BOOK REVIEW: Confessions of a Barrister by Russell Winnock ★★★★☆

The Friday Project from Harper Collins Publishers has worked on The Confession Series, in which pseudonymous authors describe the ups and downs of their own careers. The following in the collection that I have found are:

• Confessions of an Undercover Cop by Ash Cameron 
• Confessions of a Ghost Writer by Andrew Crofts
• Confessions of GP by Dr Benjamin Daniels
• Confessions of a Police Constable by Matt Delito
• Confessions of a Male Nurse and Confessions of a School Nurse by Michael Alexander 
• Confessions of a Showbiz Reporter by Holly Forrest
• Confessions of a New York Taxi Driver by Gene Salomon 

Russell Winnock is a pseudonym, but the author is a real criminal barrister. In Confessions of a Barrister Russell’s job is to defend (and sometimes to prosecute) those who end up on the wrong side of the law. From the drunk and disorderly to murders, this book follows some of Winnock’s most memorable cases over his career so far.

It’s a light-hearted book with some cases damn right baffling and others very serious. The clients he has defended didn’t seem over-the-top made up. His work colleagues have their own personality, not cardboard cutouts. I admire Winnock’s passion about why he went into this profession.

If you have ever wondered why barristers wear funny wigs, what are Silks and how your Facebook page can be given in evidence for and even against you, then just read this book. It explains it all.

Although it took a while to wrap my head around the law terminology, but I was quite informed about the world of a criminal barrister and those involved in law. I look forward to reading more of the Confession Series.

Rating 4/5
Publishers: The Friday Project
Publication Date: September 24th 2015
Genre: Humour/Autobiography/Non Fiction