A Matter for the Jury
Murphy’s fourth novel (after A Higher Duty, 2009) is a character-driven legal thriller of the first order. Based on real events, the plot turns on the complexities of the British legal system 50 years ago, when capital punishment was hanging. Nevertheless, it will have readers thinking about practices in the English-speaking world today.
Ben Schroeder, a young Jewish barrister in A Higher Duty, has advanced in his profession. He has been asked to defend in a murder trial—an honor—as second to Martin Hardcastle, an eminent Queen’s Counsel. Although Schroeder expects to be relegated to routine tasks while the QC manages strategy, he is grateful for the experience.
The accused is a young working man named Billy Cottage, who is, by his own admission, guilty of murder. The evidence against him is clear and tangible. He has no credible alibi. Thus, the role of the defense team is not to prove his innocence but reduce the charge enough to save Billy Cottage from hanging.
Like a historian or journalist, Murphy gives readers the facts up front. He describes the murder and provides Cottage’s full history without explaining the man’s behavior. He lets us in on Schroeder’s insecurities, his broken heart, and his fears of anti-Semitism in Chambers. We know the QC has personal problems. We expect Hardcastle to let Schroeder down at a critical juncture in the trial; but we don’t know when or how. Our understanding enhances the action, without diminishing the suspense. The outcome of the trial is unpredictable.
For all its length and complexity, A Matter for the Jury is a page-turner recommended for anyone who enjoys courtroom fiction or the history of 20th-century law.
