This is a very nice mystery/thriller about a juror who becomes infamous for being the Holdout on a murder case, and then years later is accused of murder herself. Alternating with flashbacks of the first trial and doubts about whether the jury decided correctly on that case, is her attempt to solve the current murder and clear herself. It's a quick, well-written read with a great premise and an unexpected, twisty ending. However - I absolutely LOVED Graham Moore's the Last Days of Night, and unfortunately, the Holdout just didn't reach the same heights for me. Completely different genres, I know. Read it and enjoy it for what it is - it's a good story! Just don't expect the same magic. But I am very grateful to NetGalley and Random House of the e-arc. 3.5-4 stars.

Have you served as a juror? I always thought it’d be fascinating to be on a jury, but this book puts into perspective how this duty can have permanent consequences. .
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The Holdout follows a homicide trial (think O.J. Simpson), in which juror Maya is adamant that the defendant, Bobby Nock, is not guilty of murdering his fifteen-year-old student, thus persuading the group and delivering the controversial verdict. Ten years later, a true crime docuseries reassembles the jury, and one of the jurors is found dead in Maya’s hotel room. To prove her innocence, she must dissect the case which has followed her for a decade, and determine whether she set a killer free.
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I don’t usually read legal thrillers (as a lawyer, I get my daily fill of law), but this book is a blast. It’s concise with excellent plotting and fun twists. I didn’t figure this one out; my jaw dropped in the last few pages. Graham Moore is the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game, and his talent also shows as a novelist. Look out for this one in February! Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

“But the verdicts had nothing to do with truth. No verdict ever changed a person’s opinion.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of The Holdout in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me on a number of levels.

The premise is an intriguing one. Ten years ago, Maya Seale was the holdout juror on a murder trial all of America was watching (think OJ-type trial). After convincing her fellow jurors to acquit, they learn how deeply unpopular their decision was. Now, ten years later, a true-crime docuseries reassembles the jurors to discuss their decision in light of new evidence, but Maya, now a defense attorney, must prove her own innocence when one of them is found dead in her room.

The novel shifts back and forth from the original trial to current events, and the chapters in the past shift to the perspective of different jurors. However, all of that shifting left a surprising amount of the tale of the original trial deliberations untold. Why several jurors changed their minds is left unexplained. Worse, Maya’s actions in the present are just not believable. Even if you accept the unlikely coincidence of a fellow juror being found dead in her room, her actions to go hunting for clues while waiting to see if she would be arrested are just a series of things no lawyer would ever do.

This book is trying to address a lot of issues: juror misconduct, the intersections of justice with wealth, race, the media. But everything is done at such a surface level that it is unsatisfying. The Holdout might work as a screenplay, but I don’t think it worked as a novel.

This novel has an interesting premise, but it just didn’t quite come together for me. The pace was too slow and this one lacked the “un-putdownableness” that I want in a thriller.

Ten years ago fifteen year old Jessica Silver disappeared on her way home from school. The suspect is her twenty-five year old, African American teacher, Bobby Nock.

Maya Seale is a young woman serving on the jury in the case against Bobby, and, at first, she's the only thing between Bobby and a guilty verdict. Slowly, she convinces the other eleven jurors of, if not Bobby's innocence per se, than of the lack of evidence to convict him. The spotlight on their "not guilty" verdict changes all the jurors' lives in the intervening years.

Now, coming up on the ten year anniversary of the trial a TV show, Murder Town, is looking to reunite everyone involved as one of the jurors claims to have new information to reveal. As they all gather together, the controversy from ten years ago, and the impact their decision wrought, is close to the surface for all of them.

When a fellow juror is found dead in Maya's room, she'll have to dig up memories of the past in order to prove her innocence in the present.

The Holdout gives readers a behind the scenes look at our judicial system. The pros and cons. The biases, the deals struck. The rights and responsibilities of those who are supposed to be our "peers". All in the name of the "law". It's an interesting look and one that I don't think I've ever read about before in any fictitious sort of way. I felt a lot like we were seeing how broken the system is. How much it favors certain people over others. This idea is helped along by the alternating chapters in which we get each of the twelve juror's perspectives on the Bobby Nock case from ten years previous while they were serving. This ragtag group of people who, on a normal day, may have never interacted with one another were asked to be impartial and objective but who undoubtedly bring their thoughts, opinions, experiences to the table to determine a man's guilt or innocence. I enjoyed these parts the most mainly because there was still some questioning as to if his not-guilty verdict was the right decision. And some people who still had opinions and thoughts on their personal decision. I liked that we got to see how things unfolded.

The other chapters consist of Maya's perspective and her subsequent search for the murderer in order to exonerate herself. While these sections were interesting and the twists and turns certainly kept me glued to the page, some of the circumstances she becomes embroiled in felt too far-fetched. But like much fiction you have to take it all with a grain of salt.

I liked Maya, and her determination to make sure that justice is meted out to Bobby, to herself, to all the others with whom this case has haunted for the past ten years is valid and commendable. I liked seeing how her mind worked in relation to the law. After the case closed, Maya went on to become a defense attorney thereby solidifying herself within the echelons the judiciary system wanting to be able to uphold the law, but also in her own way unable to let go of this life-changing moment, like we see so many of the other jurors deal with as well in their own ways.

Overall, I found The Holdout to be an interesting read, and surprisingly thought-provoking. Graham Moore doesn't hide on making commentary of racial bias within the court system, but it's not forced commentary, it certainly has it's place within the story, but also speaks true as a picture of real life.

And if you're wondering, without spoilers, you're questions will be answered by the end. Graham Moore will not leave you hanging. Now, as to whether those answers are satisfactory, I think that also speaks a lot about the perception of justice.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Hodout by Graham Moore.
This is a suspenseful court room drama that mixes up a past crime with the current time. If you like the back and forth of attorneys, and the who dunnit type of books, this is one for you.
It's a good book and Moore has done a very good job with the writing and characters.
3 stars.

So excited to read this since the The Last Days of Night is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately this one just left me flat. The premise sounded interesting - we re-visit jurors 10 years after they gave the 'wrong' verdict in one of the most sensational trials in history. The author provided an interesting perspective with alternating chapters in the present and during the trial, 10 years earlier, with a chapter for each juror. I just found the current day scenario a bit far reaching. Lawyers know not to interfere, everyone knows people don't keep secrets - especially massively huge ones. The story was interesting, in that it did bring up a lot of questions/morals/values/ethics etc..., but once I got past that I just didn't think the plot held up. The current day murder just seemed like a way to re-visit the past murder and I just kept thinking there could have been a better, more intricate way for that to happen. Given the main juror went on to become a criminal lawyer, couldn't she have come across something in her work that her to re-visit the old trial? I think all her meddling would have then made some sense. I also think that could have helped with a gradual unfurling of the mystery and created some suspense which I thought was lacking.

An intriguing courtroom drama. The story is well constructed and told in both the present and the past, when the jury make a decision that will change their lives.

This is a stunning well crafted mystery/courtroom drama which kept me intrigued to the very end. After reading this I’m not so sure I’d want to be on a jury. The endless hours of DNA evidence, days of conflicting testimony and then finally the case is in the hands of the twelve men and women who are bound to do their duty. In the case of Bobby Nock a young black teacher who supposedly killed a teenage white student with whom he was having an affair, this jury did just that but were castigated after the trial by the public and media. Ten years later and they are all together again for a TV program but things go awry when one of the jurors is found dead.
The author does a wonderful job of weaving the plot as he goes from past to present and tells us a little bit more about each juror. I think the characters are well developed for the most part. This is a awesome book with lots of clever twists and turns that I didn’t expect. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Thanks Netgalley and Random House for sharing an advance copy of Graham Moore’s latest novel. I did not enjoy this as much as previous works I’ve read by the author. There were some interesting twists that kept me reading, but overall I wasn’t very invested in any of the characters and felt like I could take it or leave it.

Great read that was hard to put down. Jumping from past to present kept me on my toes keeping details and names straight. The power of a jury to decide someone's fate was a prominent theme as well as the legal system's failure to value truth above a quick conviction. Had to keep reading to get all my questions answered asap!

When jurors are assigned to the trial of a man accused of killing a student, they realize that they are ticking off that "civic duty" box with a little extra flair. Ten years after their fateful verdict, the jurors are getting together for a prime-time look back. When one of them is found dead in a hotel room, the old case comes back to haunt them all Told from multiple perspectives and across timelines, this mystery will keep readers guessing all the way to the end.

I loved this book! I always enjoy a good courtroom drama, and The Holdout provides that in a refreshing way. With the jurors of a controversial court case reuniting after 20 years, new evidence is promised, new murders are committed and new suspects emerge. Just when I thought the story was over, Graham Moore gives us not one but two jaw-dropping twists. This is a fun read that does not disappoint.

4 courtroom jury stars

Ah, the dread when that envelope shows up in your mailbox that you’ve been selected to show up for jury duty. I’ve been summoned several times, but I’ve never served on a jury. After reading this book, I don’t think I want to, especially not a high profile, drawn out case!!

I didn’t realize that this author wrote the screenplay for “The Imitation Game” – fabulous movie! Knowing that now, I can see how this book almost seems like it was made for the big screen. This one was the perfect one to read on a recent vacation. I thought that I would just read a few chapters of it and decide which book to read, soon I was 50% into it and wondering how it would all turn out.

We start the tale with Maya Seale, now a high-powered defense attorney, and slowly learn the details of her high-profile time on a jury that eventually led her to a career in law. The case involved an African-American high school teacher and a white student at his private school. The student is dead and the teacher is on trial for her murder. The jury returns a verdict that leads to a great deal of public outcry and Maya’s life will never be the same.

We do learn many of the details of the trial, the sequestration of the jury, and how they come to their decision. There is a lot of action 10 years later too when a reunion is held, and another murder occurs. I don’t want to give much more away, there are a lot of twists, many surprising to this reader. I figured out a few things but enjoyed the ride. I did learn more about the jury process and it is fascinating to think about the dynamics of your “peers” deciding your fate.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Graham Moore for an early copy of this one to read in return for an honest review.

Unexpected and thought-provoking!

2009: Fifteen year old heiress Jessica Silver has disappeared on her way home from school and the suspect is her African-American teacher, twenty-five year old, Bobby Nock. It looks to be an open and shut case, until one juror, Maya Seale, not only holds out, but manages to sway all of the eleven other jurors to change their mind.

Their controversial verdict of “not guilty” will alter their lives forever.

The Present: “Murder Town” is going to do a TV adaptation of the Bobby Nock trial. Ten of the jurors will return to the Omni hotel, where they had been sequestered, for five months, to learn of “supposed” new evidence. They have been given their old rooms, which look exactly the same. But, one will end up dead in Maya’s room before the first night has ended, and now she must prove her own innocence, by getting to the bottom of the case where she served as a juror.

As the scene for this book is set, I expected that the two stories would woven together (they are) along with perhaps reports from Murder Town (nope) and the police investigation (no, again).

We hear SOME of what the attorney’s argued in court, and SNIPPETS of what was said in the deliberation room, to sway the vote, as told (not always shown) by each of the jurors involved. Sometimes their thoughts got a bit philosophical, or sounded a bit like a lecture, which slowed the pace for a bit...

BUT, what I did find intriguing was the way the story made me REALLY WONDER if your fate being decided by a “jury of your peers” is really the fairest way?

What if the one juror BULLIES the rest into seeing things his or her way?
What if a juror votes so that they won’t appear to be making a decision based on a “shared” or “not shared” race?
What if a juror changes their vote for another reason that has NOTHING to do with their belief in the suspect’s guilt or innocence?

The Alpha personality vs. Beta Personality....it happens in all facets of life.

How often does It affect the outcome of a trial?
Despite a person’s good and true intentions going in? 🤔

So while, I did not exactly get what I was expecting from this book, I did get a lot to think about....AND A FEW SURPRISES, by the end!

Thank You to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Graham Moore for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review! Available Feb. 18, 2020!

I consumed this book over the course of two days. This was an excellent mystery with a nice twist and I appreciated the nods to Agatha Christie and Twelve Angry Men. This will definitely be recommended to many of my patrons.

Now this is a GREAT novel with a really interesting premise and it kept me enthralled and guessing all the way through. Clever, literate, moving and brilliant twists and turns. Really great, did I say that already?

This was a really fun book to read. The pace was well maintained and the story was really good. Maya was a great protagonist and her story told 10 years apart was a great tool to move the plot forward. I would highly recommend The Holdout because it is a book I could not stop reading.

Wow, Moore knocks it out of the park with his most recent mystery!

Maya, now a criminal defense attorney, was one of the notorious jurors in a high-profile murder case 10 years ago. Maya is forced to confront her past when another juror, Rick, contacts her to be part of a podcast show that will feature the prominent case. Rick believes he has found new evidence in the case that proves their verdict was wrong. What will happen when all the jurors come back together? What lies, secrets, crimes will be revealed as the case that deeply impacted their lives 10 years ago is ripped apart?

Moore’s novel will have you hooked from the very beginning! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fast paced mystery.

DNF @ 51%

I just can't finish this one.

Maybe it's the third person narrative, I don't know, but I'm so disconnected from this book that the red low-battery icon has been showing since around 20% into it.

Don't let me discourage you from picking it up, different books for different fry cooks, amiright? ... sorry, that's all I could come up *sees myself out*.

No rating since I didn't finish it.



** I was provided an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **