The Verdict

By: Nick Stone

Narrated by: David Thorpe

Length: 21 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

When Terry Flynt gets the chance to defend a millionaire accused of murder, he knows the case could make his career - but the accused man is Flynt's greatest enemy. Can he defend a man who ruined his life?

Terry Flynt is a struggling legal clerk desperately trying to get promoted when he is given the biggest opportunity of his career: to help defend a millionaire accused of murdering a woman in his hotel suite. The only problem is that the accused man, Vernon James, is not only someone he knows but someone he loathes. This case could potentially make Terry's career, but how can he defend a former friend who betrayed him?

With the trial date looming, Terry delves deeper into Vernon's life and is forced to confront secrets from their shared past that could have devastating consequences for them both. For years, he has wanted to witness Vernon's downfall, but with so much at stake, how can Terry be sure he is guilty? And what choices must he make to ensure that justice is done?

©2015 Nick Stone (P)2015 ISIS Audio Books

Critic reviews

"David Thorpe dazzles with his performance.... [T]he characters run the gamut from upper-crust Brits to African immigrants, and Thorpe can do it all.... This production is jet-propelled and marvelously entertaining." (AudioFile)

Wickedly Twisting

Have you noticed, legal stuff's gotten blurry. They're either Turow/Grisham preachy, or Connelly formulas. Wait... I like formulas, especially when written to punch all my buttons, and I'll get the next Mickey Haller as soon as it's recorded. Still, their lawyers are increasingly wandering out of court to roam cop procedural rooms or the mean streets of noir detectives.

Nick Stone's soiled narrator, Terry Flint - is watching an Old Bailey case come together through outsider eyes - like mine, yet through a lens that's smeary with his own second-chance blundering history. I had to figure out Flint as determinedly as the case that confounds him. In "The Verdict" - these twin story lines are inextricably woven tighter than an advocate's wig.

If, like me, you're a Yank - Stone makes the Brit court system entirely accessible. And David Thorpe's agile tongue bends around his characters accents both convincingly and understandably. He's a master actor.

If you're looking for a legal thriller that's both twisty and refreshing, this one's it.

Good storyline around British justice system

I do give this 4 stars and I did find it legally fascinating, but it is with some reservation. I found myself in a love/hate relationship with the main character. Since its written in the first person, it holds more weight than normal.

On one hand he is witty, smart, confident and resourceful. But he is just as much the worst kind of passive aggressive. The type who when offended, plots secret humiliation on the offenders without having the courage to stand up for himself.

Nevertheless the mystery itself is intriguing and hugely entertaining. Frankly, if I gave it a few days I might just give it 5 stars. It was fun and the 21 hours flew by.

David Thorpe did an excellent job as well.

Complex and credible legal thriller.

Though a bit long-winded and repetitive from time to time, interesting story and an honest critique of the British judicial system, with as many flaws as ours in the States.

A really good story buoyed by an amazing read

I'm not usually into trial thrillers but took a flyer on this one. Boy, am I glad I did.

The storyline is rich and complex, the characters diverse, intriguing and compelling. It's set in London, and the reader was phenomenal, bringing the characters home with distinct voices with Irish, Scottish, cockney, aristocratic, male, female, judge and jury. It really pulled me into the whole experience.

It's the kind of book that keeps you cleaning the kitchen (or your particular analog) well past your bedtime so you can keep listening, and one that you'll be sorry when you finish.

Fabulous narrator, excellent story

This is a complex legal thriller, kept interesting through the many twists and turns by Nick Stone's artful storytelling. Some reviewers compare him to Grisham. For my taste, he is better than Grisham. The narrator is probably the best I have listened to, talented both in range of pitch and accents.

Captivating legal thriller

Captivating legal thriller set on London and the British court system. Terry the voice of the principal point of view becomes a sympathetic and appealing character. For me as an American some aspects of British law were a bit foreign.
Still the pace of action is great and the suspense is cleverly developed.
In one our two scenes where whispering takes place the volume is inadequate for good hearing. I don't understand why audible allows that . Out would be like printing out on illegibly small print. There are other ways to achieve a good dramatic effect.

Kept me interested all the way through.

I really enjoyed this one. I never got bored. I’ll check out his other novels for sure. 👍🏻

Surprisingly entertaining!

I had read the mostly positive reviews so I was expecting a good listen, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. In addition to the twists and turns that kept me engaged, I found myself almost laughing at times. Terry's inner office drama with horrible colleague "Adolph" and his inner commentary or observations about other characters or events were often quite funny. The narrator's delivery of some of these sardonic little zingers was spot on.

Unlike a lot of legal thrillers where the main character / attorney is some hotshot, all of the women are beautiful, etc. these characters were flawed,which made them more real. There were times when I wanted to say, "what about this?", or "why are you doing that?" but that all added to my listening experience. The supporting characters were also interesting, with mysterious pasts or odd personalities. I hope Stone writes more books of this quality, I will definitely be on the lookout.

great

narrated well, length makes it a good value, suspenseful story that I really enjoyed a lot

can't really remember

Would you consider the audio edition of The Verdict to be better than the print version?

how should I know? Didn't read the print version

Who was your favorite character and why?

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What about David Thorpe’s performance did you like?

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Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

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Any additional comments?

can't really remember this book, but I think I liked it...