Title: The Barrister and the Letter of Marque
Author: Todd M. Johnson
Published by Bethany House Publishers
Year: 2021
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 407
Language: English
ASIN: B08LG91Y95
Dates Read: 2024, April 16 to May 15
This novel was mentioned on a blog that I randomly visited. The premise sounded interesting enough so I decided to read it. What a fortunate find! I loved reading this book. I don’t think that I’ve ever read a fiction novel that is categorized as not only historical fiction, but also legal thriller and Christian fiction.
There are so many things that I appreciate about this book. I love that the protagonist is an older man (late 30s during the main thrust of the novel) who is single and that the main female character is past the typical marrying age for the novel’s time period (Regency). I like how the story moves forward at a rewarding pace with enough details to be realistic and ignite the imagination. However, it’s great that there are not too many technical details. The characters convey helpful information. They are introduced and incorporated into the plot smoothly.The plot’s suspense is not stalled by unnecessary quests and information. Every chapter moves along, flows well, and I am grateful that the story stays on track. The language and dialogue are witty and feel early 19th century without many anachronisms or even dense, archaic words. I felt that a reader can enjoy this novel without extensive knowledge of that century or the legal field.
The novel’s suspense was so gripping that I did not want to put the book down. When I had to stop reading, there was a bit of anxiety, tension, and striving inside me for the time to read and finish the novel. At the same time, I did not want the story to end because I had a sensation that I might not be able to find another novel quite like this one again. I don’t know many authors yet that write Regency legal suspense with somewhat of a Christian worldview. Although one of the work’s categories is Christian fiction, I do not recall a very strong evangelical gospel message being preached. What you have instead is at least one strong Christian character who has friendship and influence on the main character, and there are some devout or cultural Anglicans trying to make moral decisions. I think these elements work well with the country and time period.
So when I finished the book, I thought that it was awesome, but then I became curious about negative reviews. While many people liked this novel, others could not seem to get past the historical inaccuracies. I was completely unaware of the historical inaccuracies while reading because there was nothing extreme that stuck out like a 20th century invention or something. I do not have extensive knowledge about the story’s time period. Apparently, some of the real historical figures that the author has in this story would not have been alive or around at the time of the book’s main setting: Regency England, year 1818. Another criticism is that the author uses the wrong titles for certain characters, and they would have been called something different for that time period. Also, a few reviewers criticize details that seem like an alternate reality, and they criticize the mention of inventions that have not been invented yet in the story’s main year. So perhaps the author should have added an author’s note to discuss the historical liberties. Overall, I liked the novel, but I now feel conflicted due to the criticisms from people who are more acquainted with this time period and historical fiction. I would love to find a novel like this with the historical era worked out better.
A Love So Wordy 