The Stepmother - Softcover

Tolkien, Simon

3.33

595 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0718145755 ISBN 13: 9780718145750

Publisher: Michael Joseph, 2003

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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 listeners guessing about the true motivations of these characters until the final witness.

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From the Inside Flap:

One summer night, two men break into an isolated manor house and kill Lady Anne Robinson. Her teenage son, Thomas, convinces the police that Greta Grahame, 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 Greta and is prepared to testify for the defense at her trial. He will be the final witness.
Who is telling the truth-the new wife or the bereaved son? What will Sir Peter reveal in court? "Tolkien keeps us guessing" ("The Washington Post Book World) until the shocking end about the true motivations of these marvelously realized characters. "Final Witness is a masterly suspense novel by the grandson of legendary J.R.R. Tolkien.

About the Author:

Simon Tolkien was born in England in 1959 and grew up in a small village outside Oxford. His grandfather was J.R.R. Tolkien, professor of philology and the author of The Lord of the Rings. Simon was educated by Benedictine monks at Downside School, and then went on to Oxford University, where he studied Modern History at Trinity College. Since 1994, he has been a successful barrister in London, specializing in criminal justice, where, according to British custom, he regularly appears on behalf of both the prosecution and the defense. His wife, Tracy, is an American who owns a vintage clothing store in Kings Road, Chelsea. They have two children and live in London.

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