The Holdout was one of the Book of the Month picks for February, and as an avid true crime fan, I knew this was one for me. (Join Book of the Month here and get your first book for $5! It’s one of my favorite book clubs in the world.)
Maya Seale was the titular “holdout,” the only non-guilty voter at the start of months-long deliberations in the case of The People vs. Robert Nock. Bobby Nock had allegedly killed his teenaged student, Jessica Silver, after having an alleged sexual relationship with her. However, the details were not clear, because Jessica’s body was never found. The defense argued that because of this lack of a body, as well as many other unclear details, Bobby Nock should not be found guilty of murder. There was a reasonable doubt. Maya believes this, and argues ad nauseam with her fellow jury members, until they all agree. There was enough reasonable doubt to conclude that Bobby Nock should not be found guilty.
Flash forward 10 years. Having been fascinated by the procedures of the court, Maya Seale is now a highly-sought defense attorney. She’s defended some of the most notorious alleged criminals in Los Angeles. But one day, one of the other jury members, Rick, seeks her out to ask her to come back to the Omni Hotel, where they were sequestered for months, to film a documentary with the help of a popular true crime podcast.
Maya is hesitant, because she knows Rick still harbors major resentment for her due to her “cajoling” the rest of the jury to change their verdicts to not guilty. He thinks Bobby is guilty, and he claims to have new evidence that will prove he is right. After initially declining Rick’s invite, Maya decides that it’d be better to be there, to be involved, than to see the results later and not have any way to share her feelings, regardless of if she was “right” or “wrong” 10 years ago.
This book has TWISTS for days. I read it in under 24 hours, and it’s been quite a while since I’ve been sucked into a story like that! If you like true crime, mystery, whodunits, you’ll like The Holdout. Think Serial meets Twelve Angry Men meets And Then There Were None, and you’ll only have part of this roller coaster of a story.
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It’s no secret to those who know me — I love a good mystery. I enjoy true crime books, shows, and podcasts (My Favorite Murder 😍), not to mention mystery books and detective stories, be they true or fiction.
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld — In this series, Tally Youngblood is about to turn 16. In her society, that is the age when you “turn pretty” — you get surgery to make you perfect and bubbly-headed. This series has such cool technology and rebels and swoons and fights. Uglies was one of my favorite series when I was in middle school, and I have it from a very reliable source (Mr. Westerfeld himself) that there is more in this world coming!
Helen Grace series by M.J. Arlidge — This is an adult mystery/thriller series in which the main character, Detective Helen Grace, is on the prowl for serial killers. Each book focuses on a different killer, and they are all pretty gruesome and heart-pounding cases. This series has 5 books out in the US, but 2 additional out in the UK that aren’t here yet, PLUS two novellas.
off — These books are awesome for a few reasons. First, the story is just top notch space race against the ene<my. On top of that, both books feature absolutely bad-ass young women that show the villain who's boss. But ultimately, the reason that puts these at the top of many people's lists, is that the format and design of the book itself is stunning. Told through transcripts, emails, chats, web pages, and more, reading The Illuminae Files is a lot like what it sounds like — you're literally reading a file of evidence. But it's extremely well-done.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab — Set in a universe where three Londons exist in different worlds (Red London, White London, and Grey London), there exist two beings who are the only ones who can travel between worlds. When one of these beings unknowingly brings a piece of evil magic into the world, it creates a series of chaotic events that seemingly can’t be stopped. 
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han — This is just a cute, squishy, happy feels series. It all starts out when Lara Jean’s letters get mailed out. Sounds normal, right? But they’re not — they’re “break up” letters Lara Jean wrote to everyone she ever had a crush on or “loved,” as the title implies. This series has food, cute decorations and adorable clothes, swoon-worthy boys, and a strong family support system not often seen in books.
The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French — This series is super unique in that each book is from a different officer’s perspective, and you meet the new officer in the book before (typically). These books are beautifully written, but thorough, so don’t expect to fly through them. There’s 6 of them, and they range from creepy, to strange, to sad, to school-girl, and so much more. The perspectives aren’t always from a man or a woman, but rather switch off, which I find to be a nice change of pace. 
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