The Fall Guy: Rock 'n' roll murder in 1960s London

Charles Holborne #10

by Simon Michael

Charles Holborne faces a new courtroom drama! Perfect for fans of John Grisham, Robert Bailey, Michael Connelly and Robert Dugoni.

Crime and corruption go hand in hand in 1960s London…

London, 1969

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who … Tin Pan Alley is the heart of London’s music scene.

It is also the dark heart of a ruthless business tainted by sex, drugs and corruption.

When a young fan is found dead from a heroin overdose at an American rock star’s accommodation and the band’s manager is charged with her murder, Charles Holborne, barrister, must defend him.

But Holborne is getting married in two weeks, and for some reason DS Sean Sloane, his best man, refuses to speak to him.

Has Sloane been turned? What has a select group of corrupt Met officers known as ‘the Team’ to do with the case?

And is Holborne’s client the unscrupulous venal businessman he is portrayed as or is he, perhaps, The Fall Guy?

THE FALL GUY is the tenth crime novel in an exciting historical series, the Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers – gritty, hard-boiled mysteries set in 1960s London.

'an authentic legal thriller with a great background in that best of all musical times, the Sixties' – Martin Edwards, winner of the Crime Writers Association Diamond Dagger

'Simon Michael’s Charles Holborne is one of crime fiction’s most compelling creations. The courtroom scenes crackle with energy, but it’s the depth of character and chilling plausibility that makes The Fall Guy unforgettable. Unflinching and superbly written.' – Adam Croft, bestselling author of The Rutland Crime Series

THE CHARLES HOLBORNE LEGAL THRILLERS SERIES
BOOK The Brief
BOOK An Honest Man
BOOK The Lighterman
BOOK Corrupted
BOOK The Waxwork Corpse
BOOK Force of Evil
BOOK The Final Shot
BOOK Nothing But The Truth
BOOK Death, Adjourned
BOOK The Fall Guy

409 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2025

About the author

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 the Wild West of British Justice. As Sir Robert Mark, a later Commissioner of Metropolitan Police was to say:."The CID was the most routinely corrupt organisation in London”, and so it was. But it sure was exciting for those in the trenches. I hope you'll enjoy the ride.

Reviews

[Mariatruscotthotmail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Charles Holborne books- he is a smart, justice seeking barrister-protagonist who is an outsider in the elite legal world of Inner Chambers and endearing for all his qualities and flaws. Growing up myself in north London in the 60’s and 70’s and working in Holborn and Chancery Lane in the 80’s it has been a pleasure to retrace familiar haunts through the past. I really enjoy the way the author weaves real legal experience through actual historical cases. In this particular book, you get a glimpse of the burgeoning music scene, so iconic of Soho, and all that came to be associated with it in terms of promotors and opportunists who can take advantage of the sex, drugs and rock and roll era as adjuncts to the emerging music talent, including the increasingly questionable entanglement of the Met Police, all aspects being well researched and referenced.
Highly recommend the series overall as well as this latest one. Whilst each book is a stand alone story, it’s rewarding to trace Charlie’s character development from the first book and his relationship with the east end underworld.

[vince weldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 rock bios, including the excellent Keith Richards "Life" and I'd say this book isn't far off the reality of the day...

I won't give away any spoilers, just give some positives for the plot twists that I've come to expect (as in I know Mr Michael will have them NOT that I could see them coming) and some kudos for the soap opera elements of the series which I rather enjoy - and it was nice to end the book on a happy note.

I won't say it was unputdownable as I read it over five days BUT I did spend a sunny Monday morning doing nothing but read the latter half of the book as I didn't want to let the trial, and it's inevitable intrigues go; for me that's as "unputdownable" as any book I've read in the past couple of years.

I look forward to the next entry which I think could see our hero coming into the 1970's and all the fun and games that decade brought to bare.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another corker

I am a huge fan of this series, both as someone who enjoys crime fiction and as a serving DS in the Met Police. The authors experience and obvious love of history shines through in all his books, as such they stand out from the pack and make for exceptionally compelling reading.

[Jack Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 previous reviews about the amount of time given over to Charles’s turbulent relationship with his family, and there is more here too than I would have liked (although, without wanting to include a spoiler, there is less likely to be so much in future books!). And I’ve not been a great follower of Charles’s romantic life either, so I found the ending a bit schmaltzy.

But, boy, the main story – Charles’s defence of an alleged murderer during the golden age of Metropolitan Police corruption – is wonderfully portrayed. The author must have been too young to have practised as a barrister in the late 1960s, but you do feel that this is what it really must have been like: Scotland Yard detectives as bent as a nine bob note, but juries reluctant to disbelieve them, especially when they had been winning medals in the armed forces just a couple of decades earlier. I thought the judge was brilliantly characterised too; I’m sure there must have been a speck of dust in my eye when reading the final scenes in which he appears.

As always, one of the pleasures of reading the Charles Holborne books is doing a bit of Internet research at the same time, to try to find out what events actually happened and which people really existed. There is, though, the usual helpful historical note at the end of the book (though note that if you are reading it on a Kindle, you first have to get rid of the page inviting you to leave a review!).

It sounds like Charles will be back at some point in another book, and I for one can’t wait.

[Adrian Stead · Rating 5 out of 5]

he Fall Guy, the tenth instalment in Simon Michael’s superb Charles Holborne series, shows an author writing at the height of his powers. Michael has always had a gift for evoking 1960s London, but here he captures the music scene with such texture and immediacy that you feel as though you’re slipping into smoky clubs and cramped promoter offices alongside Holborne himself. The period detail is never ornamental; it’s lived‑in, researched to the hilt, and woven seamlessly into the story.

What continues to set this series apart is Michael’s grounding in criminal law. His experience at the Bar gives the novel an authenticity that few legal thrillers achieve. Arrest procedures, courtroom exchanges, the subtle hierarchies and unspoken codes of the criminal bar—all of it feels precise without ever becoming pedantic. You’re not just reading about a trial; you’re inhabiting the world behind it, with all its secrecy, tension, and moral ambiguity.

By book ten, Holborne has become one of the most fully realised characters in contemporary crime fiction. His latest case—defending a pop music promoter accused of murder—is tightly plotted, briskly paced, and enriched by dialogue that rings true. The supporting cast, from corrupt policemen to ambitious barristers, feels drawn from life rather than stereotype.

Michael’s storytelling has grown more assured with each book, and The Fall Guy earns its place as one of the strongest entries yet: a genuine page‑turner with emotional depth, sharp twists, and a wonderfully satisfying ending. For longtime fans, it’s another triumph; for newcomers, it’s a compelling reminder to start at the beginning and savour the journey.

[Yalcin Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Michael nails the 1969 setting, the music, the backrooms, the moral mess hiding behind the glamour. From the opening atmosphere of Tin Pan Alley to the courtroom, the book moves with a propulsive, cinematic energy. Holborne is an excellent lead: sharp-minded, morally complex, and human in ways that make the courtroom scenes more than procedural flourishes. The plot is twisty but not needlessly convoluted; corruption, music industry sleaze, and police rot are woven together into a plausible tapestry. If you like legal drama with a heavy soundtrack and authentic period flavor, this one delivers.

[Guy Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read with enormous pleasure all the Charles Holborne series I was delighted to find the latest lived up to expectations.All these are set in the 20th century (1950's& 1960's= with real people populating the cast of characters,The Kray twins et al,In this latest there are purely fictional players but this in no way detracts from a cracking story of pop stars, dead groupies and police corruption that was endemic in the early 1960's.
Highly recommended legal thriller with a hugely enjoyable cast of characters.

[Helen Weirmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is far more than a retro whodunit. Yes, the heroin-related death and the possibility of a frame-up drive the plot, but what made me keep turning pages was the way Michael writes about loyalty and betrayal between band members, managers, and the cops. The best-man conflict with Sean Sloane added personal stakes that felt earned, and the barrister’s voice never slips into caricature. Legal scenes crackle with detail but remain readable for non-lawyers; the atmosphere of 1969 London is vivid without being indulgent. Highly recommended for fans of courtroom drama and period crime.

[Weirmann Kerstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific balance of legal brains and gritty music-world grime. The author captures the rock-business sleaze without glamorizing it, while making the courtroom the moral arena where all the messy truth comes out. Holborne’s internal monologues give the book humanity; the secondary cast especially the detectives and the manager remain textured and believable. I appreciated the historical touches that never felt shoehorned in but instead helped flesh out motive and atmosphere. A page-turner that’s as comfortable in the legal chamber as it is in a smoky club.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fall Guy is impeccably researched: period dialogue, police procedure, and the music-business underworld ring true. More importantly, Simon Michael resists easy answers; corruption comes from several directions and the moral compromises feel lived-in. Charles Holborne is a barrister who thinks like a lawyer but feels like a human being, he worries, loses, and tries to do right in an often rotten system. The final courtroom scenes were gutting and brilliant. For readers who want their historical crime with heart and teeth, this is a winner.

[Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long read in the best sense: it gives characters time to breathe and motives time to mature. The plotting is layered industry grind, cops with agendas, and a defendant who might genuinely be both villain and victim depending on your vantage point. I liked that the book didn’t rush the legal detail; instead, it used it to illuminate character and theme. The atmosphere of London 1969 is rendered with careful, pleasurable detail from smoke-filled studios to the hush of a courtroom at midnight. A book that rewards patience.

[Ruth Matheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series set in the 1960's of an ever changing London and probably wondered, like many readers of it, what would happen when the Krays finally were convicted and out of Charles' life. Fear not !! He still manages to find trouble . Loved to references to Reg and Bernie (IYKYK) and the burgeoning music scene back then with all the corruptness and immorality which came with it. Great ending too.

[Di Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been disappointed by any of the books in this series, and this one is no different. It's best read knowing the characters a little, but stands alone as well. If you haven't read any of the previous nine books, get started soon. You won't regret it!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Charles Holborne story!

Such a great series! Keep them coming please, Simon Michael! If you’re a legal thriller lover, check it out, but start at book one!