The Barrister and the Letter Of Marque Review

The Barrister and the Letter Of Marque
By Todd M. Johnson

After leaving his father’s prestige and wealth behind, William Snopes is a barrister scraping by in London. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, but his unconventional defense strategies disgust prosecutors and judges. A captain and his crew are arrested for piracy when bringing back a cargo hold of tea, for which the East India Tea Company has exclusive distribution rights. The captain claims to have a Letter of Marque, which allows its bearer to seize the cargo of foreign ships. The letter is nowhere to be found. The captain’s cousin, Lady Madeline Jameson, begs Snopes to defend her cousin, as she struggles to keep her family’s estate from financial ruin. The case becomes more complicated as more powerful and nefarious parties with their own agendas make it difficult – and risky – to figure out what really happened.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy the twists and turns in The Barrister and the Letter Of Marque. There’s political intrigue both between and within countries and social classes. Lies are everywhere and told for countless reasons. 

The shortcoming is how firmly the characters are split between the good guys and the bad guys. When faced with adversity, the heroes faced the growing challenges with increasing grace. They defied death like comic book superheroes and quickly forgave each other for lies and deceptions. Meanwhile, the bad guys were weak and depraved, losing humanity as the story progressed. The characterizations led to a rapid move from ignorance to exacting knowledge of who did what, why they acted as they did, and what would be the appropriate way to mete out justice to the wrongdoers. 

Even with the stock characterizations, the story is well-paced and interesting. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for providing an advance review copy.