User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
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 social justice issues such as racism and profiling will. Clearly the author has some sort of experience in screen writing, and I can wholly see this being optioned for screen, a project I'd be thrilled to watch. Overall, this was a juicy, escapism type of read and I'd recommend it to those looking for an exciting way to pass the time in 2020.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
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 now a successful lawyer - but she’s also the prime suspect in the murder of one of the jurors after a reunion at the hotel in which they were sequestered during the trial.
I think it’s a case of the less you know, the more interesting you’ll find this one. As legal thrillers go it’s pretty good, though I personally didn’t identify with any of the characters for some reason. Nevertheless this was a riveting read with twists and turns, and not least it was a cracking ending. If you enjoy legal dramas then look no further.
* Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing group for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Rating: 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 in our hands about not one but two murders (or let’s say one murder and one disappearance) intercepted with one decade gap. We go back and forth between two timelines to figure out.
So after finishing it, I’m so happy that I’m not disappointed: It’s smart, exciting court drama/Legal thriller/murder mystery that you cannot put it down. You hardly figure out who is the bad guy because most of the characters are not easy to like including our ambitious, opportunist, smart lawyer Maya Seale, deal breaker, successful defense attorney, once upon a time juror and now she is also prime suspect of the murder.
On 2009, Bobby Nock, an African American high school teacher was accused to kill his wealthy white female student Jessica. Her DNA is found at his car. But her body hasn’t been found. So infamous 12 people gathered to decide his future and he was acquitted from first degree murder because one juror believes that he was not guilty and she convinced the other 11. But after the case, the other 11 still thought they made a mistake and blamed the one who still believed innocence of Bobby Nock. That one juror’s name is MAYA SEALE.
Our 12 angry jurors still try to move on their damaged lives when the date shows verdict’s 10th year of the anniversary. Even though Maya keeps her personal live secret, not to be traumatized by the reporters, she seized this life wrecking experience as an opportunity and became one of the best defense attorneys of the city and youngest partner of her firm. But when she meets with Rick, another juror, she had also a secret affair during the trial. And after the verdict, Rick wrote a book to smear Maya’s reputation, holding vendetta against her. Now he tells her, he make an agreement with production company about the docuseries of the trial and he found something crucial to change everything they knew. He invites Maya to join with other 10 juror friends.
Maya rejects him at first but her boss forces him to do the interview for the production. And when she goes to the hotel where is arranged for the production meeting, she gets alone with Rick to learn more juicy details and what he holds back but Rick denies to talk about it. They fight. She leaves to gather her wits. When she comes back she finds Rick lying in a blood pool in her room. This is not looking good for her situation. Especially after their 10 years log feud, everybody can think she has a motive to get rid of him.
So who did kill Rick? What did Rick find so crucial resulted with his dead? Why Bobby Nock disappeared after being interviewed with Rick? Could he kill both Nick and Jessica? What all of the jurors were hiding from the beginning?
I’m not gonna tell more not to give more clues. But I can say that: nothing as it seems and the conclusion of the mysteries are well- crafted and satisfying. The only thing bothered me was I hated the guts of the characters and I didn’t empathize with none of them including Rick even though he was a victim, his obsession and his personal vendetta against Maya because she broke his heart was a little bit extreme.
So I’m giving excellent, shiny, smart, heart throbbing, impeccably developed, high tensioned four stars!
I’m thanking myself for not letting this book root at my pending category forever purgatory of NetGalley and rewarding myself doing something useful at my quarantine days.
Stay safe my friends. Drink more booze, read more books, wash your hands, put distance to loved ones not to get angrier and punch them on the face! I'm planning to publish my locked-up diaries on new blog. (Only 25 days old!) I'll keep you posted, looking forward your feed backs and comments!
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Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
ive been called for jury duty a total of two times. the first time, i waited in a room for 5 hours before i was sent home after doing literally nothing. the second time, i was abroad and subsequently excused. but its my goal in life to serve on a jury and be involved in a court case, so its nice that this book has helped me to vicariously live that dream in the meantime.
i really, really like the concept of this. two situations - a past trial where the characters sit on the jury (told through 12 flashbacks, one chapter per juror) and the present situation where the jurors gather for a reunion of that trial, with one juror saying they found new evidence to prove they made the wrong decision. except that juror suddenly ends up dead. completely fascinating.
i really enjoyed the flashback chapters. its so crazy how one thing can be interrupted in so many different ways. GM created a very diverse jury, so it made for very interesting commentary and opinions. i also like the conclusion to this case (the disappearance of a young girl) much more than the resolution to the present day situation (the death of the juror). it felt much more intricate to me and showed just how complex people really are.
overall, a great legal mystery that had me hooked right until the final page.
↠ 4 stars
Rating: really liked it
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 is the prime suspect. From here the story alternates between the still unsolved 10-year-old case to the present day murder investigation.
I expect to suspend some disbelief when I’m reading fiction but there’s a limit to my ability to do so before my eyes start to roll. I was engaged for the first 50% but then the story took a turn I couldn’t get behind, starting with a lawyer going rogue investigating her own case.
I think the author had some thoughtful things to say about the justice system but the story would have benefited by tackling fewer social issues. To compound the problem, the narrative was interrupted multiple times by preachy commentary. I get that it’s hard for authors to resist the impulse but I prefer the issues to be presented in a more nuanced manner that is integral to the story. I found the ending to be convoluted and ridiculous.
I prefer a more literary approach to police procedurals and courtroom dramas. While I found this book to be the literary equivalent of a Lifetime movie, it might be an entertaining way to spend time on a long flight or an afternoon at the beach. Many have enjoyed this book more than I did so please check other reviews.
*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own
* This was a buddy read with Marialyce. For our duo review of this book and others please visit https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
Rating: really liked 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. **
Rating: really liked it
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 whole murder mystery and really had to know who did it.
Who did it? Did the "holdout" get it right?!! I couldn't stop until I found out.
A solid four stars for me.
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
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 holdout juror was able to eventually convince the 11 others that the defendant was not guilty. The aftermath of that verdict and what happened at the ten year reunion of the jurors is the subject of the book. The book switches from 10 years ago to the present to give a full picture of the backgrounds and relationships between the jurors and how they handle an awful crime that occurs at the reunion. The flashback scenes of juror deliberations are very simplistic and unrealistic as to the reasons jurors’ votes are swayed to Not Guilty. The current mystery is also a dud, with the jurors coming back together 10 years later to administer their own version of justice in a very serious case. This was in a word stupid — and in two words stupid and unbelievable. Top the ridiculous plot off with an arrogant, manipulative main character that has the uncanny and unbelievable ability to get a group of strangers to do exactly what she wants them to do ... twice— then you can imagine why the book was not for me.
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
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. Little by little, after weeks of deliberation and argument, she wore them down with her assessments and they voted to acquit the defendant. The verdict—and their participation in the jury—changes their lives immeasurably.
"You ever think about all the fucked-up shit we end up doing because we tell ourselves we're helping?"
Now, 10 years later, a true-crime documentary is focused on the trial and brings the jury together, in the same hotel where they were once sequestered. One juror is purported to have “explosive” new evidence. And then another murder occurs, which sets off a high-stakes race to find the truth, before someone else dies.
I really enjoyed this book. It switches between past and present, and looks at each of the jurors and how they came to their decision to acquit, as well as whatever secrets they might have been hiding. There were lots of twists and turns in the plot, and while I had some suspicions about how things might resolve themselves, I was definitely surprised by some of what happened.
While I didn’t feel the book
read like a movie, it certainly could be adapted into one, and that’s not surprising considering the author is an Oscar-winning screenwriter. (He wrote
The Imitation Game .) But I felt Moore did a good job giving his characters depth as much as he crafted suspense.
No objections to this legal thriller! (Dad joke.)
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
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:
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A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: 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 of Questions” by Jill Ciment. - it ‘wasn’t’ AS GREAT OR EXCITING OR FUN....
But.....
.....The beginning was engaging ( crazy first page opening)....
.....The set-up story sounded good - it ‘was’ good!
.....The middle portion of this book was tedious and borderline-boring.
.....The last chapters in the book were twisty - a surprise- one I never saw ahead of time. Not sure satisfying- but surprising.
.....I liked the idea of this book: I certainly did not hate it.... but I’m not left ecstatic either.
.....I’m glad I took my turn reading it —-
.....or shall I say LISTENING to it. The voice narrator highlighted the tension-dialogue scenes brilliantly—-( those scenes of yelling, arguing and swearing between two characters were my favorites because their anger felt F#%king REAL......
but.....
.....much of the story ‘didn’t’ feel real (totally improbable actually).
Overall.... entertaining: the beginning and ending were the best parts.
Also.... I agree wholeheartedly 100% that “Holdout” would make better TV-screen entertainment than in book-form!
3.5-3.7 rating.
