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Caper Court #7
Breath of Corruption
Part of the "Caper Court" series, this novel recounts the lives and loves of a group of London barristers. It offers insights into London's legal world.
200 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
9 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Caro Fraser
18 books45 followersCaroline Georgiana ("Caro") Fraser was a novelist.
Fraser began her career as an advertising copywriter. She became a commercial and maritime lawyer, and practised until 1992, when she became a full-time writer.
Fraser began her career as an advertising copywriter. She became a commercial and maritime lawyer, and practised until 1992, when she became a full-time writer.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 9, 2025
If I am honest, this was my least favourite of the series so far. Gone are Sarah and Camilla (opposite ends of the moral spectrum), and in are a couple of shallow London socialites, Anthea and Lola, plus Anthea’s 17 year old half-sister, Lucy (who – natch - has a crush on Leo). Oh, and there is also a Ukrainian gangster (prostitution, money laundering, arms sales, etc.) who behaves, um, just like you would expect such a gangster to behave. Even some of the internal Caper Court intrigues are more melodramatic than usual. And we also get a bit more of a detailed insight than normal into why Leo has such sexual success with women: Anthea relating that he has just performed four times in one night (though this doesn’t impress her friend, who points out that Tony Blair was apparently a five-times-a-night man). I read that, unlike previous books in the series, this book was self-published, and the lack of an external editor might explain why (in my 2007 paperback edition at least) there are – as well as quite a few typos – two clear inconsistencies. In chapter 5, we are told that Maurice Faber is 38 years old; but in chapter 7 (a day or so later) he is in his early 40s. And in chapter 39 Leo invites Anthony back to see his new house for the first time, forgetting that in chapter 19 Anthony had already been round to the house for lunch. Still, I gobbled the book down as I have done with all the previous books in the series, and I am already looking forward to reading Book 8 to see what happens next.
April 12, 2020
This is a great read. I love the Caper Court series. I enjoy the way that Caro Fraser writes.
Lola, a 31 year old trust fund babe, enjoys a wine or several at lunchtime. She’s also partial to cocaine. She thinks that if she had her friend Anthea’s great body and endless legs, she’d do a bit of modelling to pass the time. Anthea tells her she is sleeping with Leo Davies, the eminent and notorious QC, who swings both ways. She tells Lola that he is up for sex four times a night. Lola thinks that’s just showing off. That, in terms of crassness, it’s positively Tony Blairesque!
This book is about Leo and Anthony Cross, both barristers, and Felicity their clerk at Caper Court. While Law comes into the book, It focuses a lot more on their lives and loves, their family members, and others who cross their paths.
I liked the introduction of a number of new characters in this book. There is less legal detail about cases in this book than there is in the earlier six books in the series. There’s Rachel, Leo’s ex wife, who can't seem to let go. There’s Henry, also at Caper Court, who has a crush on Felicity. There’s Lucy, the sexy seventeen year old, who has a nasty, vindictive streak. And not forgetting Viktor, the Ukrainian, who's trying to determine the possible fluid nature of the purported incorruptibility of the English barrister.
I highly recommend this well written book. You wouldn’t need to have read the earlier books in the series to enjoy this read.
Lola, a 31 year old trust fund babe, enjoys a wine or several at lunchtime. She’s also partial to cocaine. She thinks that if she had her friend Anthea’s great body and endless legs, she’d do a bit of modelling to pass the time. Anthea tells her she is sleeping with Leo Davies, the eminent and notorious QC, who swings both ways. She tells Lola that he is up for sex four times a night. Lola thinks that’s just showing off. That, in terms of crassness, it’s positively Tony Blairesque!
This book is about Leo and Anthony Cross, both barristers, and Felicity their clerk at Caper Court. While Law comes into the book, It focuses a lot more on their lives and loves, their family members, and others who cross their paths.
I liked the introduction of a number of new characters in this book. There is less legal detail about cases in this book than there is in the earlier six books in the series. There’s Rachel, Leo’s ex wife, who can't seem to let go. There’s Henry, also at Caper Court, who has a crush on Felicity. There’s Lucy, the sexy seventeen year old, who has a nasty, vindictive streak. And not forgetting Viktor, the Ukrainian, who's trying to determine the possible fluid nature of the purported incorruptibility of the English barrister.
I highly recommend this well written book. You wouldn’t need to have read the earlier books in the series to enjoy this read.
April 8, 2020
I like Caro Fraser's Caper Court series - the characters have evolved over time and Leo and Anthony are compelling enough to keep the reader's attention, but this is not the best - I ended up feeling that the author's attention was not fully engaged as she wrote. Towards the last few pages I had almost lost interest, despite the storyline itself having more action than usual, but she managed to grab my attention again just before the end, so I will persevere.
May 12, 2019
Another good story in this series, only one more to go..I’m distraught!
October 1, 2020
Love this series. Sadly Caro Fraser died this year which I hadn’t found out until recently. Two more books and there will be no more. Hopefully will come to a good conclusion.
April 12, 2024
Excellent series about a legal chambers and the people who work there. Definitely different and you can't wait to read more.
December 12, 2010
I wrote a review for this when I finished reading it a few weeks ago and am now very upset because I have lost it! I guess it must have been deleted in error, I wonder? This is when I find computers frustrating because I do not understand properly what I am doing.
I just do not have the time at the moment to rewrite which is a shame a I wanted to post it today.
My apologies, so all I can say is I enjoyed it, an easy read which I recommend to all Caro Fraser fans. It does not matter if you have not read any of the earlier novels in the series though to enjoy this ‘thinking woman’s chick lit’, (quote from back cover). Instead of my review here is a taster, the start of the first chapter of ‘Breath of Corruption’, Number 7 in the Caper Court Series, reproduced from the authors Official Website.
Breath Of Corruption - Chapter 1
Lola added, 'And bring us another bottle of this.' The waitress took the empty bottle and disappeared. A bottle was far more than anyone should drink at lunchtime, Lola knew, but sod it - Anthea, who was meant to be living on a model's diet of egg whites and mineral water, didn't care, so neither did she. There wasn't anything else to do with the day, anyway. Maybe they'd wobble along to the Curzon afterwards and slip into a late afternoon film. Then home for a nap, up at nine to shower and beautify, and out on the town for such pleasures as the rest of the night might yield. A wealthy family and a trust fund did give one a charmed life, but even Lola found it boring occasionally - though alcohol and the odd recreational drug helped take the edge off the tedium. In the long years since leaving her Swiss finishing school, Lola had often thought she should get herself some not-too-demanding job - something involving flexible hours and long lunches, and a stylish office with a PA - but that meant working, and genuine work didn't really appeal. And to be honest, at thirty-one, she was a bit scared that whatever skills she'd once possessed might be a bit rusty by now. Some of her friends ran fashions shops and glam little businesses, but that took effort, too. And ideas. If she'd had Anthea's long legs and amazingly slim figure, not to mention her looks, she'd have been able to do a little casual modelling, too. Anthea needed the money, of course, but the job had a certain cachet, and gave her something else to talk about.
'What does he look like?'……………………..
If you are interested I did post a review of No 6 in the series a few months ago, just visit my Book Review Blog or look for it here on Goodreads, 'Calculating Heart' where I have also included some biographical information on the author. (not here but on my blog)
Further information about Caro Fraser and the next book No 8 in the Caper Court Series can also be found by following the links listed on my review at LindyLouMac's Book Reviews
The moral is I must post my reviews as soon as I have written them instead of saving them for later, so that this does not happen again. Having learnt my lesson the hard way I will now go and finish writing the review for the book I have just finished.
I just do not have the time at the moment to rewrite which is a shame a I wanted to post it today.
My apologies, so all I can say is I enjoyed it, an easy read which I recommend to all Caro Fraser fans. It does not matter if you have not read any of the earlier novels in the series though to enjoy this ‘thinking woman’s chick lit’, (quote from back cover). Instead of my review here is a taster, the start of the first chapter of ‘Breath of Corruption’, Number 7 in the Caper Court Series, reproduced from the authors Official Website.
Breath Of Corruption - Chapter 1
Lola added, 'And bring us another bottle of this.' The waitress took the empty bottle and disappeared. A bottle was far more than anyone should drink at lunchtime, Lola knew, but sod it - Anthea, who was meant to be living on a model's diet of egg whites and mineral water, didn't care, so neither did she. There wasn't anything else to do with the day, anyway. Maybe they'd wobble along to the Curzon afterwards and slip into a late afternoon film. Then home for a nap, up at nine to shower and beautify, and out on the town for such pleasures as the rest of the night might yield. A wealthy family and a trust fund did give one a charmed life, but even Lola found it boring occasionally - though alcohol and the odd recreational drug helped take the edge off the tedium. In the long years since leaving her Swiss finishing school, Lola had often thought she should get herself some not-too-demanding job - something involving flexible hours and long lunches, and a stylish office with a PA - but that meant working, and genuine work didn't really appeal. And to be honest, at thirty-one, she was a bit scared that whatever skills she'd once possessed might be a bit rusty by now. Some of her friends ran fashions shops and glam little businesses, but that took effort, too. And ideas. If she'd had Anthea's long legs and amazingly slim figure, not to mention her looks, she'd have been able to do a little casual modelling, too. Anthea needed the money, of course, but the job had a certain cachet, and gave her something else to talk about.
'What does he look like?'……………………..
If you are interested I did post a review of No 6 in the series a few months ago, just visit my Book Review Blog or look for it here on Goodreads, 'Calculating Heart' where I have also included some biographical information on the author. (not here but on my blog)
Further information about Caro Fraser and the next book No 8 in the Caper Court Series can also be found by following the links listed on my review at LindyLouMac's Book Reviews
The moral is I must post my reviews as soon as I have written them instead of saving them for later, so that this does not happen again. Having learnt my lesson the hard way I will now go and finish writing the review for the book I have just finished.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews