is impressive and unique; the narrative, the mystery, and the characters are well constructed. After reading so many thrillers, endings can be predictable or repetitive or the writing can be boring and this one was NEITHER.
I also loved that this is a substantive book alongside a riveting story. As a legal thriller, this story comments heavily on the United States justice system and in particular race and class within the system today. It also made me really think about the impact of having a “jury of your peers” decide these deeply impactful verdicts.
the author
After reading the blurb about the author, Graham Moore, on the back flap of the book, I was so fascinated to learn that he wrote and won an Academy Award for the screenplay of The Imitation Game. I subsequently spent some time researching him — I was so interested in what made him decide to move between novels and films! I stumbled upon this fascinating interview with Moore, where he shares not only the differences in writing between film and novels, but also the inspiration behind The Holdout: serving on a jury of a murder trial himself. I highly recommend listening to it if you have read the book (if you want to hear the story of the murder trial he served on, start at about 8 minutes!).
I also peeked at the other books Moore wrote prior to The Imitation Game, including The Last Days of Night, which is definitely on my list now — the description sounds so fascinating!
If you are up for a legal thriller, add this one to the tip top of your list! If you’ve read it, what did you think? I would love to hear.
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