![]() Although set 16 years after the ceasefire, it is not too difficult to imagine a world in which “fire, rage and chaos” throng the streets once more and Carson’s chilling tale uses its heightened situations and language to fine effect. Juxtaposing two narratives, that of a reformed terrorist, Sammy Agnew, and a young doctor, Jonathan Murray, Carson offers a powerful treatise, shot through with flashes of magical realism, of the way man hands on misery to man. Many novels have attempted to tackle the Troubles and their legacy, but rarely have they approached the subject with the boldness and flair of Jan Carson. There is plenty of humour throughout, not least from out-of-touch judges bewildered by “that Greek chap, clitoris”, but this is ultimately an affecting study of how the law gets it right – and wrong. In his excellent second book, barrister and author Thomas Grant offers detailed accounts of 11 of those cases, with protagonists ranging from the diabolical (Peter Sutcliffe, Ian Huntley) to the pathetic, including the Profumo patsy Stephen Ward and the unjustly executed Timothy Evans, stooge for 10 Rillington Place’s John Christie. ![]() ![]() Many of the nation’s most notorious trials have taken place at the intimidating Court Number One at the Old Bailey. ![]()
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May 2023
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