Poisonous

A modern murder story based on a real 16th Century poisoning trial. A senior detective who is a rotten apple in his force, jurors who make their own rules and ignore the evidence to reach a verdict, and a scandal hit criminal justice system with lawyers and judges betting on the outcome of their criminal trials In the year 1572 a husband killed his daughter with a poisoned apple intended for his wife. By the legal doctrine of transferred malice, the intent to murder the wife, so that he could be with his mistress, was transferred to the daughter and he was executed. Why was his accomplice, who obtained the poison and advised the husband to use it to murder the wife, allowed to go free? This is a modern-day story of a lawyer’s obsession with a high-end call girl that leads to his trial for murder. A senior detective, a rotten apple in his force, poisons the minds of those around him and is at the heart of this tale of corruption, intrigue and blackmail. Can the lawyer’s trial barrister save him by comparing what he did with the actions of the accomplice who escaped the gallows five centuries ago? Will a rogue investigation expose the real killer? Can a jury be manipulated to reach a verdict with information obtained outside the courtroom instead of the evidence they heard? Can justice prevail when barristers and judges club together to wager bets on the outcomes of their trials?