There are plenty of legal thrillers out there. Simon Michael’s An Honest Man recommended itself to me through being set in London in the 1960s, and through authenticity (as far as I could tell) and general good writing.

Charles Holborne was, not long ago, a rising criminal defense barrister. In spite of prejudice – both class prejudice and antisemitism (he changed his name from Horowitz, to his mother’s annoyance), Charles’ legal and persuasive skills brought him success. Until he was accused of the murder of his wife. The story of how he cleared himself of that charge was the subject of the first book in the series, and An Honest Man is the second.

Charles has come down in the world. It doesn’t matter that he was innocent of the murder – the London bar is a small, parochial community, and Charles lives under a cloud now. He’s struggling for money, and contemplating taking a job with a large legal firm, losing forever the courtroom work he loves.

Then, to his surprise, he gets a request for representation from a very wealthy and prominent client – Harry Robeson, a criminal solicitor who’s helped defend some high-level organized crime figures. Charles is leery at first, unsure why a man with so many options would choose him. But Harry is charming and thoughtful, and Charles is soon convinced of his innocence. It doesn’t hurt that a corrupt policeman with whom he’s tangled before seems to have been playing some shady tricks.

Many surprises and twists lay ahead. An Honest Man is a cynical enough book to be realistic about the world, but just positive enough to satisfy the reader’s inner idealist. I liked it a lot.

Cautions for violence and a little more sexual detail than I considered necessary.

But overall I was very pleased.

[I note, once again, to my minor annoyance, that this book was written in the present tense. I seem to be hitting a string of those lately. I suppose it’s what the cool kids are doing these days.]