The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson

The Barrister and the Letter of Marque
by Todd M. Johnson

ISBN-13: 9780764212369
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: August 3rd 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
As a barrister in 1819 London, William Snopes is a strong advocate who chooses to defend the poorer classes against the powerful. That changes the day a struggling heiress, Lady Malissa Jameson, arrives at his door.

In a last-ditch effort to save her faltering estate, Lady Jameson invested in the acquisition of a merchant brig, the Padget, allowed by a letter of marque from the king's regent to legally capture cargo from French traders operating illegally in the Indian Sea. Yet when the ship returns to the London harbor, it's met by constables and soldiers ready to seize its goods, accusing the sailors of piracy. And the letter proving their legality has disappeared.

Moved by the lady's distress, William Snopes cautiously takes the case. But as he gets deeper into the mystery and prepares for trial, he learns that the forces arrayed against Lady Jameson, and now himself, are even more powerful than he'd imagined.


My Review:
The Barrister and the Letter of Marque is a suspense set in 1818 in England. There were a number of point of view characters, but none of these characters were deeply developed. While there were certainly noble things about both William and the lady, they were flawed enough that I didn't really find them engaging. Neither of them had more than one good, loyal friend outside of work/home, so apparently I'm not the only one. The reader knows the scam, who's involved, and what's going on (or, at least, they should have a very good idea based on the clues they get from the bad guy viewpoint). It all seems hopelessly stacked against justice.

The main characters did react realistically to events, but to the point it was a problem for me. Initially, the good guys have a lot of fight in them, but then they view it as hopeless. While I found it interesting to see how everything worked out, I prefer books that maintain a feeling of hope even when things are at their worst. The main characters didn't believe in God or that he might work things out for justice, but either God was at work or the good guys ended up incredibly lucky. The characters didn't thank God.

The author clearly did a lot of research on the historical details, though he still got a few minor things wrong. For example, Saturday was not a "common day of rest" in the Regency Period. Still, the details woven into the story created a vivid, distinct sense of place and time. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this intense historical suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.