‘The SB is a gifted writer. Words tumble out with extraordinary fluency . . . entertaining and instructive’ – The Times
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Just how do you become a barrister? Why do only 1 per cent of those who study law succeed in joining this mysteriously opaque profession? And why might a practising barrister come to feel the need to reveal the lies, secrets, failures and crises at the heart of this world of wigs and gowns?

Nothing But The Truth is The Secret Barrister’s bestselling memoir. It charts an outsider’s progress down the winding path towards practising at the Bar, taking in the sometimes absurd traditions of the Inns of Court, where every meal mandates a glass of port and a toast to the monarch, to the Hunger Games-style contest for pupillage, through the endlessly frustrating experience of being a junior barrister – as a creaking, ailing justice system begins to convince them that something has to change . . .

Full of hilarious, shocking and surprising stories, Nothing But The Truth tracks the Secret Barrister’s transformation from hang ’em and flog ’em, austerity-supporting twenty-something to campaigning, bestselling, reforming author whose writing in defence of the law is celebrated around the globe. Asking questions about what we understand by justice and what it takes to change our minds, it also reveals the darker side of working in criminal law and how the things our justice system gets wrong are not the things most people expect.
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‘With compassion, wit and intelligence, The Secret Barrister shows why is it that any of us plunge into the harrowing depths of criminal law’ – TLS

‘The Zorro of the criminal bar’ – The Times

This is a book that calls time on the endless tide of violence against women and the failures of our criminal justice system to respond.

From barrister Harriet Johnson, Enough lays bare the appalling status quo of abuse against women in our society, offering an irrefutable case for why change is needed in policing and justice. Most vitally, it also gives a manifesto for how to get there.

With expertise, clear-sightedness and appropriate fury, this book helps us see where women are suffering – from homicide to domestic abuse to street harassment. It exposes the ways the criminal justice system lets women down – from officers failing to properly investigate to a lack of consequences when police behaviour is unacceptable, to backlogged courts and the realities of convincing a jury.

Addressing misogyny is to everyone’s benefit and the answers aren’t simple. Enough is the call to arms we can – and must – all get behind.

Most of us think the law is only relevant to criminals, if we even think of it at all. But the law touches every area of our lives: from intimate family matters to the biggest issues in our society.

Our unfamiliarity is dangerous because it makes us vulnerable to media spin, political lies and the kind of misinformation that frequently comes from loud-mouthed amateurs and those with vested interests. This ‘fake law’ allows the powerful and the ignorant to corrupt justice without our knowledge – worse, we risk letting them make us complicit.

Thankfully, the Secret Barrister is back to reveal the stupidity, malice and incompetence behind many of the biggest legal stories of recent years. In Fake Law, the Secret Barrister debunks the lies and builds a defence against the abuse of our law, our rights and our democracy that is as entertaining as it is vital.

‘Terrific, fascinating, very funny’ Daily Mail

‘Hilarious’ Sun

‘Gripping’ Literary Review

How do we ensure that the guilty are convicted and the innocent walk free?

Shortlisted for the Crime Writers Award Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction, true crime meets humour in Defending the Guilty, a hilariously funny and eye-opening exposé of the criminal justice system.

Every day, criminal barrister Alex McBride stands up in court and attempts to save people from conviction, prison, even a lifetime behind bars. Sometimes it’s a hopeless case.

Sometimes he has the chance to right a wrong. But mostly his clients are just plain guilty.

In Defending the Guilty, McBride takes us behind the scenes of Britain’s criminal justice system. He introduces us to its extraordinary characters and arcane eccentricities, and tells astonishing stories of courtroom triumph and defeat. Whether he’s defending hapless teenagers at Harlow Youth Court or prosecuting gold bullion robbers at the Old Bailey, these hair-raising tales reveal that justice rarely operates in quite the way we expect.

‘Expert, authoritative, hilarious – an insider’s fearless account of life at the criminal bar’ Craig Raine, Times Literary Supplement, Books of the Year

‘McBride details his own cock-ups and disasters with the relish of the born humorous writer. Very funny’ Daily Mail

‘Rollicks along with a good eye for detail and a neat turn of phrase’ Observer

‘Gripping, engaging, compelling. The real life of criminal barristers is expertly caught’ Literary Review

Alex McBride is a criminal barrister. He is the author of the ‘Common Law’ column in Prospect magazine, has contributed to the New Statesman and various BBC programmes, including From Our Own Correspondent and is the editor of the Famous Trials Penguin Specials series.