This book was as well liked and hyped in the thriller community as they get and it is a book club book for the month August which is why I picked it up in the nick of time to find out if it is really as good as people are saying it is.

Dissection of a murder by Jo Murray is something else – I don’t know much books where the main character is a barrister in court; English court at that with their robes and fancy but weird wigs.

Leila Reynolds has scored big time with a make or break case that can go either way. Asked to be his barrister in a murder case where he has been found guilty where as he says he’s not. It’s up to Leila to prove his innocence. The prosecutor in this case will be none other than her husband who once was her pupil master and has taught her all the tricks of the trade. Her husband Julian has promised that this case would not become between their marriage but, will this promise be kept?

All the evidence in this case is highly circumstantial, but with Jack being present at the time of the murder and not wanting to say a word during preparation of the trial, not even talking to his barrister or lawyer Leila doesn’t know what she’s in for. Jack’s motive for not speaking is clear, some high rollers are involved and because he was set up years prior an taken the fall for something he didn’t do he isn’t taking any risks this time around.

Throughout the story there will be chapters with the POV from Witness X; a woman that has been involved in this murder but has found a man that is willing to take the fall in the name of love. Witness X will talk about her upbringing and the rules her father has instilled on her making her a pro at deceiving people and putting on masks to get into people’s inner circles or just to get what she wants.

Trial prep has taken months but it’s finally time for the trial to begin. The prosecutor is ruthless, asking the right question to the people on the stand to make the jury believe of Jacks guilt but Leila has met his pace. Trials are there to create doubt within the jury, the one that can create the most doubt is almost always the winning team. Leila thinks her chances at winning are slim since Julian has had more experience at murder trials as it’s her first.

When Jack has finally taken the stand, he lands several bombshells (for which you have to read the book) making Julian quite furious because he thinks he’s been set up and can’t believe this to be true. On what side will the coin fall? Will Leila win and Jack gets off the hook or will Julian win and sent Jack to prison for a very long time?

There is so much drama and side quests in this book which makes for an intriguing read. I absolutely get the hype this book was given and would read something similar to this in a heartbeat. I will be watching for future releases by Jo Murray without a doubt!

I’m giving this book a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating, loved it!