Next of Kin
Ratings6
Average rating3.8
'Abdullah's legal thrillers make John Grisham seem like a maiden aunt' Sunday Times Crime Club 'An enthralling, heartbreaking and thrilling courtroom drama that had me shouting out loud and gripped until the last page' Nadine Matheson, author of The Jigsaw Man 'Brilliantly tense, this is another clever page turner from Kia Abdullah that I couldn't put down. Just superb' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City 'Twists and turns aplenty . . . The author's greatest strength lies in her sensitive and relatable description of the relationship between sisters Leila and Max's mother Yasmin' i 'A tense, brilliant read' Bella * * * * ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY... Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law's voice is filled with panic. His son's nursery has called to ask where little Max is. YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE... Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot. Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done. IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE... What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there's more to this incident than meets the eye... A gripping, brave and tense courtroom drama, Next of Kin will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-stopping page. * * * * Readers are GRIPPED by Next of Kin 'Kia Abdullah is the absolute queen of the courtroom drama' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'WOW!! This book is astonishingly brilliant! An absolute masterpiece' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I couldn't put this down and Kia Abdullah is becoming a firm favourite read' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Kia Abdullah is a writing maestro' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A gripping legal thriller that will leave you reeling. A book that will stay with you long after the last page. The ending is a stunner!' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Legal Thriller With Most Explosions Outside The Courtroom. This is a British legal thriller where the trial actually ends with about a quarter or so of the book left to go... and then the explosions start. By the end of the trial, you think you know what happened. And then there is the Detective, who, like in V for Vendetta, just isn't quite satisfied with the answers he's been given. So he continues to poke around a bit... and in the process the reader gets put through a shock and awe campaign that would wow even the Iraqis circa 2004. Truly an excellent tale very smartly told but covering topics which make a lot of us cringe at - which is one surefire sign of a tale that needs to be told. Truly the only potential negative mark here is for those readers who like every single plot thread tied up neatly in a nice little bow by the end of the book. This book... is more messy and “true to reality” than that. Still, partly because of that abrupt ending, this book is thus very much recommended.
A dark and twisty thriller centered around family drama? I'm in.
Leila adores her nephew Max... so what happens when he's found dead on her watch? Next thing she knows she's put in front of a jury to decide if this was a terrible accident or intentional. Through the trial, a lot of things that have gone unsaid between her and her sister Yasmin come to light. This along with flashbacks to other difficult times in their lives makes for an emotional journey. But it doesn't end there. There are more secrets being kept that threaten to change everything.
The book is broken up into three parts, each one following a different moment surrounding Max's death and the trial. The writing is immersive, though it jumps around from character to character mid-chapter which I found to be distracting at times. Nevertheless, I was hooked and finished the book in under twenty-four hours. There were some other things about it I didn't care for, however, I can't be specific what as they could be considered spoilers.
A huge thanks to HarperCollins/Harper360 for sending me a free ARC to read and review!
