I’ve tried really hard NOT to take on new blog tours this year as I am inundated , but when Amber Choudhary at Midas PR told me about The Rapunzel Act by Abi Silver and asked me if I’d like to participate in this blog tour I knew I had to accept. I’m delighted to stay in with Abi today to find out more about her latest book.

Staying in with Abi Silver

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Abi and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Hello Linda. I’m delighted to be here with you.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along my latest offering, The Rapunzel Act, the fourth in the Burton & Lamb legal thriller series. It’s being published as we all begin to emerge with joy and optimism and perhaps a little trepidation, from more than a year of lockdown, rather like the fairy tale character from whom the book takes its name.

Intriguing Abi. What can we expect from an evening in with The Rapunzel Act? 

It’s a rollercoaster ride through what might happen if our criminal trials were filmed and livestreamed. There’s lots of rhetoric about educating the public and ‘justice being seen to be done’ which is very laudable. But, at the same time, much as we might hate to admit it, we all love to share our views on controversial events. And the trial of Debbie Mallard, a trans woman, former Premier League footballer and one half of what used to be the biggest celebrity couple in the UK, for the murder of Rosie Harper (the other half) is always going to spark loads of debate, not all of it pleasant.

Crikey. The Rapunzel Act sounds an absolute corker. Tell me more.

We’ll meet Rosie’s brother, Ellis, a whisky-loving interior designer, whom Debbie labels ‘a waster’, her children Laura and Ben and Jason Fenwick, Rosie’s co-presenter from Breakfast Time, who has a self portrait hanging in his living room.

Ha! I can think of one or two real breakfast TV presenters who might have a self portrait too!

The story also features fame-seeking barrister Andy Chambers, an old adversary of Judith Burton’s, who becomes chief legal adviser to the new channel, Court TV and the reappearance of entrepreneur Greg Winter, who developed the lie-detecting software in The Pinocchio Brief.

I think The Rapunzel Act needs to head straight onto my TBR Abi. It sounds fabulous. 

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I’ve brought a hot dog, smothered in mustard and ketchup and topped with onions (I’m covering all bases). Although Judith is a great ‘foodie’ – she reveals to Constance Lamb in The Cinderella Plan that she has a cookery book signed by Jamie Oliver, which praises her ‘avocado mousse’ – this hot dog dates back to 1994 and the trial of OJ Simpson in the USA for the murder of his wife Nicole and her friend, Ron Goldman. It’s symbolic of the public spectacle which Henry Allen described, when he reported on the trial for the Washington Post and I’ve used his quote right at the start of my book.

I sometimes think truth is stranger than fiction Abi.

And I’m wearing a t-shirt with Darth Vader’s head and the caption ‘Choose the Green Side’. All my three boys like science fiction and that includes the Star Wars franchise and various associated merchandise. So when I created campaigner-for-hire and leader of environmental pressure group ‘Dead Earth’, Nicki Smith, whom Constance suspects of involvement in Rosie’s murder, it seemed like appropriate attire for her to wear. She’s let me borrow it for my evening with you.

How kind of her! It’s quite impressive (and a little unnerving). Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat about The Rapunzel Act Abi. I’ve found it not only fascinating, but it has made me desperate to read the book immediately! You serve up teh hot dogs and I’ll just give readers a few important details about The Rapunzel Act:

The Rapunzel Act

CAN YOU FIND JUSTICE… WHEN THE WORLD IS WATCHING?

When breakfast TV host and nation’s darling, Rosie Harper, is found brutally murdered at home, suspicion falls on her spouse, formerly international football star, Danny ‘walks on water’ Mallard, now living out of the public eye as trans woman, Debbie.

Not only must Debbie challenge the hard evidence against her, including her blood-drenched glove at the scene of the crime, she must also contend with the nation’s prejudices, as the trial is broadcast live, turning it into a public spectacle. For someone trying to live their life without judgment, it might just be too much to bear.

Legal duo Judith Burton and Constance Lamb are subjected to unyielding scrutiny as they strive to defend their most famous client yet.

Another thought-provoking courtroom drama from the acclaimed author of the Burton & Lamb series.

Released on 21st January 2021, The Rapunzel Act is available from Amazon or directly from the publisher Lightning Books here.

About Abi Silver

Abi Silver is an author and lawyer who grew up in Leeds in a traditional Jewish family. Watching Granada TV’s ‘Crown Court’ in between lessons led her to study Law at Girton College, Cambridge. Abi then worked in London at international law firm, Allen & Overy and at RPC, before spending five years in Israel, where her husband, Daniel, was posted. During her time there, alongside raising her three young sons, Abi completed an MBA by distance learning, learned Hebrew and pottery on the wheel and began to write fiction, usually late at night. On returning to the UK, she went back to law before quitting a permanent position in 2015 when she decided to try her hand at writing again which led to publication of The Pinocchio Brief. Based in Radlett, Hertfordshire, Abi works part-time as a legal consultant and author.

For more about Abi, follow her on Twitter @abisilver16 and visit her website.

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