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Simon Michael

Goodreads Author

Born

in London, The United Kingdom

January 04

Website

http://www.simonmichael.uk

Twitter

https://twitter.com/simonmichaeluk

Genre

Crime, Historical Fiction

Influences

Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hamett, Damon Runyon

Member Since

September 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/simonmichael

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I am the author of the semi-autobiographical Charles Holborne crime and courtroom drama series. I'm sometimes referred to as the “British John Grisham”. The series, currently nine books, is based on my East End Cockney roots and my 37 years as a barrister (trial attorney) during which I prosecuted and defended every sort of villainy, from murder to rape, to armed robbery. Set in 1960s gangland London, the thrillers feature the big political events and cases of the day, as we moved from crumbling Empire and grey post-war rationing, to the Kray twins, Profumo, Carnaby Street, flower power, sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. The books are populated by the mad judges, corrupt coppers, lying clients and charming rogues I encountered during what was th ...more

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Simon Michael’s books

Average rating: 4.34 · 5,370 ratings · 445 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Brief (Charles Holborne #1) 4.10 avg rating — 1,827 ratings — published 2015 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Honest Man (Charles Holborne #2) 4.27 avg rating — 845 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lighterman (Charles Holborne #3) 4.39 avg rating — 473 ratings — published 2017 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Waxwork Corpse (Charles Holborne #5) 4.49 avg rating — 408 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Corrupted (Charles Holborne, #4) 4.41 avg rating — 390 ratings — published 2018 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nothing But The Truth (Charles Holborne #8) 4.67 avg rating — 352 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Final Shot (Charles Holborne #7) 4.52 avg rating — 341 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Force of Evil (Charles Holborne #6) 4.60 avg rating — 332 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Death, Adjourned (Charles Holborne #9) 4.69 avg rating — 252 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers: Books 1-3 4.56 avg rating — 75 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Simon Michael's Blog

Trial by Jury

The life of a criminal barrister is one of high stress, sweat-inducing responsibility, poor pay, unbeatable camaraderie and extremely funny stories. The “life-and-death” issues in which barristers deal - like police officers, surgeons and firemen – make humour an essential coping tool.
I was a pupil barrister in the Chambers of Robert Flach QC, in the Middle Temple, of whom hilarious stories are l Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 1 comment • flag

Published on September 25, 2016 05:08 • Tags: crime-barrister-trial-humour

Series by Simon Michael

Charles Holborne (10 books)
by

Simon Michael (Goodreads Author)

4.34 avg rating — 5,282 ratings

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The Puppet Show (Washington Poe, #1)

by M.W. Craven (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 24, 2025 07:27AM

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Scene from a Lower Bench

by Penny Ryding

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Simon Michael rated a book it was amazing The Fall Guy: Rock 'n' roll murder in 1960s London (Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers Book 10) by Simon Michael (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17 hours, 28 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Fall Guy by Simon Michael. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Fall Guy by Simon Michael <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Simon Michael liked Jack Bush's review of The Fall Guy: Rock 'n' roll murder in 1960s London (Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers Book 10): "I very seldom get books on pre-order, but I was happy to make an exception for the latest Charles Holborne saga. And I was delighted that I did. This has been, and remains, one of my absolute favourite crime fiction series. I’ve grumbled a bit in pre" Read more of this review »
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Simon Michael rated a book it was ok Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Shows how easy it is to pull the wool over the eyes of the literati. It takes the concept of the unreliable narrator to its logical conclusion, but left me not caring about the reveal at the end. If for 50% of a book you present a person’s “truth” as ...more
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Simon Michael liked vince weldon's review of The Fall Guy: Rock 'n' roll murder in 1960s London (Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers Book 10): "I am hooked to the Charles Holborn stories , and this, the tenth installment was not a disappointment. Simon Michael dips his toe into the late sixties UK music scene, tainted by the corruption within the Metropolitan Police - I've recently read some " Read more of this review »
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Quotes by Simon Michael (?)

“Your doctor will know of him, certainly.”
― Simon Michael, Force of Evil

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Simon’s Quotes

“I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
― Rutger Hauer, All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants, and Blade Runners

tags: blade-runner, science-fiction

207 likes

“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”
― E.E. Cummings

tags: love, moon, stars, sun

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