#BlogTour: THE HOLDOUT by Graham Moore @MrGrahamMoore @orionbooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n

Publication: 20th February 2020 – Orion

One juror changed the verdict. What if she was wrong?

‘Ten years ago we made a decision together…’

Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar fortune, vanishes on her way home from school. Her teacher, Bobby Nock, is the prime suspect. It’s an open and shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed.

Until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, persuades the rest of the jurors to vote not guilty: a controversial decision that will change all of their lives forever.

Ten years later, one of the jurors is found dead, and Maya is the prime suspect.

The real killer could be any of the other ten jurors. Is Maya being forced to pay the price for her decision all those years ago?

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I am delighted to welcome you on my stop on the blog tour for the brilliant and twisty new novel by Graham Moore, The Holdout.

I have always found jury duty intriguing. Watching many American TV series, I thought I was pretty familiar with the process, but Graham Moore’s novel is much more informative and insightful about it. Twelve people, twelve strangers have the task to decide the fate of one person. They are chosen and put together in a room to judge. In some cases, like in this novel, they are sequestered to avoid distractions and interference from the outside. They are forced to spend a few months away from their families, spending their days between a court room and an hotel room not being allowed to watch TV or any connection with the outside world. They hear both sides of the case, they see the evidence, they listen to the lawyers arguing with each other, and, in the end, they decide if the defendant is guilty or not. Even if all the evidence seems to point to their guilt, how can you be 100% sure that they are? That’s what Maya Seale argues to her fellow jurors when they are asked to give a verdict on the shocking case of Jessica Silver and Bobby Nock. Are you 100% sure that he killed her? Is there even a little doubt that he may be innocent?

Ten years after the case that shocked the country and caused many criticism, the jurors in the Jessica Silver case reunite in occasion of the 10th anniversary of the verdict. One of them announces to have new evidence that could open again the case, but when there is a murder and Maya is accused, she needs to prove her innocence and find the killer, before it’s too late.

Part courtroom drama, part thriller, I was so engrossed in The Holdout that it was like being part of the story. There are different timelines and perspectives, although the story is told mainly from Maya Seale’s point of view. The characters are different and engaging and the author slowly introduces them and their stories. I can’t say I could relate to any of them, but they are very well-developed.

Some of the storylines are incredible and hard to believe, but it makes the story only more intriguing and entertaining. The twists just keep coming, especially toward the end and the suspense is always high.

I heard there is going to be a TV series based on The Holdout and I am definitely going to watch it. What a fantastic and thrilling read!

A huge thank you to Tracy and Orion for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a copy of the novel.

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