The third book in the series starring the barrister Charles Holborne by Simon Michael titled The Lighterman was released earlier this month and an outstanding legal thriller based in the 1960’s and is a terrifically absorbing read. For anyone new to the series the barrister Charles Holborne was formally known as Charles Horowitz, why you may well ask. This you will have to dig a little deeper into the previous two in the series. 1960’s London and the Krays are at their height and Holborne has had previous with the Krays and in this era of the gangs of London and the corruption that was going on at the time, it is all here in The Lighterman. Even within the police force there is corruption and Charles Holborne has to be at his very best to be ahead in the case. We will also have a glimpse into the time of the blitz when he was a teenager and his family were bombed out of their home and moved to the safety of Wales only for Charles to run away and heads back to London and stays with relatives. This is where he ends up working on the river as a ‘Lighterman’ These are formative years for Charles Holborne and when years later he began in the legal profession he had to change his name to be ‘accepted’. This time around the case is very close to home as his has to defend his cousin Izzy who is accused of murder, but to confront the case the past also must be confronted and this will not be easy and the Kray's are never too far away and are keeping more than a keen eye on the case and also on our barrister. For anyone who has not read the first two books in the series you need not worry this can be read as a standalone book as there is enough in the background of the story to give you an insight and will also make you want to read the previous two. I really enjoy a thrilling courtroom drama and this delivers. With the added Kray's lurking not too far away this is one book that anyone who enjoys a thriller will want to read. Question is will there be a book four? An ideal Father’s Day gift. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Thank you to Matthew at Urbane Publications for the advanced review copy.

"The Lighterman" is the follow up to the highly successful "The Brief" and "An Honest Man" featuring Charles Holborn in the legal thriller series set in London's 1960's. I normally find courtroom dramas a little dull but I have to say that I have never been bored with a Charles Holborn story as you become so embroiled in his character and life that it's almost impossible to put the book down. 'When Charles Holborne's cousin, Izzy, is accused of murder, Charles must dig up the secrets of the past to defend him. But brutal gangland leader Ronnie Kray will stop at nothing to get his revenge on Charles for the events of 'An Honest Man.' Can Charles save his cousin...and his own life?' What I like about the author Simon Michael is that he always includes snippets of London's historical architecture in the story and as he admits himself it's an important a character in its own right. Simon also knows how to engage a reader so that you are kept intrigued from the very start and in this particular story the involvement of the Kray Twins really peaked my interest as I have always been intrigued by them and their 1960's criminal underworld. The use of police and courtroom documents are once again used in the story which I do like to see and it's obvious that the author has incorporated an intense amount of his own many years of knowledge and experience as a barrister into his stories and this is evident in the authenticity of his plots. "The Lighterman" is once again an excellent example of BritCrime at its best and I now eagerly await "Corrugated", the fourth in the series. 4 stars