Robbery with Malice — Barrie Roberts

Just before the start of what should be an idyllic Christmas, two very different women manage to turn West Midland lawyer Chris Tyroll's life upside down.

One is his beautiful and no-nonsense fiancée, Sheila McKenna, who arrives unexpectedly at Heathrow. To Chris's delight, she announces that she has arranged a year's sabbatical in England.

The other is the less shapely, but equally beguiling Granny Cassidy who persuades Chris to take on the appeal of Alan Walton; her son-in-law convicted in the infamous Belstone Lane Case.

As a man who has served twelve years for crimes he claims he didn't commit, Walton has nothing left to lose and is dead set on an appeal. To Chris the case initially seems hopeless, but sensing that something doesn't quite add up and with scores of his own to settle, he reluctantly accepts the job.

He and Sheila begin the daunting task of unearthing files that had been closed for eighteen years and searching for parties who frequently don't want to be found.

But troublesome enmities are awakened and witnesses are silenced -- sometimes by murder.

Repeated threats put the duo in danger until violent threats come to fruition and it becomes crystal clear that trouble awaits them if the case is probed any further.

Chris is no stranger to hassle from criminals and dubious policemen, but having narrowly escaped death only last year, images of masked judges and police flash through his mind at night and he wonders whether this time will be different.

Someone, somewhere, will stop at nothing to ensure the case remains permanently closed.

But who are these figures sent to stop Chris in the dark and why are they so concerned?

A complicated trail of lies and forgeries have to be unravelled before Chris and Sheila can even begin to understand the extent to which the law has been perverted to pursue a private revenge…

‘Robbery for Malice' is a gripping legal thriller, perfect for fans of John Grisham.

Praise for Barrie Roberts:

‘This book has a lot of spirit and is very enjoyable and well-informed read. It's refereshingly different to what's on offer elsewhere and I'm looking forward to future entries in what could well be a successful series.' Mat Coward, Morning Star.

Barrie Roberts has been a criminal lawyer for almost thirty years, working for two firms in the West Midlands including work on the appeals of the Birmingham Six. He is the author of four Sherlock Holmes books and one previous Chris Tyroll mystery, ‘The Victory Snapshot'.