by Graham Moore
“Everybody wants to know. But maybe growing up means accepting that you’re not always able to.”
Graham Moore, The Holdout
Summary
Maya Seale is a prominent LA Attorney. But she had not always been that. Ten years ago, she had no direction in life when she was called to be a juror in the murder trial of Bobby Nock. Bobby was accused of murdering fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, daughter of a billion-dollar business mogul. In the trial, the jurors are told of sexually explicit text messages between Bobby and Jessica, as well as Jessica’s blood in Bobby’s car. The prosecution thinks the case is open and shut, but Maya isn’t convinced. Instead, she persuades the rest of the jurors to vote not-guilty. This decision changed all of their lives forever
Flash forward ten years. A true-crime docuseries reassembles the jurors with the intention of springing new evidence on them during a 10th anniversary special. When one of the jurors, Rick-the individual bringing forth this evidence, is found dead in Maya’s hotel room, Maya becomes the main suspect in his death. Now, she must prove her own innocence–by getting to the bottom of a case that is far from closed.
Moving back and forth in time between the present day investigation of Ricks death and past jurors telling the reader their interpretation of the trial and what happened after, this murder mystery/courtroom drama will keep you on your toes!
My Thoughts
Plot
This book was so engaging. I really loved how it went back and forth between the present day and the past. I especially like that you aren’t given all of the evidence, just like the Jury. That feeling of flailing around for information made the stakes feel so much higher.
I also loved how the narrators from the past were not the same person. There were 12 jurors in that room, so seeing 12 separate points of view really brought home each jurors motives during the original trial.
The whole thing made me think of the jurors on other high profile trials. Were their lives changed in the same way as the characters in the novel?
Format
I listened to this as an audiobook and LOVED it. I do think that I would have loved it just as much if I had read the book. I think the chapters were short enough and engaging enough to keep me engrossed regardless of what was going on.
Writing
This book was a great example of a good crime novel. While I normally appreciate whodunnits where you have all of the information, I actually really liked how you were always given enough information to think you knew what was going on, but never actually did.
I also like how the author brought race and class into play as well. I thought it was done in a way that 100% made sense to the plot. While similar in concept to 12 Angry Men in some ways, I do think that this book would transition to film extremely well without being viewed as too similar.
Characters
This book was totally an ensemble story even though there were only a few “main” characters. I loved the character development throughout the entire story. I especially loved how you got to see through the eyes of each of the jurors. By seeing events as they saw them, the reader was able to glean an understanding of why they made the decisions that they did.
Maya: Maya was so fun. She knew the rules, but didn’t play by them. She was strong, inquisitive, stubborn, and always had the best of intentions. I think that her character arc is what made this plot so engaging. The lost 20something who is called for jury duty and leaves jury duty wanting to go to law school…there couldn’t be a better arc than that.
Rick: Even though you rarely see Rick alive in this book, I do love how you really seem to get to know him and his motivations throughout the book. He again, has all the best intentions. While frustrated with this in the moment, I actually liked how you did not know what secret Rick was hiding throughout most of the book.
Bobby: This poor kid. I feel so bad for him getting the short end of the stick for most of the book. His fear and frustration with the system was apparent. You couldn’t help but feel for him, while at the same time wondering what was true and what was not.
Mr. Silver: This guy was conniving and calculated, and it was obvious that he was used to getting his way all the time. But you couldn’t help but sympathize with the grieving father.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this book. It was engaging and thought provoking. It especially makes me think about the juries in some recent high profile trials. I get that they are supposed to be impartial, and are not supposed to consume any media related to the case, but still, I can’t imagine how hard it would be to hold somebodies life in your hands like that. 4.5 stars
Jenn V. Reads 