T.S Clayton -A Death In Custody

Today, I’m on the blog tour for A Death In Custody by T.S Clayton for Random Things Tours. Thank you for my invitation, Anne, and the copy of the book to take part today.

Brixton in the late 1990s. Delroy Brown, a young black man being held in police custody, dies in a confrontation in his cell with a police officer.

The officer claims to have acted in self-defence but fails to give a satisfactory explanation for being in the dead man’s cell.

Chief Inspector Elliott conducts an investigation into Delroy’s death, but his enquiries are obstructed by a lack of co-operation from police officers, the activities of a corrupt private investigator – and the legal system itself.

Alison French, a young journalist, Neeta Patel, Delroy’s family’s solicitor, and Ben Weekes, a black youth worker, join forces to try and find out the truth about Delroy’s death, but find themselves in growing danger, as they are drawn into a murky world of violent criminals and police informants.

A story that is as relevant in todays world as it was in the years the book is set in.  The death of a young black man in 1990s Brixton while in police custody. The policeman claiming self-defence but has no reasonable explanation to back his story. We follow the events that follow his death and the resulting investigations.

T.S Claytons’ experience within the U.K legal system is very clear as you read this story. He has written about an emotive subject that absolutely everyone has had an opinion of in one way or another over the last few years. I myself was doubting the explanation for the ‘self defence’ of the officer right from the start. As the story developed, I didn’t change my mind at all.

The heavy and sensitive issues that this book delves into have been handled in a way that avoids just reams of information. T.S Clayton writes in a way that it feels more relaxed. This does help the book flow easily, from chapter to chapter.

We are given every possible angle on the story. From the dead man’s family, police, and the courts, no one’s points of view are missed. We are even given the homeless reaction, too. Everyone is important; no matter their walk of life, I have to say, I loved the inclusivity. One thing I felt this book definitely highlighted one thing: the poor are always the losers. The rich manage to get out of anything and everything. It angers me always has.

Not a quick read; this book is more slow paced, but I liked that. I was able to digest everything that was happening and also get to know the characters and the issues without feeling rushed.

This is a fantastic read for anyone who has any interest in law and justice at all. It puts the legal system under a microscope for the readers to make their own conclusions on this case. If you don’t mind a slower pace, I recommend this book.

Author Bio

T. S. Clayton is a retired solicitor. In the 1990s he practised criminal law in and around Brixton, South London, working for the Crown Prosecution Service as a Crown Prosecutor, and later Senior Crown Prosecutor, before becoming a freelance defence advocate.