Friday 4 August 2017

BOOK REVIEW | 'The Pinocchio Brief' by Abi Silver (****)

Hi guys, and happy Friday! Today I am really excited to be sharing a review with you of a book I read aaaggeeess ago, but since I was part of the blog tour only last week I thought this was the perfect time to share my review with you! 

The Pinocchio Brief is a tense, gripping thriller following a murder investigation of a teacher, supposedly murdered by a fifteen-year-old student. Judith, an experienced and  accomplished lawyer has come out of retirement, and she joins Constance, a solicitor new to the game, to try and fight Raymond's case. But this is no ordinary case, and boy is no ordinary boy. In a twisted story of secrets, lies and influential, powerful technology,  The Pinocchio Brief explores a world where technology strives to solve the ultimate human problem - how do you know if someone is lying?


A 15-year-old schoolboy is accused of the brutal murder of one of his teachers.

His lawyers – the guarded veteran, Judith, and the energetic young solicitor, Constance – begin a desperate pursuit of the truth, revealing uncomfortable secrets about the teacher and the school.

But Judith has her own secrets which she risks exposing when it is announced that a new lie-detecting device, nicknamed Pinocchio, will be used during the trial. And is the accused, a troubled boy who loves challenges, trying to help them or not?


The Pinocchio Brief is a gripping courtroom thriller which confronts our assumptions about truth and our increasing reliance on technology.

I loved this book; I haven't read a thriller/murder mystery book in a while, and it was a very enjoyable read for me. I loved the character of Raymond and Judith - they were so interesting to read about and intensely realistic. Obviously neither of them are perfect, but somehow this made them all the more likeable. I feel like their characters developed so much throughout the novel and this was really great to read. 

The Pinocchio Brief is the kind of book that starts from a specific point, a simple narrative, and then spirals out of control into so many different directions. This is a reason I loved this book, it was an excitingly realistic portrayal of court room drama, and I was completely sucked in. The inclusion of a discussion about our interdependence of technology makes this a thoroughly topical and compelling read. 

I loved now the narrative alternated between third person and Raymond - it created an amazing sense of suspense and was also so fascinating to get an insight into this highly sophisticated and intelligent mind. I found these sections to be particularly well-written, I felt like I got such a close understanding of Raymond. 

The court scene was my favourite part of the book and I was on tenterhooks the whole way through! You can easily tell that Abi Silver is a lawyer - throughout the section the writing was so effortlessly accomplished and the dialogue flawless. I thought the ending of the book was fabulous and I loved the twist. 

If you're looking for a book to grip you this summer, The Pinocchio Brief is the book to read this summer!

Check out my post by Abi Silver for the blog tour that took place last week all about her inspiration for writing The Pinocchio Brief!

Check out this video of Abi Silver talking about The Pinocchio Brief: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa8qAGUPHkM


Check out Abi Silver here: http://abisilver.co.uk

Until next time :)

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