A legal thriller with a difference

An unexpected gap in a busy barrister’s diary leads to a long-overdue honeymoon in rural France. The holiday does not start well, with a stop in Paris that turns into a medical emergency. Eventually, the young family arrive in the countryside – and gradually step into a local drama as history unfolds and wartime secrets emerge. 

This is the latest in a series of legal thrillers featuring Charles Holborne, a successful barrister who is always something of an outsider. The story is set in the 1970s when attitudes towards equality were very different. One of the characters is a woman senior clerk to chambers, which was unusual at the time. 

A previous book described London very well. This story is set in Gascony before English tourists took over France profonde. A holiday in the countryside sounds relaxing but would be a challenge when one of the family is recovering from a serious illness, and there is a baby on board. The family settle in and grapples with language and cultural differences. The main drama is the legacy of the German occupation and the impact it had on families. One storyline is contemporary and another is set in the 1940s, which ends in a dramatic courtroom scene unlike any I have read. 

An excellent holiday book. A legal thriller with a difference. 

David Pickup is a partner at Pickup & Scott Solicitors, Aylesbury