One law for the Rest of Us – Blog Tour

 

When Audrey Marshall sends her daughter Emily to the religious boarding school where she herself was educated a generation before, memories return – memories of a culture of child sexual abuse presided over by a highly-regarded priest. Audrey turns to barrister Ben Schroeder in search of justice for Emily and herself. But there are powerful men involved, men determined to protect themselves at all costs. Will they succeed? Is there indeed one law for the rich and powerful, and one law for…?

I was so excited to be invited onto the Blog Tour for One Law For The Rest Of Us, the newest Ben Schroeder thriller by Peter Murphy.  Thank you so much to the lovely Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour and for introducing me to a completely new writer that I might not have discovered otherwise.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and I was totally drawn in, both by the captivating storyline and the well drawn characters of this shocking and compelling read.  It will make you think hard about how just our justice system actually is and how the laws are enforced and for whose benefit too…

I was delighted after finishing this book to discover that it was the sixth book in a series featuring the sharp mind of  barrister Ben Schroeder. Don’t be put off by the fact that it has 5 predecessors though – because although this is the sixth book featuring Ben and his talents,  it also works as a stand alone read  and I did not feel that my reading experience was affected by my lack of awareness of what had gone before. I’m actually excited to ‘travel back in time’ with Ben and treat myself to some of his other cases over the Christmas Break…

 

 

The case in question, in this sixth book concerns the awful news that Audrey Marshall discovers – that her daughter has been abused at the boarding school she went to years before. This discovery sets a whole chain of events in motion as she is determined to find out who has done this to her daughter. Her efforts, herculean though they are, are increasingly thwarted by people working from within – who seem determined to cover up the truth at any cost.

This novel is so compelling because you can absolutely believe in it – it’s all too real at times that sometimes people in power can work together to suppress information or keep secrets hidden so that crimes can continue undetected. Audrey’s situation is fictional – but Audrey clearly represents so many people who feel like they have been battling to get recognition and justice for things that happened to them and were ignored and silenced for far too long.

If this is a sensitive subject for you, then you might find certain aspects of the plot quite difficult – although the topic is dealt with compassionately and with sensitivity in this novel. It really allows you an inside seat at the investigation of these matters and you might rethink your attitudes to some things that you might never have thought about before reading this thought provoking read.

If you like being drawn into a story and feeling really immersed in it, you will find much to admire here. I feel like Peter Murphy’s own professional background gives a real feeling of plausibility to this book and that’s maybe why I’m so keen to go on and read the rest of the series. It’s far more Silks than LA Law and its attention to detail and slow build of information and burden of proof evidence is extremely well done and will make you think harder about the hard work and dedication that goes into putting people behind bars every single day of the year in the law courts of our land. .

 

One Law For The Rest Of Us is out 13 December and you can pre-order a copy here.

If you enjoyed this insight and would like yto hear what thew other bloggers had to say about One Law For The Rest Of Us, then you can follow the rest of the tour at these sites

Writer On The Shelf

Peter Murphy graduated from Cambridge University and spent a career in the law, as an advocate, teacher, and judge. He has worked both in England and the United States, and served for several years as counsel at the Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.

He has written seven novels: two political thrillers about the US presidency, Removal and Test of Resolve; five historical/ legal thrillers featuring Ben Schroeder, A Higher Duty, A Matter For The Jury, And Is There Honey Still For Tea?, The Heirs of Owain Glyndwr and Calling Down the Storm.

He is also the author of Walden of Bermondsey and Judge Walden: Back in Session and Judge Walden: Call The Next Case, which is due to be published in 2019.

 Peter’s own Website