The Verdict: A Novel

This is a long novel, one page short of 500. It is a decent legal thriller with a solid plot. The author and this book have been publicized as the London John Grisham. How many times have I heard that exciting promotion? I am sorry but this author is not John Grisham either.

Grisham usually grabs the reader in the first few pages and then sets out to unfold a story, quickly with a solid cadence of prose and no dilly-dallying to prolong the denouement. Stone begins the novel interestingly enough with Vernon James as the young, ultra-rich businessman who after receiving an Ethical Person of the Year award (irony is cast), takes a striking, tall woman in a green dress to his room. Instead of a happy sexual encounter, she beats him up. Stone does a good job with this scene laying the groundwork for James’ incapacity and confusion. Later, a woman is found dead in his suite and James (known as VJ) is accused of murder.

Terry Flynt works as a legal clerk in the firm representing James’ defense (defence in England). No one at this prestigious firm is apparently aware of the history between Terry and Vernon. Flynt has a complicated personal history coupled with a heart-breaking past with Vernon, his boyhood best friend. Will the underdog clerk triumph? Or will he lose this job and possible chance in the legal field?

The novel extends itself into every nook and cranny of Terry’s present and past. Vernon James admits he craves sadistic sex which includes choking his female sex partner until she signals she’s had enough. Apparently, he didn’t always abide by that rule. And he is married to beautiful Melissa, who seems to be aware of her husband’s flagrant encounters, but remains married. Her role is sketchy. Oh, and of course, Terry was always in love with her. There are few teasing scenes to fortify this premise.

There is a bounty of characters in this novel. Some are worth the read, Christine Devereaux, who heads the defense, is brilliant and dying, but Stone bolsters her up for the trial. The plot becomes encumbered and Stone often repeats situations, either from poor editing or not enough confidence that the reader will remember, making the book longer. The ending has some little surprises but the Terry and Vernon final scene falls flat.

Grisham is a master at avoiding extraneous complexity. He pulls the reader through his original plots with a definitive theme, and he knows where he is going and when to stop. Stone’s story is good, but not great and much too long.

The Verdict - Nick Stone

All I can say is “what a great great book." I am not a fan of legal thrillers so when I saw that The Verdict and its author was compared to Grisham I thought that I would not even read the book, I am so glad that I did. After the first few pages I was completely captivated. I knew that the book was long, five hundred pages and you know what, I wish that it was 1000 pages, the story was that absorbing and the characters that compelling. The plot was involving and twisty and kept me on the edge of my seat, distracting to the point of risking argument with my wife.

It does not matter that The Verdict takes place in London and that some of the words are unique to this local. I say, “Who cares.” A fantastic novel can take place on another planet as long as it has the right stuff. And believe me, The Verdict and Nick Stone are sure to take you as far away from your ordinary life as any novel that I have read in the recent past.

And do not forget to pick up his first and second books, Mr. Clarinet: A Novel (Max Mingus Thriller) and King of Swords (A Max Mingus Thriller)

I reached page 36 and came upon this: " . . . me and him used to do our homework in the local library . . . . I started doing well in tests and exams." Sure you did. Bye bye.

Very long book with small print. I like a bit lighter reading since I work so much. Good storyline though. My book club liked it.

Excellent characters in an unpredictable plot. Truly entertaining.

After I read the first few pages I was hooked and read the book in one day. I enjoyed the narration by the main character Terry Flynt. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of all the London locations. I have been to London a few times and it was fun knowing about the locations he took us to in his book. Also, I don't think he should be compared to John Grisham. I did not see that his writing style was similar at all. I loved all the twists and turns and the final outcome. Great book...great read. I am heading back over to the library to find his other books. Thanks Nick.

About once a year I come across a book that will completely engross me throughout and I will be disappointed that it has to end. This is one of those books. Also, being a big fan of the legal thriller, it was quite interesting to see how the British court system works when trying a big profile murder case.

Terry Flynt is over thirty and a Legal Clerk (like an intern in a legal firm) with a lot of secrets about his past. He had spent a year at Cambridge Law School but never graduated. He omitted any mention of Cambridge from his application when he got his job. The dream of all Clerks at his firm is to be offered a permanent position and have their law school tuition paid for.
One day a call comes in to the office and Terry is the one that answers it. The usual protocol is that whoever answers the phone is the one who will be assigned to the case. Terry was sure that the call was meant for his young ambitious work rival (who he calls Adolph instead of Anabelle). So he feels guilty about taking the call but he is glad that he can steal a case from Adolph. The case is a high profile murder case and it turns out that the defendant is Terry’s ex-best friend (Vernon or VJ), who he had a falling out with several years prior. Ethically, Terry has to let his boss know as this would be a conflict of interest but Terry is desperate to be on the case as he feels it will help ensure that he is the one to receive a position and Law School tuition. Terry decides to not say anything to his bosses and play it by ear, hoping that the firm will not find out that he lied about his past on his application.

The case against VJ is totally stacked against him and his alibi for the murder is “wild” sounding and unbelievable. Additionally, the prosecutor is Francois Carnavale, who practically never loses a case. As things progress Terry goes way beyond his “clerking” position and starts to do things that are totally unethical for a legal clerk to do to investigate (like posing a detective to get into restricted areas). The more things that Terry learns, people start to die and Terry’s life and his family are in danger. Also, the secrets he kept from his wife and bosses start to slowly come out.

The book is quite long (the edition I had was 499 pages with very tight print) but never gets boring. I was hooked from the first page and didn’t want it to end. It is full of so many twists that I was guessing practically until the last page. I highly recommend this book.

Nick Stone's, The Verdict, brought me into a world where it seemed I was working my way through a maze – trying to untangle a web comprised of deceit, all in the name of serving the law. The pretext of the book was unlike any I'd ever read; I could never imagine being in the position of having to defend my greatest enemy.

Without a doubt, The Verdict, is one of the longest books I've ventured to read. Admittedly, the earlier parts of the book didn't absorb my attention as much as I would have liked; I was even tempted to quit reading since the background was far longer than I deemed necessary. However, something made me persevere – perhaps because I was asked to review the title, as opposed to reading and reviewing it on my own. Despite my initial misgivings, when I began to realize a conspiracy was taking place, I was totally absorbed.

The reason I am giving the book three stars is because the book's publishing standards are not up to par with the expectations I place on my own published works. There were a lot of mistakes which remained in the book. Though I cannot fault the author for the publisher's oversight in this matter, I cannot bring myself to give the book a five-star rating.

That being said, the story intrigued me and definitely had me wondering how some parts of it could have unfolded as they did. There were so many stories within the story, yet they all tied together so well. I would definitely read other works by this author.

I had high hopes for this book but it fell short. It's a very long novel (500 pages) and would have benefited greatly by being shorter and tighter. It also tended to meander. And for all the good elements it offered, it failed to fully engage me. Bottom line was by half way through I really didn't care one way or another about any of the characters.

The Verdict by Nick Stone

Vernon James, the self-made multimillionaire financer, has been accused of murder most foul. It happened the night when he received the award as Ethical Person of the Year, given by the Hoffman Trust. The event takes place at the Blenheim-Strand hotel, where Vernon has taken a room for the night. During his acceptance speech, he waxes eloquent about his father when he notices a tall blonde in a revealing green dress. She mouths “I love you!” From that point on, Vernon James is interested only in the blonde.

Coming out of the meeting room and joining the party after the speech, Vernon accidentally mistakes another woman for the blonde he is seeking. Her name is Evelyn Bates. She is knocked into him as a conga-line of drunken party-goers whip by. She accidentally scratches his face as she fights to get to her feet. She has lost her phone, and Vernon steps on it, crushing it. As the girl has disappeared, he drops it in his pocket to turn in later.

He now runs into the blonde for whom he is searching. Her name is Fabia. A drink or so later, and she comes up to his room. But things don’t go as Vernon James planned. Their foreplay is rough and the girl is having none of it. She manages to knock him down and turn the mini-bar over on him. Then she storms away. He finds what he believes to be her underwear, before he passes out.

Waking up still drunk, Vernon is quick to check out of his room. Then he finds himself arrested for murder. Evelyn Bates has been found dead on the bed in the bedroom of James’ suite at the hotel. There are no signs of a woman named Fabia at all…

Terry Flint is a clerk at Knof-Randall-Purdom, a law firm. His position as a clerk is based on a false CV. Vernon James was his best friend in school. Flint’s family even gave Vernon an alibi when he was accused of killing his father. But in Cambridge, Vernon accused Terry of theft. Terry’s drinking got out of hand and he failed his exams. He was then kicked out of the University, publically shamed by a false charge. Flint absolutely loathes James.

Now Terry Flint finds himself on the defense team for Vernon James. How do you defend a man you hate? How do you defend a man that you not only believe to be guilty; but that you really want to be guilty?

This fast paced thriller follows Flint as he gathers evidence for James’ defense. The more evidence he gathers, the more questions he has. He is told from the start that this case is a loser. The PI that works the case with him seems to be uninterested in evidence at all. The barrister chosen to lead the defense is dying, and may not last the case out if it drags on. The barrister’s second does absolutely nothing except sit in court.

As the case winds to a close, people are killed, witnesses are no-shows, and the hotel’s security cameras were down on the night of the murder. And Terry Flint still hates Vernon “VJ” James…

The twists in this story are many. The pace is swift and draws the reader in. You are always wondering just what will be revealed next. As the case draws to the verdict, the excitement won’t let you stop reading until the end. This is a mystery lover’s dream. I give it five plus stars…

Quoth the Raven…