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Killer Instinct

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Killer Instinct

By: Nicola Williams
Narrated by: Ayesha Antoine
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Brought to you by Penguin.

THE GRIPPING, TWISTY NEW LEGAL THRILLER STARRING UNDERDOG BARRISTER LEE MITCHELL IN A CASE THAT STRIKES AT THE HEART OF HER CHAMBERS

When the Head Clerk at her Chambers is murdered, Lee Mitchell doesn’t know who she can trust.

One of the last people to see him alive, the crime is pinned on Junior Clerk Dean who ‘seems like the type’. Working-class and still living on the estate where he grew up, he has the most to gain from Tom’s death.

But Lee knows how easily prejudices can snowball into convictions – and steps in to defend him. As the trial progresses, people Lee has worked with for years become suspects as her Chambers crumble into a world of chaos and deceit.

And, what of the diary, whispered about by those at Chambers? The one Tom used to blackmail Lee’s friends and enemies alike to do his bidding? The one containing secrets some might kill to keep hidden?

Maybe finding it will be the key to solving his murder. Or maybe some secrets are better left buried . . .


‘British crime fiction has a dazzling new voice in Nicola Williams’ Tony Parsons

‘An authentic thought-provoking new voice in crime fiction’ Kate Ellis

© Nicola Williams 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Crime Crime Thrillers Mystery Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Murder

Critic Reviews

Compelling . . . The slow-burning Lee Mitchell legal thriller sees Nicola Williams consolidate her status as one of the more interesting British practitioners of the courtroom procedural . . . Williams knows her background intimately, be it law firm or court of justice, and this authenticity shines through and raises the book to an extra level
Not only convincing but also fascinating . . . . The trial scenes are full of drama and the case plays out against a background of racial and class prejudice , which gives weight to this entertaining exploration of guilt and innocence
Unique and fascinating . . . I was hooked as the suspenseful drama, characters, plot twists and deep insights as they unfolded (Bernardine Evaristo)
A cast of characters you will love, a story that keeps you turning the pages (Her Honour Wendy Joseph QC, author of 'Rough Justice' and 'Unlawful Killings')
Killer Instinct is a richly-textured legal thriller with a riveting cast of characters. Taut, twisty and brimming with authenticity, it pairs a gripping plot with a timely theme. Class, privilege, wealth and entitlement are all put on trial in this compulsive tale (Kia Abdullah, author of 'Next of Kin')
An intense legal thriller by an authentic modern voice (Greg Mosse, author of 'Murder at Church Lodge')
An elegant, well-structured legal thriller, rich with authentic detail and characters that walk off the page . . . this is the inside scoop of the dark fears beyond the prestige and passageways of power, where reputation is everything . . . A contemporary London court murder within a bubbling cauldron of class divides, dirty secrets and intrigue held taut by a latent, violent compulsion . . . An exemplary work in concealing to reveal and revealing to conceal (Nina Bhadreshwar, author of 'The Day of the Roaring')
Gripping and propulsive . . . Killer Instinct is Nicola Williams' best book yet . . . Nicola lays out the knotty threads of the story with the same restraint that her protagonist brings to the law (and that Nicola herself undoubtedly brings to her other profession) . . . Often I found myself reading way past my bed-time because I just had to know what happened next! (Judith Bryan, author of 'Bernard and the Cloth Monkey')
This gripping, unputdownable murder mystery prompts us to question the justice system and our own assumptions (S. I. Martin, author of 'Incomparable World')
Vividly sketched barristers with very different social backgrounds, and with secrets to hide, affect the outcome of a manslaughter trial with a shocking twist (Rhys Taylor, barrister, arbitrator, mediator)
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