The Barrister and the Letter of Marque

By: Todd M. Johnson

Narrated by: Samuel Roukin

As a barrister in 1818 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 Madeleine 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, intrigued by the claimed letter, and goaded by an opposing solicitor, 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.

©2021 Todd M. Johnson (P)2021 Recorded Books

Terrific mystery!

I loved this mystery and the narrator was excellent! One of the best crime novels set in the Regency era I’ve read. Clean and intriguing, I couldn’t help but root for the characters and the ending was perfect.

Intense and engrossing

The story kept me on edge throughout the whole book. Very well written, with strong and well formed characters. The twists and turns kept coming and I honestly feared for the outcome of the story. A credit well spent!

Amazing book and narration

This book isn’t my usual genre but I couldn’t stop reading it chapter by chapter - a mark of truly good writing!

Excellent story

Courtroom drama filled with mystery. Narration was top notch and I just could not stop listening as I was so drawn in.