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A notorious loan shark is shot dead outside the Old Bailey. The killer is apprehended at the scene and Adrian Stanford is about to take on the toughest case of his career. Can he steer his client past the no-nonsense detective Chief Superintendent 'Iron' Rod Stokes, hell bent, in his last case before retirement, in achieving a murder conviction? Or the acerbic judge known to all as Mack The Knife, whose own resolve is being tested to the limit by an adulterous wife? That's assuming he can keep him alive long enough for the trial to even go ahead. And why is London underworld numero uno Big Jake Davenport showing such a close interest in the case? A wickedly eccentric cast of brilliantly-drawn characters from both sides of the legal divide populate this daring debut from one of Britain's top criminal defence lawyers. Dripping with sparkling dialogue and delicious wit, Murder at the Bailey is a brilliant picaresque romp through the courtrooms, custody suites and Italian restaurants of London. Having spent over 40 years observing crime play out from a ringside seat Milner's first novel draws on his incomparable experience of the law in action and is peopled by characters who have had the misfortune to cross his portals. (less)

A notorious loan shark is shot dead outside the Old Bailey. The killer is apprehended at the scene and Adrian Stanford is about to take on the toughest case of his career. Can he steer his client past the no-nonsense detective Chief (…more)