Lee Mitchell is a young barrister from a working-class Carribean background: in the cut-throat environment of the courtroom, everything is stacked against her. On her doorstep in south London the fifteen-year-old son of the pastor at the local Black church is shot, and the local community is shattered. All evidence is pointing to infamously corrupt, racist police officer Sargent Jack Lambert as the irredeemable suspect. His own boss - rebel-turned-copper Danny Wallace - is certain he is guilty. Against her will, Lee is strong-armed into defending him.

With well-developed characters and a compelling storyline, I was immediately pulled into this story. This is the second book in the series, and I do wish that I had read Without Prejudice before I started reading this book as there is quite a lot of references to the first book. This is a cleverly written story with lots of twists. against her judgement, Lee is forced to defend Sargent Jack Lambert. Her personal life suffers for taking on this case. I would have liked the courtroom scenes to be a bit longer than they were. The story covers racism within the police force.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinGeneralUK #FigTree and the author #NicolaWilliams for my ARC of #UntilProvenInnocent in exchange for an honest review.

Really great story keeping you hooked in. At times you are wondering how everyone links but it soon becomes clear...

I had not yet had the pleasure of reading any of this author's books before I read 'Until Proven Innocent', but now I will be actively seeking more of her books.

Williams creates a tense, powerful story, focusing on racism within the police, society and within professional sectors.

Lee Mitchell is under threat of blackmail, leaving her with no choice but to take on the defence of Danny Wallace, an action that is met with strong disapproval and distress from her family and the people of the town. Unfortunately, the consequences of her actions are immense, making the story captivating and an absorbing read.

The protagonist of this story is a character that readers can relate to and the moral dilemma presented in this plot makes it the ideal selection for a Book Club discussion. The story is filled with lies and deception, which makes it quite provocative and thought-provoking, and I predict that this will create a lot of different opinions and conversations. This controversial concept is highly relatable and very modern in its approach.

Admittingly, the first few chapters were a little slow-paced for my preference, but once I found the understanding of what was happening, it became a gripping and highly addictive read.

If you like courtroom tension, drama and emotive plots with ethically challenged characters, this is a must-read for you!

This isn’t a book about just about racism, but it does have some racial tension from time to time. Yes, the defendant is a racist, but that is to deflect from how and where this story goes.
This book is more about the way the law chambers is run and how the barrister cannot refuse to defend someone she’d normally avoid by a million miles. This sets Lee Mitchell against her local community as they wonder why she would choose to defend such a terrible client. They don’t understand.
The court room scenes feel very realistic, and the writer must have completed their research well because the terms used and the events that occur feel very real. It is only as the court room scenes and chapters unfold, does the reader find out more about the story and how involved it really is. There are secrets that appear to remain hidden, but as a reader of books, you’ll expect to find out the content of the secrets at some stage.
Having not read this author before, I’ll certainly look for more either in the series (if there are some) or as a standalone. I really enjoyed this story.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin General UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This is an excellent crime courtroom drama where the tension builds, caused by a 15 year old boy being shot in the face, and now in a coma.
Lee Mitchell is a young successful barrister, she is black and against the odds is carving a career in the legal world of South London.
Against her judgement Lee is forced to defend the notorious, rather vile Sergeant Jack Lambert who is part of the local police force and has been charged with this crime, There is evidence which point to Jack Lambert, but it is far from conclusive.
Defending Jack wrecks havoc inLee’s personal life, with her partner David, her mother and in the community where she has lived and worked. Her dislike for her client is obvious, she does however still have the desire to win.
This is a fast pace read, filled with drama, lies and deception, many twists and turns.
My first book by Nicola Williams and I look forward to reading more. A 5 star read.

Lee Mitchell is an interesting yet intriguing character, a female barrister of Carribean heritage- working class in London means we witness her fighting to keep her stance in a culture already biased against her.

On a journey home, we find there has been a shooting. This leaves the community in uprage. Williams has created a real gem with this one. It is definitely a powerful read which is one that has been impossible to put down. I can safely say that this is a book that is addictive to the very end.

Until Proven Innocent is an excellent novel, perfectly paced and completely unputdownable. This is so relevant to current times and Lee has represented a client she doesn’t necessarily agree with.

Lee is a brilliant character, I have loved her in this one. This is a book with many different twists which grip you. It is perfectly paced and just a brilliant read.

I thought the plot was very good. A legal crime book, were a black female barrister is somewhat made to defend a corrupt racist police officer. While I liked the plot I felt it lacked the courtroom drama, a lot of the dialogue was outside the courtroom. Personally I didn’t really warm to any of the characters however they were written well and fit well into the story. Overall a good read.

Lee is a successful barrister in London; young, black, going places. She has goes d friends and of course, plenty of jealous peers - the ones who didn't climb so high as her, a black girl from a poor part of town. She is called to defend a suspended police detective on a murder charge which is ok - except that this particular man is a well know racist misogynist and she would really prefer to refuse the case. However, under the rules of Chambers, if a Barrister can, then they must. So Lee accepts the case and faces the anger of her boyfriend, her Mother, neighbours and the local churchgoers. The Law and Justice are not the same things - but often they can rub along side by side.

This is a well written book that raises issues around police racism and a legal system that is financially led. Lee Mitchell is a caribbean barrister who finds herself, against her will ,defending a racist old school policeman accused of shooting the son of the local black church leader. Nicola Williams draws a complex situation looking at the various relationships between the characters, their families, their work and the community. The trial unfolds. The racist attitudes and the difficulties facing Lee Mitchell as she tries to defend the repugnant policeman are powerful and complex. I was engaged with the book all the way through and found the ending to be the right conclusion. I recommend this book and hope Nicola Williams is working on the next!

A detested local police officer on trial for the murder of the local pastors son. Public opinion and community lines are drawn. A local girl who has made an impressive career as a barrister blackmailed in to defending the officer. Her mum still lives in the area and is shunned by the community.
Lots of ripples for all the characters as lives intersect.
Right up to the final page you will be astounded by those ripples. Enjoy I did

If you enjoy legal thrillers, this one is for you! Grabbed my attention from the start and I needed the know the outcome of the trial. Features topics of police corruption and racism, with a cracking ending. Would recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Until Proven Innocent is the first book from Nicola Williams and it shows promise of what will hopefully become a successful and very readable series.

Whilst the main storyline is very good and kept me interested throughout there was a lot of scene setting and not enough set in the courtroom or of the investigation although this may be due it being the first of a series especially as the main characters clearly have more to give.

Definitely worth a read.

This is a superb story and also one that raises important issues. Lee Mitchell is a black barrister who finds herself, pretty much against her will, defending a racist white policeman accused of shooting the black son of the local vicar. That is the simple take on the story. It is much more complicated than that as the trial and aftermath unfold. The use of the racist attitudes and difficulties facing the black population of this London suburb are sensitively handled and used to give the story a compelling feel. It is a book that captures the reader from page one and that is before reaching the final, satisfying ending. I recommend this wholeheartedly. It is a terrific achievement.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest unbiased review.

At the outset I struggled a little to differentiate between the differing roles of the various roles in the legal profession but once I got my head round that this turned out to be a really enjoyable read with a few little twists along the way.
If legal thrillers are your genre, then this one is definitely for you. Throw in a little bit of police corruption, an innocent young victim with a drug runner elder brother and the elements are all there for a cracking read.
Thoroughly enjoyed this publication from new author Nicola Willams

Brilliant courtroom story of Lee Mitchell is a young barrister from a working-class Caribbean background: in the cut-throat environment of the courtroom, everything is stacked against her.
She is strong armed in defending corrupt, racist police officer Sergeant Jack Lambert and the court scenes are dramatic and tense and leave you wanting to read more.
I could not put this down and the ending is a real surprise.
Highly recommend this book thanks to Penguin General UK and NetGalley for a ARC for a honest review.

I liked the central character of this book ,a Black barrister called Lee Mitchell,and felt sympathy for her predicament in having to defend a corrupt policeman who is accused of shooting the teenage brother of a Black criminal who he had previously helped to put behind bars.
There’s a lot about legal proceedings which I found interesting .However ,there were too many references to events in a previous book which were hard to understand if you hadn’t read it and were a bit confusing.
The book held my attention and I was keen to find out the outcome of the trial.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

I've read lots of crime fiction by British and American authors including Mark Billingham, Stuart MacBride, Tim Weaver and Jeffrey Deaver. Each author and series has their own USP, but ultimately it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that all share the same white male perspective, which shapes the way characters are written and described, the plot and the broader worlds they establish.

Nicola Williams brings a fresh, much-needed alternative gaze to the genre, and for that alone I think Until Proven Innocent is an important book. It is not only an interesting legal thriller, but also a biting social commentary that will stand as an enduring testament to the systemic racism which still pervades all aspects of British society in 2023.

The story centres around Lee Mitchell, an ambitious, brilliant barrister who has taken the fact that people have underestimated her - a Black woman from a working class immigrant family - and made a hugely successful career out of it. We meet Lee as she is compelled to defend a racist, corrupt police officer accused of shooting an unarmed Black teenage choir boy. With her whole community telling her she should be ashamed of herself for taking on the case, Lee finds herself caught between her own aspirations and the expectations of those around her.

Williams has created a fully-realised world, in which even very minor characters are thoughtfully rendered and provide useful conduits through which we learn more about the main characters. The portrayal of this part of South London and of its diverse residents feels authentic, as does the story of how gentrification has transformed huge swaths of London - and left whole communities behind. Lee herself is a likeable protagonist who had me rooting for her from the outset, and I found myself outraged on her behalf during various maddening interactions with other characters. DCI Danny Wallace is an intriguing character, who wasn't really developed as much as I'd hoped in this novel, though I suppose that is par for the course when the author is presumably planning to continue the series.

Interestingly, Until Proven Innocent is a follow-up to Williams' first novel, Without Prejudice, which was originally published in 1998 and rescued from obscurity by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, who, in 2021, curated a series for Penguin which rediscovered and championed neglected books depicting Black Britain. This book could not feel more topical: it is a scathing inditement of the Metropolitan Police and of Middle England; it serves as a rebuttal to those who mutter, 'All Lives Matter', to those who insinuate that it's the fault of Black boys and their families that they are being slain on the streets of the capital, rather than being symptomatic of broader and more complex social problems. One major character who is emblematic of a lot of these views is dismissed and pilloried throughtout the novel, gracefully highlighting the absurdity of these archaic prejudices.

This is the first crime book I've read which focuses on the legal system, and it is meticulously detailed - unsurprisingly given the author's background as a barrister specialising in Criminal Law and a judge. It was a fascinating insight and I would certainly be interested to read more of this series. Williams was also a legal expert on BBC World for the OJ Simpson trial verdict in 1995 and a member of the first Independent Advisory Group to the Metropolitan Police Service (following recommendations arising from the Stephen Lawrence Report 1999), so she is perhaps uniquely qualified to speak on matters of institutional racism as well as the convoluted workings of the British legal system.

My main frustration with the novel was that the focus on the legal process means that the author neglects to elucidate the findings of the police investigation. How did this case get to trial when they seemingly only have circumstantial evidence? I did wonder if some of the sub plots could have been trimmed in order to include more detail on this side of the plot, but then again, I'm not privy to the author's plans for the series so maybe there will be pay-off for some of the minor characters whose page time seemed somewhat unearned.

In summary, Until Proven Innocent is a well-written, original and essential addition to the British crime genre, and I will be looking out for the next installment in the series (which I hope will give more time to the investigation leading up to the court case.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is another gripping story about Lee Mitchell. She is called to defend a police officer accused of shooting a black teenager, the son of the local Reverend at her Mother's church. Lee has to accept the case which puts her at odds with her partner and local community. The officer in charge is her old schoolfriend Danny Wallace.
There are a lot of references to her previous case, and the characters in it, but it would have been better if there was a quick synopsis of the people from the previous case, and what happened to them, particularly Ray, and Donnelly. I've read the previous book, but I can't remember the details. The story assumes prior knowledge. This is my only gripe.
It is well-written, action packed, with lots of unexpected connections between characters.

Police corruption, gun crime, drugs and racism … all combine to give a very contemporary edge to this gritty thriller/courtroom drama novel.

It kept me thoroughly invested and despite the dramatic story line I felt that it wasn’t particularly “preachy” and that it was pretty even-handed in its portrayal of the racial conflict/tensions.

A most enjoyable read and my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to #Netgalley for my copy of #UntilProvenInnocent by #NicolaWilliams
Although this book
Is described as a courtroom drama, it is a long time before it gets anywhere near a courtroom, and that episode is only a small part of the book, which centres on barrister Lee Mitchell and then tension that is caused by the murder of a 15 year old.
It is a good read and I would purchase the next book by this author.