My thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author for a copy of An Honest Man to read and review.

This is the second in the Charles Holborne series of legal mysteries taking place in London in the 1960's. This is a far more traditional legal thriller than the first, but is equally well written and entertaining. The inclusion of testimonial documents was a nice addition, and allowed some insights into the case that aren't normally available to a reader.

While I enjoyed this, it wasn't quite as solid as The Brief but I would still recommend it to those interested in British mysteries and the 1960's.

Simon Michael is a rare breed of writer who transports you to a time and embroils you in fiction of the most believable narrative.
Charles Holborne, a defence barrister, is the main character in this series of legal thrillers set in London in the 1960s.
Charles is at his lowest point when a case of a lifetime comes his way. The Crown against another leading barrister - is it a case of police corruption following two unsuccessful trials against other individuals involved in the crime ?
Seedy situations, rough characters and a city ruled by the Kray twins this book has it all.
Thoroughly recommend.

Great book set in 1963, featuring criminal barrister, Charles Holborne, who is trying to rebuild his reputation and practice after having been wrongly accused of the murder of his wife.
Charles feels he has no alternative but to accept a number of briefs from a rather ‘shady’ firm of solicitors, Robeson & Co. It appears they are a test to see whether he is up to the job of representing the main man, the partner, Harry Robeson, who is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery at the Old Bailey. Why would such a solicitor choose a barrister like Charles to represent him when he has so many of his own barristers he could use? Is it because Charles knows what it is like to be wrongly accused of a crime?
A brilliant, well written read and makes a charge to have a court room drama set in the 1960s.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my original take on this book, my first loan from Netgalley.
Well, not such a good first choice after having signed up for Netgalley. This book, afterall, is not new and is the second of three in the Charles Holborne series.
I got this book through netgalley, not realizing it was available through Kindle Unlimited. I did not read the first in this series, because when I got the book this was not included in the description. Maybe the beginning would not have been so weird to me had I read the fist Charles Holborne book. It was the description of a woman being killed in her own home that seemed more than disjointed as the introduction to what came afterward.
We get to spend lots of time shuffling around with a lawyer who has not been in demand after having been falsely accused of murdering his wife...but there again, you would have to read the first book to know this. He gets assigned to defend another lawyer who is tied to the mob. This is supposedly a portrait of 1960s London where the Kray brothers were known to throw their weight around. Another underlying theme is antisemitism.
Even though the other two books would be available to me through Kindle Unlimited I shall not read further.

I DID reconsider this opinion and went to Kindle Unlimited to read the first and became interested in the character of Charles Holborne. It really requires starting at the beginning.

Could not review this book- I was granted access when it had already been archived- I’ve the email to prove the date I was given access- spoke to netgalley the publisher - Sapere Books are the ones in control here. Very very disappointed to be granted access without having the book to read. The blurb sounds very promising and the cover seems to be very inviting. Not happy and greatly let down.

I thoroughly enjoyed this legal thriller. It is the second in a series featuring barrister Charles Holborne, and although I haven't read the first, it didn't matter as it's a stand-alone story. I was gripped from the beginning, and warmed to Charles immediately. I also enjoyed the setting; London in the early sixties is not an era I'm very familiar with, and it was interesting to get some insight into the time. The writing is clear and very easy to read: at one point I was worried that the legal briefs would be off-putting, but it wasn't the case at all, and I found the style very easy to read. I'll be looking out for the first in the series, as well as the next ones.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Sapere Books, for the opportunity to read this book.

‘You know as well as I do: the system doesn’t save you.’

London, 1963. Barrister Charles Holborne has escaped the gallows after proving that he was framed for murder, but can he recover? His wife is dead, his career is shredded (who wants to employ such a notorious barrister?) and bankruptcy edges closer.

But then the brief of a lifetime is handed to him, and it comes with a very healthy paycheck. Charles is asked to represent a solicitor accused of taking part in a diamond robbery. Charles is wary because the solicitor has a connection with the Kray twins having represented them in the past, but he needs the case. Could Charles’s problems be over? Could this be the new beginning he needs?

This is 1960s London: police corruption and warring criminal gangs are part of the territory, and Charles’s involvement in this case puts him (and others) in danger. Will Charles be able to retain his integrity?

‘I sometimes think the best we can hope for nowadays is a Met police force that catches more crooks than it employs.’

This is the second novel in Mr Michael’s Charles Holborne legal thriller series. The case itself is independent of the first book and can be read as a standalone novel. However, I strongly recommend reading them in order because character development and backstory are important.

The courtroom scenes in this novel are excellent, and much of the story is conveyed through court documents and witness statements. And the outcome? There are a few twists and it is complicated. Let’s just say that the Kray twins can be formidable enemies and we’ll just have to wait to see what happens in the third book.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This was a thoroughly enjoyable insight into the British legal system. The only thing I found a little puzzling was that if you defended guilty clients, that made you a “bent” lawyer? So, everyone defends innocent only clients - or clients who profess their innocence only? Anyway, I digress. I so wished I had read the first book so I would know a little more about Charles because I liked his chart so much - but it is not necessary to have read it to follow this story. And such a good story it is - filled with gangsters from the sixties like the Krays, and your run of the mill tough guys. And great court scenes. I love this author’s writing and will pick up the first novel and I’m looking forward to the third. Definitely recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

Fantastic legal thriller
Evocative descriptions
I couldn't put this down

Well written, loved the characters - extremely well researched - especially the court scene

Highly recommended

"An Honest Man" by Simon Michael is the second in the Charles Holborne legal thriller series. Although this can easily be read as a standalone I personally recommend you to read the first one "The Brief" (which I found absolutely brilliant!) to learn more about Charles' background and how he's arrived at his current status in life a year later. I do like and admire Charles, he's a man's man with integrity and morals and should I ever require a barrister he would be my first choice by far!!
The story is set in the courtroom more here than in the first book and the author's personal experience working many years as a barrister himself shows expertly in the professional writing and authenticity of the excellent courtroom scenes without boring the reader with any complex legal jargon. I particularly liked how court documents and witness statements were used within the trial - this was a very novel way of keeping the reader interested and a very original idea of relaying the facts of the case. I loved the involvement of the Kray Twins in the plot, I've always been fascinated by the London gangsters and hope that the next book in the series due out later this year "The Lighterman" will feature them heavily again. I was so disappointed when the book came to an end as I was really keen to see where the author was going with the storyline - I guess I'm just going to have to wait patiently till the next one in the series is out!!

After proving he was framed for his wife's murder, barrister Charles Holborne is back at work, but his reputation and career are in tatters. Then the brief of a lifetime lands on his desk. Is it too good to be true?

Gangs, the menacing presence of the Krays, police corruption and a fellow legal professional on the hook....

An excellent addition to the series

An excellent legal thriller, engrossing and entertaining.
The 60s London descriptions are realistic and the scene in court are very well written.
I appreciated the cast of characters,the setting and the plot.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

This is the second book in the series featuring Criminal Barrister, Charles Holborne.
Set in London of the 1960s, this book follows Charlie’s life after he is cleared of murdering his wife, when he tries to pick up his legal career.
He gets very few cases due to the gossip about him and he is seriously considering finding another job, just to pay the bills, when he mysteriously receives instructions to defend a solicitor accused of taking part in a diamond robbery.
Unfortunately the solicitor is someone who has defended villains in the past, including the Krays and Charles fears that he will be contaminated by helping him.
However, as he is broke he decides to take the case and after meeting his client he really likes him and puts his all into defending him and finding out the truth.
There is a lot going on which is complicated and the reader is not really sure whether Charles’s client is part of it, however much he claims he is innocent. The courtroom scenes are well described and compelling.
We also learn more about Charles’s background in this book, particularly his fraught relationship with his parents which becomes more difficult when his father is taken ill.
This is an enjoyable read which captivated me from the beginning. It was obviously written by someone who knows a lot about criminal law and East End villains.
I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

An Honest Man is the second book in the what is becoming an excellent series by Simon Michael.

Charles Holborne has fallen on hard times since the trials and tribulations of the first book with no new cases and a girlfriend who is in America.

Suddenly he is asked to represent a solicitor who looks like he is being framed.

The author recreates 1960s London authentically and the courtroom scenes are excellently written and are used to move the story along at a good pace.

An Honest Man is an excellent legal thriller and a book that I thoroughly recommend