Jo Murray’s debut novel, Dissection of a Murder (2024), is a legal and psychological thriller that draws on the author’s own experience as a former criminal barrister. The story follows Leila Reynolds, an ambitious barrister who is unexpectedly assigned her first murder case: defending Jack Millman, a man accused of killing a prominent judge. The case presents a series of professional and personal challenges for Leila, as her husband and former mentor is the prosecuting counsel, and her client refuses to reveal his defense. As Leila navigates the high-stakes trial, she is also targeted by a mysterious figure from her past who threatens to expose secrets that could destroy her career, her marriage, and her life. The narrative explores The Negative Impact of Childhood Trauma on Relationships, Deception as a Mechanism of Power, and The Limitations of Legal Justice. On its release, Dissection of a Murder became an international bestseller and was selected as a Good Morning America Book Club pick.

This guide is based on the 2024 Dutton edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of child abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual harassment, graphic violence, sexual content, substance use, cursing, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

Leila Reynolds, a rising criminal barrister at Innovation Chambers in Durham, is handed her first murder trial: defending Jack Millman, a doorman accused of murdering the well-respected Judge Anton Smythe. The assignment is fraught with complications. Jack, whom Leila defended unsuccessfully in an assault case five years prior, specifically requested her as his barrister. She must accept the case under the cab-rank rule, which compels UK barristers to accept any client provided the case falls within their competence. However, Jack refuses to disclose information that would help her defend him, insisting he will reveal the basis of his defense only at trial. Compounding the pressure, the prosecutor is Julian Kesler, an elite King’s Counsel (KC) who is not only Leila’s former mentor, or “pupilmaster,” but also her husband. In British law, there is no conflict-of-interest prohibition preventing colleagues or spouses from facing each other in court.

As Leila begins her investigation with solicitor Davina Jessop, a series of menacing events unfolds. An anonymous Instagram user, “@JustAnotherDumbBlonde,” sends her threatening messages alluding to a secret past. Leila also suspects she is being followed. One night, an intruder tries to break into her home before driving away in a red Mini. Meanwhile, a narrator who only identifies herself as “Witness X” describes living by a set of manipulative “rules” learned from her abusive father. Witness X recalls teaching these rules to her friend at boarding school and how they both used them to gain power over men. However, the friendship ended when she betrayed her friend. Witness X knows she is in grave danger of being caught for her involvement in Anton Smythe’s murder.

As Leila and Davina dig into the case, they uncover perplexing evidence. Jack told police his cell phone was stolen hours before the murder. Cell site analysis traces the phone to the village of Pickford, just meters from Anton Smythe’s home, at a time when Jack was already in police custody. They also learn from a source that Anton’s 18-year-old son, Quinn, acted strangely after being confronted by Jack a week before the murder. Their investigation leads them to a secret camera in a room at Temptation, the club where Jack worked. The footage reveals Jack telling an unseen Quinn he must confess his responsibility for an unspecified killing by the end of the day.

Suspecting Julian is withholding information, Leila breaks into his study and photographs Anton’s phone records. She discovers that the judge texted Quinn on the day he died, promising to solve his problem. Faced with Jack’s silence, Julian’s increasing hostility, and the conviction that she is being stalked, Leila grows increasingly anxious. After Chester Vernon, the powerful head of chambers, reveals that his young wife Demi is pregnant, Leila uncovers texts indicating that her husband, Julian, is the baby’s father. She confronts Julian, who admits to the affair, but states that Leila’s career will be ruined if she leaves him. However, when Leila threatens to show the evidence to Chester, Julian agrees to a divorce, fearing his own career and reputation would be ruined.

The trial begins with Julian presenting a powerful circumstantial case. The jury hears that Anton went to Jack’s flat to confront him for harassing Quinn. DCI Brady, the lead investigator, testifies that Jack delayed calling an ambulance for 28 minutes after Anton Smyth suffered a blow to the head, was calm at the murder scene, and gave a no-comment interview. The pathologist confirms that this delay would have been fatal. When Quinn takes the stand, he tearfully recounts how Jack intimidated him. He claims that Jack had a grudge against his father for enforcing a severe sentence on him years earlier. During cross-examination, Leila proves Quinn lied under oath about the extent of his contact with Jack by playing CCTV footage of their meeting. The video shows Quinn acting aggressively, not Jack. This sets the stage for Jack’s testimony, where he is finally forced to reveal his version of events.

Jack testifies that he did not kill Anton. He claims he was in his flat with his secret lover, a married woman he refers to only as “Witness X.” Jack reveals he had video evidence of Quinn Smythe killing another young man in a fight outside the club. Quinn’s victim was Lewis Sorrington, the son of Eddie Sorrington, a notorious crime lord. After confronting Quinn with video evidence of the crime, Jack threatened to go to Eddie with the video unless Quinn did the right thing and confessed to the police. Jack alleges that Anton Smythe came to his flat in an attempt to bribe his silence. When he failed, the judge resorted to threats. A violent struggle ensued, and as Anton was about to stab Jack with a kitchen knife, Witness X emerged from the bedroom and struck Anton on the head with a 10-kilogram kettlebell, killing him in an act of defense. Jack asserts that he took the blame to protect the woman he loves and refuses to name her. A first-person narration from Witness X confirms Jack’s story, explaining that Anton saw her at Jack’s flat and threatened to call her husband just before she struck him.

Julian’s cross-examination paints Jack as a fantasist, but Leila’s closing speech casts doubt on the prosecution’s case. After only three hours of deliberation, the jury returns a unanimous verdict: not guilty.

Jack is freed, but Leila’s ordeal is far from over. During a visit to her mother-in-law, Audrey, who has dementia, she learns that a woman matching Elise Vernon’s description has been visiting Audrey. Elise is the estranged daughter of her head of chambers, Chester Vernon. Rushing to the safe that she has secretly installed in Audrey’s spare bedroom, she finds it empty except for a note that states “Rule #1: Don’t Get Caught” (372).

Elise Vernon contacts Leila, confirming she took Jack’s phone from the safe, which has video footage of the murder. They agree to meet on a remote bridge, where Elise confesses to stalking Leila for months. Her revenge is motivated by a 14-year-old grudge. Years earlier, Leila betrayed their friendship by sleeping with Elise’s father, Chester, to secure her pupillage at his chambers. When Elise’s mother discovered the affair, she was heartbroken and never recovered. A violent fight breaks out, and Leila pushes Elise over the bridge into the river, seizing the phone.

The narrative perspective then shifts, revealing the truth: Leila is Witness X. Her real name is Delilah, and she adopted the “Leila Reynolds” persona to escape a traumatic past, which includes murdering her sexually abusive father in a house fire at age 16. The entire defense for Jack was a meticulous plan she orchestrated in the minutes after she killed Anton to protect herself.

Weeks later, as Leila and Jack attempt to flee to Australia to start a new life, the police arrest her at the airport. As a final act of revenge, Elise had sent the incriminating video to her mother with instructions to release it to the police if she went missing. With Jack beside her, Leila makes a full confession to protect him.

The book concludes with Leila on trial for murder. She has presented her life of trauma and abuse to the jury as her defense, explaining she killed Anton after he threatened to expose her affair and taunted her about Julian’s infidelity. With all secrets laid bare, her final verdict—guilty or not guilty—is left for the reader to decide.