Laia Ortiz returns to San Sebastián and finds herself in one of the most uncomfortable seats in a courtroom: juror in the trial that has the entire city on the edge of their seat. Her vote will help decide the fate of Lander Foronda, who is accused of murdering his flatmate, Borja Miranda.
The case seems to be solved before the trial has even begun. The relationship between the two men had gotten worse, there is evidence of blackmail, and it all points to the defendant. Furthermore, Lander is the son of a powerful San Sebastián property developer caught up in a real-estate scandal, so public opinion has its own verdict already. Everything fell into place too easily.
Silvia Legarre, a former prosecutor and family friend, agrees to defend him, convinced that the evidence does not explain the whole story. Her strategy gives way to a possibility that is equal parts risky and disturbing: Borja’s death may have nothing to do with the blackmail or the Foronda family’s business dealings, but with the serial killer who terrorised the town years ago and may have struck again.
From that moment on, Veredicto (Veredict) by Ane Odriozola turns the trial into treacherous ground riddled with cracks. Each testimony can alter what the readers thought they knew; every piece of evidence allows for different interpretations, and every certainty can be dismantled by a simple question. The book is not just an investigation on who committed the crime: it places the focus on the workings of justice. How can someone be convicted when there is not an absolute truth but there is an absolute decision?
Laia will have to listen, assess, and question everything while handling the pressure of taking part in proceedings followed closely by the media. A feeling is not enough, and she cannot be swayed by the prejudices surrounding the defendant. In court, guilt must be proven; nevertheless, reasonable doubt can also turn out to be the perfect hiding place for a killer.
Born in Legazpi in 1979, Ane Odriozola combines writing with her work in the Citizen Services Department at Arrasate-Mondragón City Council. She began her literary journey with the trilogy made up of El secreto de Gibola, La sombra de Gibola, and Conspiración en Gibola, before taking the leap to traditional publishing with El valle del hierro (The Iron Valley). Last year, she published Al subir la marea (When the Tide Is High), a historical thriller set in Zarauz in 1568.
With Veredicto, the author brings suspense into the courtroom and proves that she is just as comfortable dealing with secrets from the past and contemporary conflicts. Ane Odriozola makes her comeback to the thriller genre with a fast-paced story packed with dilemmas, a genre her readers had been eager for her to revisit and which, after this novel, they are unlikely to let her abandon again. That said, we will not allow her to give up historical fiction either: every new book is a confirmation of her talent in mastering the genre and captivating an ever-growing readership.
This intense, dilemma-filled thriller, capable of turning the reader into a member of the jury, is proof of that. Veredicto is not just about discovering what happened but also about whether evidence is enough to change someone’s life forever.
Veredicto is now available in bookshops. The verdict has yet to be determined, and no one will be able to stay out of the deliberation.
