2024 the best offense is a good defence review

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#1 in the Best Defence/Robbie Munro Series

Crime with an edge of dark humour. The Best Defence series could only come out of Scotland.

Tommy Flanagan, Braveheart, SOA, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Robbie Munro is a delicious and delightful read
Barry Ryan Free@Last TV

Follow the trials of Scots criminal lawyer Robbie Munro as he joins battle in the fight for truth and justice - hoping truth and justice don't win too often because it's terribly bad for business.

A policeman with a caved-in skull, his young wife found clutching the blood-stained murder weapon; it all looks pretty open and shut until Robbie detects the faint whiff of a defence and closes in on a witness who might cast a precious doubt on proceedings.

So why is it, the nearer he gets to the truth and a possible acquittal, that Robbie's murder client becomes more and more eager to opt for a life sentence?

Short-Listed for the Dundee International Book Prize

More in the Best Defence/Robbie Munro Series:

Duty ManSharp PracticeKiller ContractCrime FictionLast WillPresent TenseGood News Bad NewsStitch UpFixed oddsBad DebtBest DefenceHow Come?No Problem

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Best Defence Limited (January 1, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 327 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1999813324
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1999813321
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.82 x 8 inches
Reviewer: Melissa Sugar-Gold
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: My Favorite New Mystery Author
Review: Loved the protagonist, defense attorney Robbie Munro. I wasn't sure what to expect at first as I was a career prosecutor most of my life, all though I did work as a criminal defense attorney for a while. After I finished the book, my husband, a career criminal defense attorney took his turn. We both loved the writer's style and voice. It's hard not to fall for a book when the author hooks you with the first line, "He'd been stabbed through the brain." McIntyre never let up. I was captivated from chapter one and read the relatively short mystery in one weekend, engrossed from the beginning. I particularly liked the added mix of wit and humor. His characters are well developed. My only problem was the slight language barrier. It took me a little while to catch on to the law enforcement lingo as the story takes place in Scotland and I'm in the U.S. Our terms and phrases are somewhat different, but after a short while it was easy enough to decipher what they were getting at. I'm definitely a new fan, as is my husband and we will be purchasing the rest of the series as well as any more of the author's books. His plot was superbly developed and had me guessing up until very close to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this bookMelissa Sugar @Melissa Sugar Writes

Reviewer: Patricia
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Well plotted, well written - but lacks excitement
Review: Defense attorney Robbie Munro is a well-written character as are all the other people in the novel - albeit occasionally they tend to become caricatures. The tale is made up of multiple parallel plot elements - the murder trial of a young woman who allegedly killed her husband, Robbie's wayward brother who is being hunted by an assassin, and Robbie's landlord who slips in and out of the plot but turns it upside down with each appearance - all carried to fruition and tied up more or less neatly. However, this book is not a page-turner. It is interesting but not particularly exciting. And fire up your dictionaries unless you are well-versed in Scottish vernacular and know the meaning of kip, croft and the like.

Reviewer: Big reader
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Scottish phrases and legal system are hard to understand
Review: Intensely Scottish in language and legalities. These do not make for easy reading, but I kept at it because the author does have a good turn of phrases, interesting characters and a plot twist.

Reviewer: Su Co
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A DELIGHTFUL OLD FASHION MYSTERY
Review: What a delightful old fashion mystery, a fun read! So nice to have a detective, actually a lawyer, who is not down and out although having the problems connected with setting up his own office after leaving a well known law firm. The author plays fair in introducing characters and giving hints before revealing the "who done it" and then clearing up all the loose ends. So satisfying. I look forward to reading the next in this series.Another plus is that while there is violence, after all it is a murder mystery, it doesn't have graphic sex or violence to get in the way of the flow of the plot. The Scottish legal system is a bit confusing since it is different from the English or USA legal systems. I found that changing my default dictionary on my Kindle from the New Oxford American to the Oxford English was very helpful since many words were not familiar such as Y-fronts. It really wouldn't spoil the story not knowing that they are men and boys underpants but it adds to the flavor.

Reviewer: Lina
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A jolly good read
Review: A really good book about a lawyer who seems to trip along with his associates and has a damning case against a female client who is charged with murder. It held my interest and after the first few chapters, I was engrossed in the complications that this lawyer has. Lots of coffee and a likeable office staff who seem to have the interests of their boss at heart. I immediately bought the next book in the series. Well written and interesting Scottish humor which I enjoyed. Plenty of characters who are either despicable or simply devious.

Reviewer: Bonnie Patton
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: masterful storyteller
Review: This book grabbed my interest and kept it through the entire reading. The main character, a lawyer, is very likable and it was interesting to learn the workings of Scottish court compared to United States courts. The book is easy to read and you will not guess the ending ahead of time. I enjoyed reading this book and would read more by this author.

Reviewer: Eric C. Welch
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fun Scottish Legal Read
Review: “He been stabbed through the brain.” That first line is guaranteed to grab your attention. Robbie is a lawyer in Scotland (just like his creator) whose client is Ilsa Galbraith, a sweet young thing, charged with the vicious murder of her constable husband. She hit him with an axe first, then stabbed him in the head repeatedly with a Phillips screwdriver. Sounds like quite a case until he gets home and discovers his brother, whom he hasn’t seen in three years, asleep in his bed (jet lag following a one-hour flight from London) who announces he has killed Cat, his girlfriend, and Robbie’s erstwhile squeeze (until he found Malky and Cat doing their own form of squeezing in his bed one day.) How could you not like a book that starts off like that in just the first two chapters.It’s not long before Robbie is trying to extricate himself from a “passing counterfeit money” charge while keeping Cat’s father from killing Malky whom he blames for Cat’s death in the car accident and at the same time provide good legal representation for Ilsa by getting her off on a justifiable homicide since her husband regularly beat her. Or so he thinks.I loved this book. Not only does it provide a bit of insight into the Scottish legal system (I have never understood the relationship between barristers, solicitors, and QC’s and all that), but Robbie Munro has such a wise-ass view of the system. He’s got a great legal secretary from the old school, Mary Grace, and a wet-behind-the-ears legal intern, Andy and a hot receptionist, Zoe. Punny title, too.

Reviewer: AmazonKundin
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Autor William McIntyre ist selbst Jurist und verarbeitet in seiner 'Best Defence'-Reihe um den schottischen Strafverteidiger Robbie Munro einige seiner Fälle/Erlebnisse. Zumindest in diesem ersten Band ist ihm das meiner Meinung nach ganz gut gelungen. "Relatively Guilty" ist zwar nicht das, was ich als 'Pageturner' bezeichnen würde, und allzu lang wird es mir wohl auch nicht im Gedächtnis bleiben. Trotzdem hat mich der Roman insgesamt gut unterhalten, und ich habe mir Folge 2 bereits auf meine Merkliste gesetzt.Hauptfigur und Ich-Erzähler Munro ist ein sympathischer Typ - clever und durchaus erfolgreich, aber kein Überflieger und Alleskönner, so dass er halbwegs glaubhaft bleibt. Seine Mandanten sind überwiegend eine bunte Mischung aus Betrügern, Verkehrssündern und Kleinkriminellen aller Art. Und natürlich sind auch Mord und Totschlag (und die schottische Variante eines Mafiosi!) dabei. Das Ganze ist locker geschrieben, kurzweilig und humorvoll. Mir hat’s gefallen.

Reviewer: Jimbo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Being a Scot but living in England, I tend to enjoy Tartan Noir and things about Scotland - so gave these (Relatively Guilty and Duty Man) a go due to the price and the reviews. So glad that I read them. The viewpoint of a Defence Solicitor and the neds that he tends to have to look after whilst being involved with some very dodgy characters due to his previous work with an upmarket legal firm in Glasgow but now trying to go it alone in West Lothian, is an interesting take on your usual thriller genre. I am not sure that Linlithgow would be able to sustain the amount action that goes on, so utilising Edinburgh and Glasgow is neat trick. The books are not very long but are extremely readable and the plots are very well woven together. The central character Robbie Munroe is a flawed guy who is trying to make ends meet as a solicitor and has a liberal view on jurisprudence. This is tempered by his dad, an ex-cop, who tends to have a go at his son, when he finds out from ex-colleagues, what his son is up to. Great interactions between the family and staff members at his law firm. I cannot believe that Mr McIntyre has not got a regular publishing deal - he is very talented and I hope to read more from him. My recommendation is to buy and enjoy - at this price, you are missing out on a darn good yarn!

Reviewer: Booklovingteacher78
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I have only just discover this author but I am so glad I did. I heard an interview with him on David Wilson’s Crime Files and decided to look up the books. Living near Linlithgow means that I recognise all the places talked about and this helped pull me in. I thought the book started a bit slowly but it was worth sticking it out! I look forward to reading more of Robbie Munro’s antics in the rest of the series.

Reviewer: Mrs. Y. M. Greenwood
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Thoroughly entertaining read! Good length chapters allowing me to get on with life and not have to halt in the middle of a chapter. Loved all the characters and the family relationships between Robbie, his Bro and his Dad. Robbie's Secretary and receptionist sound brilliant and also have a great rapport with Robbie. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Enjoyed all the laugh out loud moments, no spoilers here, but one of them involved next doors cat! Saw William McIntyre being interviewed on a BBC crime programme by Colin Wilson and was intrigued and this prompted me to seek out his novels. I'm so glad I have found this author, especially being as I live in Scotland and much prefer to read books from the UK rather than the US. Thank you for a very exciting 2 days whilst I read this book. Now I must catch up on my housework and knitting before I download the next one!

Reviewer: M. Harris
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Slow to start, I usually go for gory, multiple murder police procedural series. It took me a while to get into, and the complexity of the Scottish legal system took effort to follow. The main characters were well written and I really enjoyed the dry humour that ran throughput. Will certainly try the next one in the series. Worth a go.