Murray, Jo. Dissection of a Murder. Dutton/Penguin New York, Pan Macmillan UK. 2026. F; 5/26.
Robin came across this mystery and loved it. Looking for respite from nonfiction I gave it a try and I’m glad I did. Jo Murray was a defence lawyer in the UK, wrote a couple of “romcoms” under a pseudonym after leaving lawyering to care for her kids, and then wrote this which has been successful to the point of becoming a TV series. Some could argue it’s verging on chick lit but for me that crops up only rarely. It’s a convincing and thoughtful thriller right down to the last sentence.
Leila Reynolds is a junior defence criminal lawyer married to Julian Kesler who is a much more senior and highly respected lawyer, and was her mentor in training. She is surprised when convicted criminal Jack Millman who she defended unsuccessfully in a violence case years ago chooses her to defend him in a murder trial. But Leila is even more surprised when the prosecutor turns out to be her husband Julian.
Preparation for this trial is challenging, complicating the couple’s marriage and professional life but also difficult because Jack refuses to provide information necessary to develop his defence. A senior judge was the one murdered and this occurred in Jack’s apartment in the pseudo-respectable sleazy bar/club where he is the bouncer.
As Leila struggles to prepare to defend Jack and the trial approaches, complications tangle including an obscure female stalking Leila, strong suggestions of multiple marital infidelities, and conflicting past lives and motivations of several secondary characters.
A semi-ironic feminism pervades. Leila’s colleagues are mostly men and they leave no doubt about who’s in charge:
“We need to appeal to the youngsters, and you’re good at all that, aren’t you, (Leila)?” he said to me in his wildly aristocratic voice, fanning his hand around in a bid to demonstrate how beneath him this entire concept was.
One of Leila’s apparently positive features among these entitled guys is having come from a vaguely economically disadvantaged background. There are a lot of short chapters many of which feature the point of view of “Witness X” who is obsessively coached by her vicious father in the rules of how to fool and get the better of other people. Witness X and Leila may have known one another back in the day when they were both ordinary struggling girls. Some of X’s dad’s advice may seem significant to the overall plot:
But—and this part is crucial—you must always anchor your lies in truth. You need an exceptional memory to remember what you say to people, and that is much harder if you make everything up.
The last third of the story is the murder trial in which all the conflicts and complications converge. Suspense tightens after the jury returns early to give its verdict. If you read this fascinating tale I’m sure you will find the final pages contain unexpected surprises.
Murray has the background to make the legal aspects of the story realistic and complex. At the same time she has convincing insight into moral, sexual, ethical, legal, and practical issues and the imagination to keep us guessing. Although Dissection may not survive forever as a classic there’s more than enough going on to keep the pages turning.
9.2/8.6
