The Murder Rule Dervla McTiernan, by

HarperCollins

Like her protagonist Hannah Rokeby, author Dervla McTiernan studied law at university and says she’s still fascinated by “its nooks and crannies and deep injustices”. This twisty thriller was sparked by a newspaper article about a law student working for the Innocence Project, which finds new evidence in cases where the accused continues to protest their innocence. Here, Hannah manages to secure a place on a project to free a convicted rapist and murderer currently on death row. The subterfuge is because Hannah believes he’s guilty, if not of this crime, certainly of another and she is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure he stays in prison. Her evidence – scribblings she has found in her alcoholic mother’s diary.