No Friend of Thine: 7 (A Joth Proctor Fixer Mystery) - Softcover

Irving, James V.

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798890223616

Publisher: Speaking Volumes, LLC, 2025

Synopsis

“Irving’s writing reveals the twists and turns of the courts of law and the dark byways of the human heart.” —Barry Maine, Professor of English, Wake Forest University

Antiquities dealer Micah Hornblower acquires a rare copy of a sixteenth century play that may have been signed by the author—William Shakespeare. The evidence indicates that the signature is a phony, but a frightening demand for the book sends Hornblower to Joth Proctor for advice. Shortly after Hornblower persuades Joth to safeguard the book, the book dealer is found dead in suspicious circumstances and Hornblower’s home and business show signs of a hurried search. Unsure of exactly what they have or why it’s worth a man’s life, Joth and DP Tran retain the book in the face of both legal and extralegal efforts to obtain it. Meanwhile, Hornblower’s attractive and unmarried niece inherits her uncle’s bookstore and the deadly risk that comes with ownership of the book. When Joth and DP learn the true source of the book’s value, they realize both lives and the judgment of history are at stake.

“Irving has produced not just fine detective fiction, but fine fiction…” —Raymond Smith, Professor of English, Indiana University

About this title

About the Author

James V. Irving was born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia (UVA), where he majored in English. He holds a law degree from the College of William and Mary and is a member of the bars of Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.After completing his undergraduate studies at UVA, Mr. Irving spent two years employed as a private detective in Northern Virginia, where he pursued wayward spouses, located skips, investigated insurance claims and handled criminal investigations. In his early years as a lawyer, he practiced criminal law, which along with his investigative experience and trial work, informs this fictional account of Joth Proctor, an under-employed criminal defense lawyer faced with spiraling personal and professional challenges which put his livelihood, and ultimately his personal freedom, at risk.Mr. Irving is a shareholder of Bean, Kinney & Korman, P.C. in Arlington, Virginia, where he practices business law. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Arlington County and have one daughter, Lindsay.

Edition details

• Publisher: Speaking Volumes, LLC
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798890223616
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 274