1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:13,493 Speaker 1: from Newstalk zb Twitter. 3 00:00:13,133 --> 00:00:15,333 Speaker 2: To twelve on New Stork ZBB, which means it's time 4 00:00:15,373 --> 00:00:17,453 Speaker 2: to get your book picks for the weekend. Katherine Rains 5 00:00:17,493 --> 00:00:19,893 Speaker 2: is our book reviewer. She's here and our Hi Catherine, 6 00:00:20,373 --> 00:00:23,133 Speaker 2: Morning Jack. Let's begin this morning with a new novel 7 00:00:23,173 --> 00:00:26,333 Speaker 2: from Michael Cordy tell us about Manhattan Down. 8 00:00:27,373 --> 00:00:31,333 Speaker 3: So this is an action packed thriller. And the climate 9 00:00:31,373 --> 00:00:34,453 Speaker 3: crisis has reached this very critical moment in times running 10 00:00:34,453 --> 00:00:37,333 Speaker 3: out for the world, particularly the richest nations, and they 11 00:00:37,373 --> 00:00:40,333 Speaker 3: decide to take some to decisive action to save the planet. 12 00:00:40,373 --> 00:00:43,053 Speaker 3: And so world leaders have gathered for a United Nations 13 00:00:43,053 --> 00:00:46,253 Speaker 3: summit at the UN headquarters in New York, and it's 14 00:00:46,253 --> 00:00:49,213 Speaker 3: been termed the Summit of Resilience and Hope. And you know, 15 00:00:49,573 --> 00:00:53,333 Speaker 3: there's swell foring temperatures and thousands of protesters, and this 16 00:00:53,413 --> 00:00:56,813 Speaker 3: woman called Samantha Rossi insists her daughter, teenage daughter Zoe, 17 00:00:56,853 --> 00:00:59,933 Speaker 3: has to attend school and not the protest. And then 18 00:00:59,933 --> 00:01:02,293 Speaker 3: there's more things that go on in this very distressing 19 00:01:02,373 --> 00:01:06,493 Speaker 3: news And meanwhile there's this detective, a guy called Nick Lolockwood, 20 00:01:06,853 --> 00:01:09,973 Speaker 3: whose attempt to protect us of pars partner Paula O'Malley 21 00:01:11,293 --> 00:01:14,573 Speaker 3: when she leads a chase and she's into conspiracy, therapies 22 00:01:14,613 --> 00:01:17,013 Speaker 3: and all sorts of things. And he wakes up eight 23 00:01:17,093 --> 00:01:19,573 Speaker 3: days later from a coma, and when he wakes up, 24 00:01:19,613 --> 00:01:22,853 Speaker 3: he discovers that everybody in the city at five twenty 25 00:01:22,893 --> 00:01:27,573 Speaker 3: five has fallen unconscious, apart from him and Samantha. And 26 00:01:27,613 --> 00:01:30,413 Speaker 3: then there's this group who identified themselves using only the 27 00:01:30,493 --> 00:01:33,213 Speaker 3: names of the Seven Deadly Sins and are out for revenge. 28 00:01:33,253 --> 00:01:36,013 Speaker 3: And they've got this list of demands and they're determined 29 00:01:36,053 --> 00:01:38,253 Speaker 3: that they're going to destroy Manhattan and everybody in it. 30 00:01:38,493 --> 00:01:41,293 Speaker 3: And of course the plot's completely outlandish and it's got 31 00:01:41,293 --> 00:01:44,373 Speaker 3: lots of twists, but it's a very thought provoking novel 32 00:01:44,413 --> 00:01:47,213 Speaker 3: based on, you know, lots of things that we kind 33 00:01:47,213 --> 00:01:49,253 Speaker 3: of see happening in the world now, and it kind 34 00:01:49,253 --> 00:01:49,933 Speaker 3: of brings in. 35 00:01:49,853 --> 00:01:51,453 Speaker 2: That real world. 36 00:01:52,053 --> 00:01:55,973 Speaker 3: Is this really so far removed from what's going on now? 37 00:01:55,973 --> 00:01:58,133 Speaker 3: And it's yeah, makes makes you think a little bit 38 00:01:58,133 --> 00:01:58,973 Speaker 3: more nice. 39 00:01:59,053 --> 00:02:02,093 Speaker 2: Okay, cool, that's Manhatten Down. That's by Michael Cordy. You've 40 00:02:02,093 --> 00:02:07,053 Speaker 2: also read The Cutthroat Trial by SJ. Fleet, So this 41 00:02:07,133 --> 00:02:09,293 Speaker 2: is sorry The Can't Throat Trial by es J. Fleet 42 00:02:09,573 --> 00:02:10,493 Speaker 2: The Secret Barrister. 43 00:02:11,373 --> 00:02:14,133 Speaker 3: Yes, so this says kind of s. J. Fleet is 44 00:02:14,133 --> 00:02:17,133 Speaker 3: a pen name and has written under a name called 45 00:02:17,133 --> 00:02:19,133 Speaker 3: the Secret Barrister as well, so it kind of gives 46 00:02:19,093 --> 00:02:21,053 Speaker 3: them a bit of an idea what the book might 47 00:02:21,093 --> 00:02:24,853 Speaker 3: be about. And this is the King versus three teenage 48 00:02:24,853 --> 00:02:28,773 Speaker 3: boys Craig Mervin Scott, Aaron Freeman and Jamil Lowten and 49 00:02:28,773 --> 00:02:31,293 Speaker 3: they charged with the murder of Bernard Cooper, who was 50 00:02:31,333 --> 00:02:35,733 Speaker 3: a seventy four year old retired headteacher. And this happens 51 00:02:35,773 --> 00:02:38,373 Speaker 3: and takes place on the first of January twenty twenty four, 52 00:02:39,053 --> 00:02:41,053 Speaker 3: so we kind of meet all of this in the 53 00:02:41,053 --> 00:02:44,093 Speaker 3: middle of the murder trial at Ablefield Crown Court. And 54 00:02:44,933 --> 00:02:48,053 Speaker 3: it's a really gripping story and it takes place almost 55 00:02:48,293 --> 00:02:51,293 Speaker 3: entirely in the courtroom, and you watch the trial unfold 56 00:02:51,653 --> 00:02:54,173 Speaker 3: and the ins and outs and the testimony from witnesses 57 00:02:54,173 --> 00:02:57,333 Speaker 3: and defendants and evidence along the way, and all with 58 00:02:57,453 --> 00:03:00,093 Speaker 3: kind of this question in your head about who's telling 59 00:03:00,093 --> 00:03:03,133 Speaker 3: the truth and what really happened. And it's told from 60 00:03:03,253 --> 00:03:07,893 Speaker 3: different points of view, the prosecuting barrister, defense barrister, the judge, 61 00:03:07,933 --> 00:03:10,933 Speaker 3: and two defendants, and so you get all that complexity 62 00:03:10,933 --> 00:03:13,573 Speaker 3: of the law and its applications, but you get to 63 00:03:13,613 --> 00:03:15,653 Speaker 3: see kind of the minds of the characters as well, 64 00:03:15,693 --> 00:03:19,813 Speaker 3: because you form opinions about those people and you're hearing 65 00:03:19,853 --> 00:03:22,373 Speaker 3: about their histories and their backgrounds, not just of the 66 00:03:22,413 --> 00:03:24,893 Speaker 3: defendants but the barristers and the police and the judge. 67 00:03:25,333 --> 00:03:29,573 Speaker 3: And so those courtroom scenes become intensely suspenseful as those 68 00:03:29,653 --> 00:03:31,773 Speaker 3: questions and authors go back and forth and twists that 69 00:03:31,813 --> 00:03:35,333 Speaker 3: are unexpected, and just as you think you really know 70 00:03:35,493 --> 00:03:39,493 Speaker 3: what's going on, things literally change. And it's a really 71 00:03:39,613 --> 00:03:43,173 Speaker 3: compelling look at the imperfections of the justice system by 72 00:03:43,373 --> 00:03:46,453 Speaker 3: and written by someone who I think knows an awful 73 00:03:46,493 --> 00:03:48,893 Speaker 3: lot about this, and it really feels like it when 74 00:03:48,933 --> 00:03:49,653 Speaker 3: you're reading the book. 75 00:03:49,893 --> 00:03:52,253 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, it sounds really interesting, all right. So that 76 00:03:52,773 --> 00:03:55,693 Speaker 2: is The Cutthroat Trial by East J. Fleet, the Secret 77 00:03:55,373 --> 00:03:59,893 Speaker 2: Barrister Catherine's first book, Manhattan Down by Michael Cordy. Both 78 00:03:59,893 --> 00:04:02,733 Speaker 2: of those are beyond the News Talks They'd be website for. 79 00:04:02,733 --> 00:04:05,813 Speaker 1: More from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen live to 80 00:04:05,893 --> 00:04:08,933 Speaker 1: News Talk said Be from nine am Saturday, or follow 81 00:04:08,973 --> 00:04:10,533 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.