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The Holdout

Graham Moore (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 20,414 ratings · 2,934 reviews

In this twisty tale from Moore (The Sherlockian), the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game, young juror Maya Seale is convinced that African American high school teacher Bobby Nock is innocent of killing the wealthy white female student with whom he appears to have been involved and persuades her fellow jurors likewise. Ten years later, a true-crime doc ...more

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Hardcover, 325 pages

Published February 18th 2020 by Random House

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Oct 02, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it

Recommended to Chelsea by: Random House Reader's Circle (RHRC)

Shelves: netgalley, from-publisher

BOTM pick for February 2020!

This will be a short review, because the less you know about this book going in the better, but what a wild ride! While some parts of the plot were a bit far-fetched and reaching at times, it didn't cause my interest to wane, and if you can suspend the need for 100% believability, I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I did. We get two mysteries for the price of one in this book, and if that kind of a bargain doesn't sell you, then perhaps the exploration of socia ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

25 year old black teacher Bobby Nock, is on trial for killing white 15 year old pupil Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion dollar fortune. Her body hasn’t been discovered, but that isn’t going to stop this trial going ahead.

There are 12 members of the jury in this high profile murder trial, and it’s expected that Bobby Nock’s conviction is a foregone conclusion - that is until jury member Maya Seale manages to persuade the other jury members to vote not guilty.

Fast forward 10 years, and Maya is ...more

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Jan 14, 2020 Paromjit rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller, crime-fiction, netgalley, mystery

Graham Moore's legal thriller is a compulsive and enthralling novel, based in Los Angeles, that points out many of the shortfalls of the justice system, from law enforcement, media intensity and social media, right through to the court trial and the jury system. Moore exposes the multiple ways that society throughout its racist judicial system stacks the cards against black defendants. In 2009, 25 year old black music teacher, Bobby Nock, is on trial for the murder of 15 year old schoolgirl, Jes Graham Moore's legal thriller is a compulsive and enthralling novel, based in Los Angeles, that points out many of the shortfalls of the justice system, from law enforcement, media intensity and social media, right through to the court trial and the jury system. Moore exposes the multiple ways that society throughout its racist judicial system stacks the cards against black defendants. In 2009, 25 year old black music teacher, Bobby Nock, is on trial for the murder of 15 year old schoolgirl, Jessica Silver, the daughter of billionaire, Lou Silver. There is no body, but the prosecution led by Ted Morningstar, think they have a slam dunk case with the evidence they present, only to find themselves being confounded. As the trial sets to conclude, the jury, with the exception of Maya Seale, plan to deliver a guilty verdict. Maya does not fall in with the others, instead she turns each juror so that Bobby Nock is found not guilty.

However, each juror found themselves facing public and media excoriation for their controversial verdict, bringing with it notoriety and a raft of life changing consequences. 10 years on, Maya is now a successful lawyer, a partner at Cantwell & Myers, invited to a reunion of the original jury members at the same hotel they had all been sequestered in. The Murder Town podcast team are turning the trial into a Netflix docuseries, in which Rick Leonard, one of the jury members, is planning to present incontrovertible evidence of how they all got it wrong and Bobby Nock was as guilty as sin. A reluctant Maya attends, and in a narrative that goes back and forth in time, what happened at the original trial is slowly revealed, and in the present, the reunion kicks off a cycle of death and destruction that threatens to claim Maya as a victim.

Moore writes a fast paced, intense and riveting legal drama, peppered with twists, underlining from a legal perspective, that often while the truth can be an accurate reflection of what occurs, it can prove to be a poor legal strategy, leaving defendents with the stark choice of the high likelihood of being found guilty if they tell the truth or have a better outcome by lying. Whilst feeling ambivalent about the ending, I found this to be a highly entertaining read that touches on the serious issues of ethics, morality, race and justice, or more aptly, injustice. There are instances where a suspension of disbelief will be required, but otherwise this is an engaging legal thriller that I recommend. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC. ...more

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Mar 17, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it

I LOVED IT!

I was so sure I’ll love this book:

Facts: We have an Oscar winner script writer of “Imitation Games” on the board, still developing three other scripts to produce including this book! (Yes, I cannot wait! With an impressive casting, this will be killer movie!)

We have legal drama dances with whodunit murder mystery, “12 angry men”(1957, Sidney Lumet’s masterpiece) meets “Beyond A Reasonable Doubt”(1956, Fritz Lang’s fantastic crime drama).

We have moving, dazzling, riveting reading ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 JanB rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller, netgalley, 2020-reads

Ten years ago, Maya, the lone holdout on a jury, convinced 11 of her fellow jurors to acquit a black teacher accused of murdering his white teenage student. Was justice served?

One juror, Rick, doesn’t think so and he’s written a book holding Maya responsible for letting a guilty man go free. He hints that he has a new evidence and 10 years post-trial, on the eve of a documentary about the case, the jury reassembles. On the first night of their reunion a juror is found dead in Maya’s room and she ...more

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Oct 02, 2019 Felicia added it

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 my 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 with *sees myself out*.

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

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Apr 08, 2020 Holly B rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020, court-room-suspense

I'm always drawn to legal thrillers and decided to give this one a go (even with so many mixed reviews). Glad I did because it was a nice distraction and I always looked forward to picking it up and seeing what mayhem would develop (and it Always did!!).

You get a murder case, a jury some behind the scenes deliberations, and lots of second guessing by most of the characters.

I did have issues with some of the plot/ and the many side stories going on, BUT nevertheless, I was still pulled into the ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Ceecee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is an intriguing book that mostly keeps my interest throughout. The start certainly catches your attention and let’s just say it’s a head turner! Ten years ago Jessica Silver, daughter of wealthy Lou Silver, goes missing and her body never found. Her teacher Bobby Nock is eventually charged with her murder and the case goes to trial. The evidence against Nock is not overwhelming but is suggestive and one things for sure, the trial is an absolute shambles. The jurors are expected to return a This is an intriguing book that mostly keeps my interest throughout. The start certainly catches your attention and let’s just say it’s a head turner! Ten years ago Jessica Silver, daughter of wealthy Lou Silver, goes missing and her body never found. Her teacher Bobby Nock is eventually charged with her murder and the case goes to trial. The evidence against Nock is not overwhelming but is suggestive and one things for sure, the trial is an absolute shambles. The jurors are expected to return a guilty verdict but one juror, Maya Searle, is not convinced of guilt. After days and days of debate and counter debate the jurors reach a not guilty verdict much to the outrage of the court of public opinion. It’s this element of the book I find most disturbing as public opinion ruins many of the jurors lives. Ten years on, one juror believes he has irrefutable evidence of Nock’s guilt and the jury reassemble for a TV programme. What happens next is unexpected and twisty demonstrating that the trial sets of a chain reaction of catastrophic events with an impact similar to a runaway train. The story is told in alternate storylines from each jurors perspective at the time of the trial and now, principally from Maya’s point of view. This works well for most of the book but I think that towards the end of the book the final remaining jurors stories do not seem so relevant.

There is a lot I like about this book. The case is really interesting, the trial is fascinating if flawed and the juror dynamics is excellent. I like the dialogue between Maya and the other jurors and it feels a bit like knights armed combat. You get two mysteries for the price of one, the story unfolds really well with a feeling of suspense and tension and it feels a bit like a movie. There are some really good twists, more than one shocker and the end is very unexpected. I like that the author makes you think long and hard about the jury system and how one person with a strong point of view can persuade others to change their minds. However, whether you have a jury or judges you will always have opinion because we are human and our brains are wired that way.

My only reservations about the book lie with its length, it’s a bit overlong and the end is rather convoluted. Overall, though I did enjoy it as I like the concept, the characters are really interesting especially Maya and the law aspect is intriguing and thought provoking.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC. Publication date in UK 20/2/20. ...more

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Oct 03, 2019 Liz rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

I was a huge fan of The Last Days of Night, so I was curious to see what Moore would write next. Don’t look for another historical fiction, this book is a legal thriller. But it’s equally as good.

Ten years ago, Maya Seale convinced her fellow jury members to acquit Bobby Nock for the murder of Jennifer Silver. The question being was he guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. As so often happens, the court of public opinion thought the jury got it wrong and each jury member suffered the fallout. “He g I was a huge fan of The Last Days of Night, so I was curious to see what Moore would write next. Don’t look for another historical fiction, this book is a legal thriller. But it’s equally as good.

Ten years ago, Maya Seale convinced her fellow jury members to acquit Bobby Nock for the murder of Jennifer Silver. The question being was he guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. As so often happens, the court of public opinion thought the jury got it wrong and each jury member suffered the fallout. “He gestured around the room. “Do you think any of us were allowed to go back to real life?”” Now, Rick Leonard, one of the jury members, has convinced a documentary series that he has new evidence that proves Bobby guilty. The series gathers all the jury members together again. And then, Rick is killed in Maya’s hotel room. Of course, the police think she must have killed him.

Once again, Moore's writing is very strong and makes excellent points about racial identity among other topics. He also knows the legal system. The start of the book, with Maya trying to get damning evidence excluded was equal parts hysterical and unnerving. Like Maya during the murder trial, I found myself fascinated by the ins and outs of the law. I could totally understand the frustration of not being able to share their beliefs about the trial with anyone, even the other jurors. I would have lost my mind!

The book alternates between the current day and the time of the trial. The present day is all told from Maya’s perspective, but the past is told using a variety of different jurors. The book deals with both mysteries - was Bobby guilty and who killed Rick. I was correct in my guess about one mystery but the other caught me totally off guard. And there continue to be twists even after we knew the who part of the whodunit. Yes, it's a little unbelievable at the end, but it works.

Our human psychology is on full display here; the blame game in particular. Also, how quickly alliances can be made and then fall apart. I loved how Moore developed Maya as a character.

This is a well thought out mystery sure to entertain fans of Louise Penny and John Lescroat.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book. ...more

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May 28, 2020 Joey R. rated it it was ok

2.0 stars— “The Holdout” is the first book by Graham Moore I have ever read. I really wanted to like this book, since I have read several clunkers in a row, but I just didn’t. “The Holdout” violates the first rule of a good book in that the main character, Maya, is not likable and not someone that I rooted for. I can’t remember a novel I really loved where I didn’t like the main character at least a little bit. The book begins with the story of a jury on a high profile murder case in which one h ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Larry H rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Graham Moore's latest book, The Holdout , is a pretty great legal thriller, one which I could totally see becoming a movie.

Ten years ago the trial rocked the country. A black teacher was on trial for murdering his white teenage student, the daughter of a prominent real estate developer in LA. During the trial text messages hinted at an inappropriate relationship between the teacher and student.

When the jury got together, all but one juror, Maya, were ready to convict. Li ...more

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Oct 07, 2019 Matt rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Graham Moore and Random House for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

When this Graham Moore novel crossed my radar, I could not help but be interested to see how he’d spin this story about a jury faced with a murder trial. The book ended up being so much more, perfect for those who love a good legal drama with a mystery mixed into the plot. Maya Seale is a successful criminal def First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Graham Moore and Random House for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

When this Graham Moore novel crossed my radar, I could not help but be interested to see how he’d spin this story about a jury faced with a murder trial. The book ended up being so much more, perfect for those who love a good legal drama with a mystery mixed into the plot. Maya Seale is a successful criminal defence attorney in Los Angeles, able to see things from the accused’s point of view with ease. However, she has not always had this wonderful job, having served on a highly-controversial jury a decade before. In 2009, Maya and fourteen others were gathered to hear the case of The People vs. Robert Nock, in which the defendant is accused of killing one of his high school students. Maya engages with the other jurors, none more so than Rick Leonard, as they listen to the evidence and form their own opinions about his guilt. The story depicts how this collection of everyday citizens made the baffling decision to find Nock not guilty, which created immediate vilification by the public. As the story progresses, Moore introduces a second narrative in which the jurors are brought together by a production company to revisit their decision a decade later. While Maya awkwardly encounters Rick Leonard again, the man who shared her bed during the trial and then stabbed her in the back during a tell-all book after the trial, she also gets the chance to remember a lot of what happened during the trial. When Leonard is found dead in Maya’s hotel room, all eyes turn to her as the most likely suspect. Maya, wanting to cleaner her name, collects a number of portfolios Leonard left behind and discovers new and scandalous information about their fellow jurors. As the story flips between 2009 and the present, the readers can fill in all the pieces, from the trial and the current investigation to find out who might have killed Rick Leonard. Additionally, there is the question of what really happened and how the jury’s deliberations turned on a dime. An intriguing legal drama that will leave the reader wondering how much they think they know about an apparent open and shut case, as well as the plight of those tasked with judging a man’s life with filtered evidence. Recommended to those who love all things courtroom, as well as the reader who likes a mystery that slowly unfolds.

I always enjoy something with a legal flavour, particularly when it strays from the cookie-cutter style of writing and leaves me wondering where things will go. Maya Seale takes up the role as the protagonist in this piece, whose role is important in both the 2009 and modern narrative streams. She went into the trial and was sure she could convince any of her fellow jurors of the truth she saw, thinking that Rick Leonard would be the least of her worries. However, she was wrong and spent much of the flashback sections trying to convince them, while seeking to stay one step ahead in the present day narrative as she is accused of killing her one-time lover who sought to hang her out to dry. As she discovers new truths about her fellow jurors, she also must piece together what happened leading up to the trial that split the country. Many other characters make their impact throughout, particularly through a narrative technique that Moore uses, allowing the reader to see things through a variety of perspectives. This, in turn, permits the reader to have a better handle on all aspects of the story and the trial at its core. Graham Moore does a masterful job at presenting a case to the reader, develops the courtroom arguments and pushes the reader into the deliberation room as well. By writing chapters that tell things from the perspective of all the jurors, the reader is given the opportunity to see the story in a new light. Adding the current time period narrative, the story’s plot thickens even more and everything that the reader (and jurors) thought they knew soon goes up in smoke. Powerful in its delivery and easily read in short order, Moore treats the reader to a wonderful legal tale that is anything but straightforward.

Kudos, Mr. Moore, for a lovely way to introduce me to your writing. I will surely be back to read more in the coming months.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Denise rated it it was ok

This was my February BOTM, and while I love courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, this one completely missed the mark for me.

One of the recurring themes in reviews of this book is that "if you can suspend believability, this is a great read...." Often times I can suspend believability and thoroughly enjoy a book, especially when it's a subject on which I have limited knowledge; however, when it comes to courtroom procedures (which are pretty cut and dry with not a lot of variables), I should hav This was my February BOTM, and while I love courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, this one completely missed the mark for me.

One of the recurring themes in reviews of this book is that "if you can suspend believability, this is a great read...." Often times I can suspend believability and thoroughly enjoy a book, especially when it's a subject on which I have limited knowledge; however, when it comes to courtroom procedures (which are pretty cut and dry with not a lot of variables), I should have known better. Don't read this book if you want an accurate picture of attorneys, trial procedures, juries, etc., because The Holdout is not that book.

Instead of rehashing the entire book, I'm just going to list the major reasons why I'm the holdout of anything greater than 2 stars on this book:

1. The way it jumped from present day to ten years prior with different jurors. There were too many jurors/storylines to make it flow cohesively. Also, Moore goes into great depth to explain why certain jurors changed their mind, but with others, little to no explanation. Quite frankly, the browbeating and reasons that the jurors changed their minds were deplorable and unlikely.

2. Protagonist Maya was just too over-the-top. No matter how just and righteous her cause, her actions were not consistent with a criminal defense attorney. Believing she was about to be charged with murder, she runs rogue and does her own investigation and somehow gets all of these people to talk to her and give her information, even when those people suspect she is probably the killer. Just a big eye roll.

3. The two murder storylines didn't work. While they unfold concurrently - one in 2009, and one in 2019, they were convoluted and flat. The 2009 murder of 15-year-old Jessica Silver was rushed in order to get to jury deliberations, and hence, the controversial plot. The 2019 murder of Rick Leonard just felt off. It was stilted and sort of a throw-in to try and make the plot more relevant.

4. God-awful characters. I didn't like a single one of them, and while I appreciate that Moore was attempting to address race relations and jury prejudices, etc., the characters were all very cliched. I felt like Moore spent so much time pointing out the race of each character and trying to make that a focal point of why they should or should not vote a certain way or act a certain way that it was frankly, a turn-off for me. [SPOILER ALERT: one of the most bothersome parts of the book for me was the explanation of the text messages between Bobby and Jessica. Seriously? She took his phone and sent them to herself as a joke?! We once had a criminal client whose defense was that his accuser hacked into his various social media accounts and sent similar type messages to herself just to set him up - it wasn't believable in "real life," and it was just as unbelievable in a fiction book. I get trying to make Bobby a sympathetic character, but I think it would have been more believable if he had been a sleaze, but just not a murderer].

5. The ending. Just a big NO. Talk about implausible and again, cliched. I don't want to give anything away, but for a myriad of reasons, that just wouldn't happen.

Overall, for me, it was all a stretch. Maybe it's because I just recently finished Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, which while it is a true accounting, it also masterfully addresses racial injustice, corrupt officials, and on-point court proceedings; and in comparison, The Holdout feels forced and weak. I think it's also likely though, that it just isn't a great book, but is getting better than deserved reviews because of its subject matter. Either way, it was a 2-star read for me. ...more

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Mar 08, 2020 Elyse Walters rated it really liked it

I just finished this audiobook while sweating in the sauna.... and I am now speaking into the phone while soaking in the pool.

Anyone who hangs around Goodreads has at least seen this book..... with the eye-catching cover..... so I figure there are plenty of reviews covering many points of views from other readers -
one more from me — describing the plot or naming the key characters is kinda unnecessary.

So instead, I’ll add some of my thoughts:
.....I was hoping I’d like it as much as “The Body ...more

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Feb 29, 2020 Diane S ☔ rated it liked it

They decided to serve because, supposedly, it was their Civic duty. The trial that of a young, black teacher who is accused of murdering his white student. The motive is that they were having an affair and she was going to tell. Problem is there is no body. This trial would change all their lives

Written as a made for tv mini series, this dialogue laden novel requires a certain suspension of belief. Is it possible for all these jurors to have facts that they withheld from the court? Would a forme ...more

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Aug 26, 2020 Kaceey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, audio

Have you ever served jury duty? Did you walk away confident you made the right decision...no second thoughts? What if your decision put a killer back on the streets? Equally disturbing, what if your choice sent an innocent person to prison! Could you live with that guilt? Just cast it aside like a bad dream and move on with your life?

Ten years have passed since Maya sat for a well publicized murder trial. She was able deliver a convincing argument, swaying the jury in her direction. Now a fellow ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Barbara rated it liked it

3.5 stars

In 2009, 25-year-old high school music teacher Bobby Nock was tried for the murder of his 15-year-old student Jessica Silver.

When Jessica - the daughter of billionaire Lou Silver - disappeared, the police found sexy text messages between herself and Nock and found traces of Jessica's blood in Nock's car.

The fact that Nock was black and Jessica was white exacerbated matters, and the teacher was quickly arrested and prosecuted.

Maya Seale was one of a diverse bag of jurors at Nock's tria ...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Katie B rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2019, arc, fiction, mystery

3.5 stars

Held my interest and although I have some mixed feelings with some of the stuff at the end, overall this was a good read. It was almost like I was getting two mysteries for the price of one as the story alternated between the jury trial from ten years ago as well the murder that occurred in the present time.

Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, vanished ten years ago. The case made national news as her family has money, lots of it. Jessica's teacher, Bobby Nock, a twenty-five-year-old Africa 3.5 stars

Held my interest and although I have some mixed feelings with some of the stuff at the end, overall this was a good read. It was almost like I was getting two mysteries for the price of one as the story alternated between the jury trial from ten years ago as well the murder that occurred in the present time.

Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, vanished ten years ago. The case made national news as her family has money, lots of it. Jessica's teacher, Bobby Nock, a twenty-five-year-old African American man, is suspected of murdering her and the case goes to trial. Given the evidence, it seems likely the jury will convict. However, juror Maya Seale is convinced Bobby is innocent and manages to change the minds of the rest of the jury members. When they come back with a not guilty verdict, it is controversial and it certainly has an impact on their lives to say the least. Ten years later a docuseries is being produced and the jury gets together to discuss the trial. But one of the jury members winds up dead, and now Maya is the main suspect in his murder. So, what exactly happened now and what exactly happened to Jessica ten years ago?

This was a fairly quick read and I think that is due to a couple reasons. One, the alternating timelines as well as switching back and forth between characters keeps the action going at a good pace. You could say Maya is the main character in this book but eventually you get to know the other jury members as well. I also thought the author's screenwriting background shone through a bit with this book. The writing is simple and to the point. If you are looking for overly descriptive passages, this isn't the book for you. That's not to say it isn't well-written, as my interest level was high throughout the book.

The author brings some substance to the story as race is one of the subjects that is explored throughout the book. The story doesn't have a simple ending as there are multiple layers and there was one piece of the puzzle I didn't care for as it ventured out of realistic territory for me. I also didn't find anything to be all that surprising or shocking but to be fair despite that I still enjoyed reading this book. I think if you enjoy legal thrillers this is a pretty safe bet.

I was provided an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

...more

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Mar 01, 2020 Faith rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, overdrive, audio, reviewed

While I am reading a book I usually take notes to remind myself of both positive and negative things that stand out about a book. This time, I didn’t make a single note. I didn’t dislike the book, but it just didn’t make much of an impression on me. It wasn’t suspenseful, the characters weren’t likable, there were huge ethical lapses and the ending didn’t satisfy me at all. So I guess that’s my impression. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

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Jan 30, 2020 megs_bookrack marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-releases, adult-fiction-to-read, books-i-own-to-read

I don't want to alarm anybody, but the February BOTM selections are up.

This was my selection and I am freaking excited about it!!

Go and get 'em, people!!!!

...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Marialyce rated it liked it

Shelves: books-of-2020, jan-mar, netgalley

Some books and their authors believe they have to cram every bit of information into their stories. While often it works well, in this book it seemed to muddle some really important concepts and ideas.

Ten years ago, Maya Seale, sat on a jury and was the instrumental force in the way the verdict was determined. Spurred on by her experience as a juror, Maya becomes a criminal defense attorney. However, her world is about to be rocked as a show, driven on and assisted by one of the former jurors, R Some books and their authors believe they have to cram every bit of information into their stories. While often it works well, in this book it seemed to muddle some really important concepts and ideas.

Ten years ago, Maya Seale, sat on a jury and was the instrumental force in the way the verdict was determined. Spurred on by her experience as a juror, Maya becomes a criminal defense attorney. However, her world is about to be rocked as a show, driven on and assisted by one of the former jurors, Rick Leonard, decide to bring the jurors together and try to come to terms with their previous decision. Most of the jurors are anxious to participate while Maya has qualms. During the initial trial, Maya and Rick, another juror, became quite close and after the trial as these two battled their way through the decision, that closeness disappeared and later become the source of a scathing book penned by Rick. The jurors meet and then one of them turns up dead and the race is on to find not only the murderer of one of the jurors, but also to come to terms with the verdict made ten years prior.

Ten years ago, Jessica Silver, the daughter of an extremely wealthy man went missing. Bobby Nock, a teacher of Jessica's, becomes the lead suspect in her disappearance and what is presumed to be her death. Bobby is black and he and Jessica had carried on a sexual relationship while Jessica was fifteen and his student. Jessica is gone and Bobby is the one that everyone suspects. The trial occurs and the jurors come together with their verdict, bringing their own misconceptions, preconceptions, and prejudices along with them.

The book flips back and forth between the trial, the aftermath, and many characters. We get a glimpse into the questions of race, of police procedures, the way trials are conducted, the deals that are made, and the makeup of juries. Represented as well, is the notoriety of the case using social media as a point of information.

While there were many elements to ponder, the book did get caught up in too many issues. While it did hold my interest, through the bulk of the story, the ending just seemed quite contrived and convoluted. However, overall, it did raise some really intriguing questions, and I did enjoy thinking about the many answers there might have be to some particularly probing and relevant questions.

Thank you to the Graham Moore, Random House, and NetGalley for a copy of this book due out February 18, 2020. ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Bridgett rated it liked it

Shelves: arc

It appears, as of 6 days ago, that Hulu has purchased the rights to The Holdout...looks like we'll be seeing Maya and the gang on the television before long.

This story is a two-fer; the reader gets two murder mysteries in one novel. Unfortunately, both felt superficial. Touching on topics such as racism, the power of the media, and juror misconduct, again, Graham Moore just skimmed the surface of topics that deserve significantly more depth.

Narrated primarily by Maya, but with flashbacks to 20 ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Mandy White (mandylovestoread) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, publisher-arcs, z-read-in-2020

Love a good legal thriller! The Holdout is a much talked about book in the blogging world and I am happy to say that it did not disappoint. It is a fast paced and an exciting story that will keep you turning those pages well past your bedtime so be warned. It certainly will keep you guessing right until the last few pages and I love that in a book. The only part that I wasn't too keen on was the way that the ending seemed rushed. So much happened in the last 50 pages or so and I feel that it cou ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novelnotions, netgalley

Being a juror on a high profile murder case has got to be a thrill ride and a half: looking at the bloody evidence and weighing witness statements, the savage craziness of the media interest, then finally getting to decide the fate of a man charged with murder. It’s got to be just like tv, right? Exciting. Maybe even a shot at your own fame… 15 minutes or otherwise.

But what Maya Seale got wasn’t quite fame, it was INFAMY. Not convinced of Bobby Nock’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, she campaigne Being a juror on a high profile murder case has got to be a thrill ride and a half: looking at the bloody evidence and weighing witness statements, the savage craziness of the media interest, then finally getting to decide the fate of a man charged with murder. It’s got to be just like tv, right? Exciting. Maybe even a shot at your own fame… 15 minutes or otherwise.

But what Maya Seale got wasn’t quite fame, it was INFAMY. Not convinced of Bobby Nock’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, she campaigned for a Not Guilty verdict and eventually persuaded, or wore down, all the other jurors. The result was spectacularly unpopular, provoking uproar in both the courtroom and the real world, and changing the jurors’ lives forever.

Now it’s 10 years later and they’re back together again. Apparently there’s new evidence to consider and more questions to be asked. Everyone wants to know if they got it wrong. But when one juror ends up dead, it looks like someone’s willing to kill to keep their secrets buried for good.

You can tell the author has screenwriting experience, The Holdout would be well served as a slick tv series or film. Nevertheless, this is a surprisingly issue led book for something that’s also a hell of a lot of fun. Racism stands front and centre, with the black defendant Bobby Nock identified as the murderer of a pretty blonde girl from the ‘right’ kind of (rich) family in no small part due to the colour of his skin. The intersections of race and justice are examined throughout the novel, particularly through the multifaceted levels of expectation, misunderstanding, and outright prejudice. The notion that race or skin colour has more to do with guilt/innocence than the evidence is cleverly developed through the varied perspectives of the jurors. Multiple POVs reveal the action in a dual timeline, the original period of the trial and the present day search for the killer(s). More than the did-he-do-it mystery or even the who’s-the-killer-now question, it’s the author's examination of ‘justice’ via jury that fascinates. All the big social issues are here in microcosm and while the sideways commentary on fairness, class, race, justice, and the individual are intriguing, I wish there had been more of it. Especially because the plot did edge into the far-fetched at times. Even so, while readers might guess something of the ending if they know the ‘rules’ of storytelling, knowing one of the twists didn’t ruin the finale in any way. The book kept some surprises close.

Fast paced and offering a genuine good time, this is well worth reading before it undoubtedly hits the screen.

ARC via Netgalley ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Esil rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

3.50

The Holdout started off strong and then lost a bit of its edge. It was still a good read, but not as good as it seemed to promise at the beginning. It’s the second novel I’ve read this past year focused on the dynamics between jury members. In this case, the story is told from Maya’s perspective in two timelines. Maya sat on a jury that acquitted a young teacher accused of murdering his teenage student. Ten years later, Maya is a criminal defence lawyer, and she’s invited to a reunion of all ...more

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Jun 09, 2020 Philip rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases, author-man, thriller, mystery, contemporary

3ish stars.

I liked it mostly the whole way through, but it ended up disappointing me. The ending ((view spoiler)) was a real letdown.

I thought I had figured it out fairly early on and ended up only being partially right. Maybe I need some humbling because I often think I'm far cleverer than most mystery writers when it comes to their own stories.

Hear me out: (view spoiler) 3ish stars.

I liked it mostly the whole way through, but it ended up disappointing me. The ending ((view spoiler)) was a real letdown.

I thought I had figured it out fairly early on and ended up only being partially right. Maybe I need some humbling because I often think I'm far cleverer than most mystery writers when it comes to their own stories.

Hear me out: (view spoiler). That story would have been way better. (view spoiler)

I appreciated the legal perspective, especially the explanation that telling the truth is often not the best way to serve justice. It's all about telling the right story. I also liked the examination of social justice, like racial profiling and white savior complex (fitting at the time of my reading in the midst of George Floyd's killing), and how it highlighted the way the justice system can (and often does) fail to administer justice, which itself can be a matter of perspective. Other than that, the rest (characters, prose, plotting) was only decent.

Posted in Mr. Philip's Library ...more

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Nov 29, 2019 Jayme rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: legal-drama, netgalley

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 o ...more

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Oct 26, 2019 Martie Nees Record rated it liked it

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: Feb. 18, 2020

Let me start off by saying I was surprised that I was disappointed in this book. Not because other reviewers gave “Holdout” five stars. (I don’t actually read other reviews on a book until I have finished my own to ensure that I am not influenced. But, I do check out the stars). The discrepancy between my review and others did not surprise me, because I often disagree with my peers. I was surprised to be disappointed becaus ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Julie Griffith Buckley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

When Maya Seale is called up for jury duty ten years ago, she had no idea that it would change her life forever. Bobby Nock, a black English teacher, was on trial for the murder of his white, teenage, student, Jessica Silver. Bobby was accused of having a sexual relationship with Jessica, allegedly borne out by text messages on their phones. After a lengthy trial, during which the jury was sequestered, Maya was, at first, the only juror who voted to find Bobby not guilty. She then persuaded the ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 L A i N E Y ~back in a bit~ rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, legal-thriller, reviewed, mystery-thriller-crime

It was okay but didn’t impress me.

Personally I didn’t find Maya persuasive or that irresistible. On the contrary she came off quite righteous and unsympathetic. So the fact that she could convince eleven other people of anything is just too far-fetched for me. It most definitely the dialogue that threw me off. How they bounce ideas back and forth didn’t sound very organic, I guess.

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About Graham Moore

Graham Moore

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Graham Moore is a New York Times bestselling novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.

His screenplay for THE IMITATION GAME won the Academy Award and WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2015 and was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.

His first two novels, THE LAST DAYS OF NIGHT (2016) and THE SHERLOCKIAN (2010), were published in 24 countries and translated into 19 languages.

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“What she missed the most about the person she'd been, Maya realized, was her hope for a coming world that turned out never to have been possible. She was nostalgic for an imaginary future.” — 1 likes

“In courtrooms all across this city, Maya had seen people get verdicts they’d wanted, and she’d seen just as many get ones they didn’t. But the verdicts had nothing to do with truth. No verdict ever changed a person’s opinion. Juries weren’t gods. The people who went into those courtrooms looking for divine revelation came out bearing the fruits of bureaucratic negotiation. Maya wanted to tell Lou that this need for vindication had become the mire of their whole petty country. Every day, they woke up fervently hoping for the headline that would prove, definitively, that their guys were the virtuous ones and the other guys were the absolute worst. But news of that certainty would forever elude them. Every new revelation that seemed to damn the people with whom they disagreed would be followed by a new rationalization. For every failed prediction, there would come a mitigating circumstance. They would double down on their most weakly held convictions because the alternative felt unbearable, and the bums across the aisle would follow suit. She wanted to say that the only thing worse than being wrong was having a bottomless need to prove that you never were. But she didn’t tell Lou any of that. Instead, Maya told Lou what he wanted to hear. She did it because she was the last person on earth who should be instructing Lou Silver on how to live out his days. And she did it because he’d asked her an honest question, and he deserved to hear from her an honest answer. “Mr. Silver,” she said, running her fingers through her hair, “I’m not sure of much of anything anymore.” — 1 likes

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