Final Witness: A Novel - Hardcover

Tolkien, Simon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375508821 ISBN 13: 9780375508820

Publisher: Random House Inc, 2003

Synopsis

One summer night, two men break into an isolated manor house and kill Lady Anne Robinson. Her son, Thomas, convinces the police that his father's beautiful personal assistant sent the killers, but Thomas is known for his overactive imagination, and he has reasons to lie.
Thomas's father, Sir Peter Robinson, the British minister of defense, refuses to believe his son. Instead, he marries his assistant, Greta Grahame, and will be giving evidence for the defense at her trial. He will be the final witness.
Author Simon Tolkien successfully combines legal suspense and psychological tension in this sharply etched portrait of four people whose lives are changed by a murder. Alternating between the trial in London's Central Criminal Court and private moments among the characters, Tolkien expertly describes the art of the trial, the clash between Britain's social classes, and, most notably, the complexity of family relations.
Who is telling the truth - the new wife or the bereaved son? What will Sir Peter tell the court? With tantalizing ambiguity, Tolkien keeps readers guessing about the true motivations of these characters until the final witness.

About this title

Review

“A legal thriller ripped from tomorrow’s headlines . . . a remarkably skillful novel, brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed.”
–"The" "Washington Post Book World"
“THE TWISTS KEEP COMING. . . . [A] HIGHLY CONVINCING DEBUT.”
–"People" (Page-turner of the week)
"
"“TOLKIEN’S WRITING HAS A TIMELESS QUALITY [and] the haunting undertones of other great masters of mystery.”
–"USA Today"
"
"“BRIMMING WITH SECRET ROOMS, SECRET DRAWERS, AND SECRET MARRIAGES.”
–"Entertainment Weekly"
“HALF CHRISTIE AND HALF GRISHAM.”
–"Los Angeles Times"
“COMPELLING . . . A TAUT PSYCHOLOGICAL LEGAL THRILLER . . . This Tolkien heir paces the steps and missteps of the legal proceedings perfectly. . . . A solid debut.”
–"Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
“Neatly interweaving the legal thriller with the psychological novel of suspense, Mr. Tolki

"A legal thriller ripped from tomorrow's headlines . . . a remarkably skillful novel, brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed."
-"The""Washington Post Book World"
"THE TWISTS KEEP COMING. . . . [A] HIGHLY CONVINCING DEBUT."
-"People" (Page-turner of the week)
"
""TOLKIEN'S WRITING HAS A TIMELESS QUALITY [and] the haunting undertones of other great masters of mystery."
-"USA Today"
"
""BRIMMING WITH SECRET ROOMS, SECRET DRAWERS, AND SECRET MARRIAGES."
-"Entertainment Weekly"
"HALF CHRISTIE AND HALF GRISHAM."
-"Los Angeles Times"
"COMPELLING . . . A TAUT PSYCHOLOGICAL LEGAL THRILLER . . . This Tolkien heir paces the steps and missteps of the legal proceedings perfectly. . . . A solid debut."
-"Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
"Neatly interweaving the legal thriller with the psychological novel of suspense, Mr. Tolkien has created a trial novel abounding with intrigue, distrust, and anger. Fast-paced and with suspense to spare, his debut shows admirable skill and depth and has a conclusion as surprising as it is satisfying."
-"The""Dallas Morning News"

About the Author

Simon Tolkien is the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. He studied modern history at Oxford and is a barrister in London, where he lives with his wife and their two children. Final Witness is his first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Inc
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0375508821
• ISBN 13: 9780375508820
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 283