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'Witness' is stellar thriller
Simon Tolkien's first novel, "Final Witness," is a polished and interesting legal thriller that provides excellent character development and consistent suspense.
The author possesses that British clarity that is so elegant as compared with most American-written books of a similar genre. Not only is he a natural storyteller, but he is gifted in description and in moving the plot along.
This is the story of a break-in at a British manor house outside London, which results in the murder of Lady Anne Robinson, wife of Sir Peter Robinson, the British minister of defense. Their teenage son Thomas is also in the house, but he eludes detection. Soon afterward, Thomas, who his father suspects is afflicted with an overactive imagination, implicates his father's beautiful personal assistant, Greta Grahame.
Prior to the murder, the relationship between Lady Anne and Greta is strained - and Thomas, who loves his mother, nevertheless nurses a major crush on Greta. Even as the investigation is completed, Sir Peter marries Grahame, partly to add visible strength to her court case and partly because he has been falling in love with her.
The big question for investigators is who is telling the truth - Thomas or the new Lady Robinson?
Once his mother is gone, Thomas fully cultivates his feelings for the family home, including the pictures of ancestors on the walls and a cache of letters written by them. Alone here, because his father is so angry with him that he remains in London, Thomas has an epiphany about how his grandfather feels about events and how it ties together in the family's present predicament. This portion could be called "the novel within the novel," as it veers off from the reality Thomas faces and roots his thoughts in the past.
Because Tolkien is a London barrister, he convincingly sets up the case in London's Central Criminal Court, complete with a charismatic defense attorney and a blustering prosecutor. Both seem to indicate that the rules of American law are mostly preferable to those of British law. Both attorneys get away with badgering their witnesses with more statements of confrontation than productive questions.
But the plot remains believable because the environment emanates from the personal experience of the author in a British courtroom.
The story also portrays a distant, difficult relationship between father and son, the complexities of class between the New Lady Robinson and the deceased, and a convincing portrayal of a very likable, witty and beautiful defendant, Greta Grahame Robinson. In spite of her plight, she retains a sincere affection for Thomas, which he tries not to share.
The guessing game remains until the final chapter, at which time the "final witness," Sir Peter Robinson, has his explosive day in court.
In spite of any prejudice Tolkien may have to fight off because he is J.R.R. Tolkien's grandson and he did not write another "Lord of the Rings," this book is a fine showcase for his talent as a writer. Whether he inherited his appealing style from his grandfather is anybody's guess, but this is a very good book.
Simon Tolkien's first novel, "Final Witness," is a polished and interesting legal thriller that provides excellent character development and consistent suspense.
The author possesses that British clarity that is so elegant as compared with most American-written books of a similar genre. Not only is he a natural storyteller, but he is gifted in description and in moving the plot along.
This is the story of a break-in at a British manor house outside London, which results in the murder of Lady Anne Robinson, wife of Sir Peter Robinson, the British minister of defense. Their teenage son Thomas is also in the house, but he eludes detection. Soon afterward, Thomas, who his father suspects is afflicted with an overactive imagination, implicates his father's beautiful personal assistant, Greta Grahame.
Prior to the murder, the relationship between Lady Anne and Greta is strained - and Thomas, who loves his mother, nevertheless nurses a major crush on Greta. Even as the investigation is completed, Sir Peter marries Grahame, partly to add visible strength to her court case and partly because he has been falling in love with her.
The big question for investigators is who is telling the truth - Thomas or the new Lady Robinson?
Once his mother is gone, Thomas fully cultivates his feelings for the family home, including the pictures of ancestors on the walls and a cache of letters written by them. Alone here, because his father is so angry with him that he remains in London, Thomas has an epiphany about how his grandfather feels about events and how it ties together in the family's present predicament. This portion could be called "the novel within the novel," as it veers off from the reality Thomas faces and roots his thoughts in the past.
Because Tolkien is a London barrister, he convincingly sets up the case in London's Central Criminal Court, complete with a charismatic defense attorney and a blustering prosecutor. Both seem to indicate that the rules of American law are mostly preferable to those of British law. Both attorneys get away with badgering their witnesses with more statements of confrontation than productive questions.
But the plot remains believable because the environment emanates from the personal experience of the author in a British courtroom.
The story also portrays a distant, difficult relationship between father and son, the complexities of class between the New Lady Robinson and the deceased, and a convincing portrayal of a very likable, witty and beautiful defendant, Greta Grahame Robinson. In spite of her plight, she retains a sincere affection for Thomas, which he tries not to share.
The guessing game remains until the final chapter, at which time the "final witness," Sir Peter Robinson, has his explosive day in court.
In spite of any prejudice Tolkien may have to fight off because he is J.R.R. Tolkien's grandson and he did not write another "Lord of the Rings," this book is a fine showcase for his talent as a writer. Whether he inherited his appealing style from his grandfather is anybody's guess, but this is a very good book.