This book caught me by surprise. The description was interesting but sounded like a pretty standard psychological thriller, however, there was nothing typical or expected about this story. The writing is well-paced and weaves in thought provoking questions about marriage, choices, what we believe, and what ultimately matters to us. The plot was original and exciting without relying on shock value or excessive twists. Julia turned out to be a much more interesting and unique character than most protagonists in this genre, and I was fascinated to hear more from her with each new page.

A slow burner. It took a while to understand what was going on with the characters as it flicked from one timeline to another but started to gel together once the court scenes started. The concept was solid but the jumping throughtimelines was a bit confusing. and the characters difficult to warm to..

I loved this unputdownable book!
It was a thrilling, unnerving read. The characters were realistic. The plot was gripping and fast-paced. Run, do not walk, out to get this fab book.
Thank you NetGalley.

This has got to be my second favourite book that I have read this year.

Despite her marriage and her relationship with her son falling apart.. Julia is not having a bad life. She has a job, friends and a roof over her head.

That is until she receives a sees a news article on TV - A body has been found and it is believed to be Brandon Wells who went missing years ago. Is Julia's secret about to be exposed?

The story is told in different stages - from present to past. Each chapter slowly building up suspense to the climax. The author does this really well and this story had me gripped. Thinking what did happen.

However early on I had a rough idea of who did it but I was so engaged that I needed to finish. I thought I would miss out on a few important details. Which if I had chosen to skip I would have.
. The reveal was a bit disappointing as I thought it might be different but the story was brought together very well.
Olivia's writing is easy to read too.
A great suspense thriller to read.

I’ve received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

First off, let me say this is the first book I have read written Olivia Isaac-Henry. In saying that, it’s just the type of book I like to read - love her writing style, the suspense had me gripped throughout, right until then end. Each character was well thought out and each were well developed.
5 stars for me!

The main character is portrayed as someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is fun reading about her student days and early 20s while living in house shares and then the contrasting chapters are in the present day where she is under suspicion of murder of a one of her former housemates and how her life is far from how she imagined it would be. I found the writing very fast paced and it’s definitely a page turner with plenty of twists to keep you there until the end.

I really enjoyed this book
This book grabbed my attention from the first page
This is a real page turner.
The characters are developed and believable
I loved the authors writing style and how she kept me enthralled throughout the book
The pace of the book was perfect
An excellent read

I really enjoyed The Verdict. From the very beginning of the story I was hooked and I wanted to know what really happened to Brandon Wells? I do have to say, I was a bit confused at first with the timelines. Usually I don't have much trouble following dual timelines in a story, but this story would occasionally throw in another year that wasn't the two years we were primarily following. It took me a bit to get used to it, but once I did things flowed very smoothly.

I found myself absolutely hating some of the characters in this story (and for good reason)! I did really like Julia. She seemed to be a genuine character who was lost in life and just trying to get by when she gets caught up in a murder. I was at the edge of my seat throughout most of the book just wanting to get to the bottom on what was happening! I was rooting for her throughout the entire story! Gideon and Alan? Not so much!

I am very happy that I picked this book up! I would definitely recommend this to someone who loves a thriller where the crime slowly is revealed throughout the story! It definitely gave me "How to Get Away with Murder" vibes as you go back and forth between the present day trial and the past crime being committed!

I received an e-ARC from Netgalley and One More Chapter to read and review this book! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

EXCERPT: 'Julia Winter?' the woman says.

I stand up. The whole office stops and looks at me.

"You are Julia Winter?'

'Yes,' I say.

The female officer steps forward. 'I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Brandon Wells. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence of you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?'

No one moves. The office stands silent.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: A cheating wife. An estranged mother. But is she guilty of murder?
Please raise your right hand.
An affair at work has cost Julia Winter her job and her marriage. There’s no denying she has let her family down.

Please remain standing.
When a body is discovered on the North Downs, it hits local headlines. But for Julia, the news is doubly shocking because the body was buried just opposite the house she lived in over twenty years ago. And it is one of her former housemates.

Please resume your seat.

Up on the stand, Julia’s not the only person to have secrets that are unearthed during the trial. But the evidence against her is overwhelming.

And yet one question remains: is she the murderer, or the victim?

Jurors, you may be excused.

Readers, what is your verdict?

MY THOUGHTS: Interesting premise, and I enjoyed the read with one or two reservations.

Firstly, the timelines, multiple.... too many. It got quite confusing even though each chapter was headed with the date and location. 1994&5, 2001, 2017&18. This is one book that may have been better served by the story being told in a simpler timeline rather than one which jumped about all over the place.

There was a noticeable lack of suspense...and that is a biggie for me.

None of the characters were particularly likeable, but they were mostly interesting. My favourite was definitely Genevieve D'Auncey, who claimed to be a classically trained actress, but who is rumoured to have been a 'hostess'. She is still mourning the loss of her son, although she refuses to acknowledge his death. She is mysterious about everything, believing that it makes her more interesting, and invents dramas to fill her time and attract attention. She dresses flamboyantly, and affects mannerisms to match. Her sister Ruth, while lacking the mannerisms, hairpiece and flamboyant clothes, is very much a watered down version of Genevieve (real name Jennifer Pike), but has hidden depths.

Brandon is a thoroughly unlikable wastrel, who uses other people for his own gain. Alan is a nasty little, backstabbing wimp. And Gideon is a chameleon, one of those people who fit in anywhere, blending in, making friends.

And Julia? Is she the bad mother who screwed around behind her husband's back, a hard-nosed career woman more concerned with climbing the corporate ladder than caring for her husband? Or is she someone being swept along by events that she doesn't have the skills or confidence to control?

My favourite quote: A second marriage is a triumph of stupidity, not hope.

***.75

THE AUTHOR: In addition to writing novels, Olivia Isaac-Henry is a crime drama lover, occasional keyboard player, and backing vocalist in the band The Protaganist. She grew up in Worcestershire but now lives in London, where she loves the theatres, food markets and festivals.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Impulse and Killer Reads via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Verdict by Olivia Isaac-Henry for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads profile page or the about page on my webpage, sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

A truly excellent thriller/part courtroom drama with a dual/triple timeline and an incredible plot. Julia has just gone through a massive heartbreak and rather than move in with her overbearing mother, she chooses to take a room in a large house, the proprietress of which is an interesting character, to say the least. An aging hippy type, Genevieve lost her son years ago, but through vodka and pills has managed to put off truly dealing with that loss, instead choosing to treat another new boarder as the "return" of her dead son. Brandon is more than willing to take advantage of this, and after a one night stand, has started treating Julia as though she's conquered property. The other boarders in the house don't like him any more than Julia does, and after one fateful night, Brandon ends up buried on the Downs, across the street from the boarding house.

They've gotten away with it, up until 25 years later when Julia begins receiving text messages after a body is discovered on the Downs. Who could know after all this time? And is Julia's involvement really what we believe it to be?

This book was a fascinating gripper right from the start and I flew through it overnight. More than one shocker is deftly woven into the plot, to the point where I had to go back, did I read that correctly? OMG. I DID. This is storytelling at its best, Isaac-Henry is a truly talented writer.

The verdict

Wow! This book was incredible. Anyone who loves courtroom drama seriously needs to read this. The book is split into three parts. Julia’s past, after “Guildford” and the court case.
At first I found Julia an unlovable character and really struggled to warm to her. I was trying to piece together in my head what had happened, but I just could not.
Then in Court we hear about what has happened in Julia’s past and I instantly started warming to her.
Although I guessed most of the ending there was a huge twist at the end which i did not get
This was a great read and I cannot wait to read more by the same author! Highly recommended for fans of Gillian McAllister!

I found the story quite slow to begin with. It was quite confusing with the four different time lines.

Once it got to the actual trial it really picked up. There were a few twists to keep you guessing.

Once it got going I did quite enjoy it and I would read more from this author.

(Also posted in my GR account!)

3.5 stars

The Verdict was an engaging story about a woman who had to face the court for a murder 24 years prior. I like the writing, the plot, the way author explains the (not two, not three, but) four different timelines (lmao), and the resolution. It's been a while since I enjoyed I good plot and twist. Unlike other books where I had to shake my head due to main lead's mistakes, I actually care with Julia and hers were understandable.

Loved this book!! Couldn’t wait to start and then I couldn’t put it down! Wanting to know how things been plans out for Eddie. Enjoyed reading the unexpected too. If you a fan of thriller and mystery definitely one to read.

The Verdict
By Olivia Isaac-Henry

First I would like to thank NetGalley and Olivia Isaac-Henry for allowing me to read and comment on this book prior to its release.

This book is hard for me to review as I really had a very difficult time getting involved in the story. It was very slow and the characters were not endearing to me. It was a struggle until about half way through. I felt the story was predictable and needed to pick up the pace. The court scenes were much better. At this point the characters developed and made me more interested and by the end of the book I found I was enjoying the story more..

#TheVerdict#NetGalley

Thanks for this advance reading copy!! Thanks Olivia Isaac-Henry! Thanks #NetGalley!

This is the first book I read by the author and I’ll definitely go back and read her other one. The chapters go back primarily between 1994 when the ‘event’ happens and present time. It brilliantly gives you the entire picture. The characters are well developed without overdoing it.

I read it quickly because I couldn’t quite figure out how/who have ‘done’ it and I wanted to find out how it was going to turn out. There were a few twists that I wouldn’t have seen coming!! I would definitely recommend this book.

Julia Winter, like her namesake, lived a very cold and frightening life—putting up with a rotten husband, a son that refuses to speak to her, let alone acknowledge her existence, was it a surprise that she was on trial for murder? Twenty-four years prior, Julia was a young lady trying to find her way. She wanted to get away from her mother, Audrey, who nearly drove her insane with all her mothering. Julia finally broke free and found a nice and quiet apartment in Guilford, where she met other young people her age living their best lives.

The other young tenants who occupied the apartment were an eclectic group. Julia found most of them strange, but she learned to adapt and adjust. One night, as she was nursing her wounds from a previous broken heart, she and Brandon, another tenant, went out for drinks. And that should have been the extent of their meeting, but when you throw alcohol in the mix, you’re bound to get a concoction of raging hormones, emotions and lust. When Julia woke the next morning, she discovered that she had, in fact, slept with Brandon. Uh-oh! Now Brandon was expecting a relationship after their one-night-stand, and Julia wasn’t giving him or their rendezvous any more thought.

When Gideon and his friend arrived at the apartment, Julia was quite smitten with Gideon, and Brandon wasn’t feeling that at all. But the landlady who owned the building they were living in, had a thing for Brandon. She was in her fifties trying to lore young Brandon with money and other things, if he dared, but Brandon was only interested in her money.

Twenty-four years later, Julia finds herself sitting in a jail cell wondering how the hell she got here? Ooh, Julia knew exactly how she got there. She began receiving strange text messages advising that a body had been found. Julia knew exactly whose body had been found in North Downs—Brandon Wells. She, along with her husband, Gideon, and his good friend, were awaiting their fates from the jury. Brandon disappeared all those years ago and he has come back to haunt her. Since being estranged from her husband, Gideon, she had an affair in which her son caught her in the act, which is why Sam had nothing to do with his mom. Only now, he stood to lose both of his parents at the same time for being accused of murder. Were they guilty? Well…readers, you’ll have to dive into this story to find out the rest.

I must say there was a great deal of twists and turns. This was one of those stories where the past and present collided in a major way. Some authors execute the complexities of the past and present effortlessly, and some should never try to do this. Isaac-Henry did a pretty decent job keeping the reader guessing, but I found that a lot of the story was a bit boring for my tastes. To me, I wanted a bit more excitement during the past stories, and I felt the story fell flat at times. It wasn’t until I got to about 60% of the story, where I was totally invested in it. The trial was amazing. I was reading it like a tennis match. The back and forth was awesome! Isaac-Henry really did her homework on the trial aspect of the case. It was truly great to read. I love a good legal drama, and she really brought it out in the trial. I just wished she’d written the entire novel that way and this would have been an even greater read.

The Sexy Nerd gives The Verdict four bangs of the gavel. Overall, I felt this story lacked complete excitement, but the trial was truly enjoyable to read. The story line will keep the reader engaged to want to find out if Julia and her husband were guilty of murder? The ending was quite surprising, leaving a serious question in the reader’s mind.

Wow. What a phenomenal read. #netgalley #theverdict #oliviaissachenry #onemorechapter #harpercollins #arc this book is jammed packed full of murder, mystery, and #whodunnit. I was captivated from the first page. Usually when reading a book I am quick to guess where the story is going and who did what. This book isn't even close. I was shocked with the twist the author put in. To say that I wasn't expecting the ending is an understatement. If you are ready to get lost in a book and forget the world this is a book for you. You'll travel between two different time periods. Twenty five years apart. The past. And the present. #bookhangover #bookstagram #wow #amazing #fulfilled.

This is my first novel by Olivia Isaac-Henry and boy what a nerve twisting story this is. This story is told in flashbacks from 1994 to 2019 and the main character Julia Winter, a wife, a mother, adulterer who in 1994 lodged in a house with other housemates and landlady when one of the lodgers disappeared and his body was found 20 years later. The original lodgers, including Julia are arrested and thus begins their court trial. Lots of twists, turns and shocks. I loved this book, very gripping with lots of other storylines woven in. This is a must read and for me it was unputdownable. Thoroughly recommended.

While a solid supsenser, it was slow going after the initial hook. There are multiple timelines which is fine but they jumped quickly and at first it was hard to follow. The book did pick up again with a worthwhile finish. I will definitely read another by this author.