About the Author
Peter Murphy graduated from Cambridge University and spent a career in the law, as an advocate, teacher, and judge. He has worked both in England and the United States, and served for several years as counsel at the Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.
He has written nine novels: two political thrillers about the US presidency, Removal and Test of Resolve; seven historical/legal thrillers featuring Ben Schroeder, A Higher Duty, A Matter for the Jury, And Is There Honey Still for Tea?, The Heirs of Owain Glyndwr, Calling Down the Storm, One Law for the Rest of Us and Verbal. He is also the author of three Judge Walden of Bermondsey collections of short stories. He lives in Cambridgeshire.
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About the book
'This debt was not contracted as the price of bread or wine or arms. It was the price of liberty' -Alexander Hamilton
Kiah Harmon, a young Virginia lawyer, is just emerging from the most traumatic time of her life when actress Samantha ('Sam') van Eyck walks into her office, unannounced, with the case of a lifetime. She asks Kiah to recover a 200-year-old debt from the US Government - a debt that Alexander Hamilton may have acknowledged.
The selfless generosity of Sam's ancestor, Jacob Van Eyck, in making a massive loan of gold and supplies at Valley Forge, during the freezing winter of 1777-1778, may well have saved George Washington's army, and the War of Independence, from disaster. But it reduced Jacob to ruin. Despite the government's promises, the debt was never repaid, and this hero of the American Revolution died in poverty, unknown and unrecognised. Two hundred years later, Sam and Kiah embark on a quest to change that. But first, they will have to find the evidence, and overcome a stubborn Government determined to frustrate their every move. Will there ever be a statue for Jacob?
Review
In good faith and in pursuit of liberty. If Jacob made the same gesture in the 21st century and it made the difference in a battle of unprecedented importance for the country of America, well the family would sue and the majority of the country would support them in their decision.
Sam walks into Kiah's office with the case of a lifetime - trying to recover a debt from the US government, a debt they made 200 years ago. To also gain recognition for the selfless act of a patriot who possibly helped to determine the outcome of the American War of Independence.
From a fictional perspective it's a great homage to a man who appears to have been forgotten when it comes to the narration of history. From a factual perspective Judge James Turner made the wrong ruling. Jacob's story and the subsequent case is not so dissimilar to descendants of victims trying to regain possession of property stolen in wartime and as such should be given a specific dispensation when it comes to the statute of limitation.
Murphy does an excellent job of bringing this hidden, forgotten and quite important injustice to light in this fictional story. The core element of the Jacob's tale is turned into a riveting historical fiction read, which is simultaneously also a legal thriller and a story about a family fighting for justice for their ancestor.
Buy A Statue for Jacob at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Oldcastle Books pub date 5 July 2021. Buy at Amazon com.
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