Blind Defence cover art

Blind Defence

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

$8.99/month after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 29 July 2026 at 11:59 AEST.
More purchase options

Blind Defence

By: John Fairfax
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
Get this deal

$8.99/month after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends on 29 July 2026 at 11:59 AEST.

Buy Now for $23.05

Buy Now for $23.05

'An all-action court drama' Sunday Times on Summary Justice

She was found hanging in a dingy London bedsit with a blood orange in her mouth. Diane Heybridge, a young woman without a past or much of a future, has captured in death the compassion denied her in life.

For the prosecution, this seeming suicide is nothing more than a bungled killing and a disgusted public looks to Court 2 of the Old Bailey for justice. Her callous, jilted partner Brent Stainsby stands accused of her murder and he's turned to the maverick legal team William Benson and Tess de Vere to defend him.

However, as the trial unfolds it soon becomes clear that there is far more to Diane Heybridge than meets the eye. She wasn't the weak and downtrodden victim now being presented to the jury. She was capable of a sophisticated form of vengeance. By the same token, Brent Stainsby isn't who he seems to be either. He's hiding a motive for murder unknown to the police and may well be playing a deadly game of poker with the judicial process. What began as a simple trial rapidly turns into a complex search for the truth beyond the confines of the courtroom...©2018 John Fairfax Crime Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Mystery Thriller & Suspense Law Thriller Crime Fiction Murder Suspense
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic Reviews

Assured storytelling and highly intriguing moral complexity. I tore through it (Chris Brookmyre)
Vivid and exciting, and the novel raises some important issues to do with prisons and the ethics of the legal system (Marcel Berlins)
A good mystery, meaty courtroom drama, the ongoing puzzle of Benson's own history and some knowledgeable assaults on the Tories' policy of justice on the cheap add up to a great read
I hope John Fairfax is planning a long series involving Benson. [An] excellent legal thriller
The courtroom scenes are brilliant, and Benson really comes alive under pressure. Stubborn, fitful and contradictory, he's a highly individualised creation
Punchy dialogue and devious plotlines . . . compelling
All stars
Most relevant
layer upon layer of truths are revealed where they are least expected to be. read it and be enthralled.

a page turner

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Gosh, this series is good! It has everything: a twisty plot, fascinating characters, crisp and elegant writing and the perfect narrator. After finishing the first book on a Friday, I devoured this one over the weekend. I just sat and listened for hours at a time rather than requiring a couple of weeks of housework or gardening sessions to get to the end, as is my usual audiobook experience. Benson is a compelling protagonist and the tantalising details of his past and and his struggles in the present only add to the drama of the courtroom scenes. I want to dive into Book 3 but I also want to savour it…

Totally engrossing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.