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With the Passage of Time
1985, Cambridgeshire. An MPs wife is involved in a fatal car crash, and may be over the alcohol limit. Ben Schroeder QC returns to defend her but nothing is straightforward as he gets tangled in a web of political ambition and intrigue.
A compulsive mix of crime fiction and legal thriller, exploring highly topical themes.
A compulsive mix of crime fiction and legal thriller, exploring highly topical themes.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2024
24 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Peter Murphy
136 books28 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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There are various authors in this profile.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 6, 2024
A marvellous conclusion to a wonderful series. The author died in 2022, and the book cover announces that this is Ben Schroeder’s final case, so I haven’t given away any spoilers. The setting has moved forwards to 1985, and the story begins with two apparently unconnected investigations: one into a Conservative MP’s wife who is involved in a fatal car crash; the other into a ‘cold’ case from 1962, in which a member of an animal rights group was responsible for putting a security guard into a coma (from which he has just woken up). But it soon transpires that there is, after all, a connection between the two investigations.
Ben Schroeder QC (as he now is) only makes his first appearance in Chapter 10, but we are soon reacquainted with some of the characters (barristers, solicitors and judges) from previous books. As always, the chambers and court scenes are convincingly written, reminding us that the author was himself a judge. There is the usual tension when a jury’s verdict is about to be announced; as with the author’s previous books, I found myself covering up the relevant page with my fingers and reading it line by line. Ben himself is as conscientious, effective and sympathetic as ever. He is now Head of Chambers, but we aren’t allowed to forget that he was originally very much an outsider in his profession.
There is no major “twist” at the end, but one is not necessary – and the final scene brings the book (and the series) to a very satisfying conclusion. Any weaknesses? Well, in my Kindle edition at least, there are some typos and errors (eg, on one page, DS McPhail is referred to, separately, as both DC McPhail and DI McPhail), and perhaps this was because the author was not able to proofread his final book. There are also the author’s customary repetitive descriptions of certain court scenes. So we will get a long summary of events from the judge at trial, and then a very similar summary of the same events from the judges on appeal. And there are the repeated judge’s warnings to the jury not to pay attention to media reports of the trial and not to discuss the case with anyone else. But, to be fair, that is just a reflection of what trials must be like in real life.
Overall, though, this is one of the most enjoyable series with a legal background that I have ever read. I felt quite sad when I finished this book, knowing that I won’t read about Ben Schroeder again. In his early days as a junior barrister, Ben was involved in a capital murder case; in this final book, he is made aware of the wishes of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in respect of the investigation into the Conservative MP's wife. So although the whole series is ‘historical’, it also spans an era which was very different at the end from how it was at the start. Each book in the series can be read on its own, of course, but to get maximum enjoyment from them I would recommend that they are read in order.
Ben Schroeder QC (as he now is) only makes his first appearance in Chapter 10, but we are soon reacquainted with some of the characters (barristers, solicitors and judges) from previous books. As always, the chambers and court scenes are convincingly written, reminding us that the author was himself a judge. There is the usual tension when a jury’s verdict is about to be announced; as with the author’s previous books, I found myself covering up the relevant page with my fingers and reading it line by line. Ben himself is as conscientious, effective and sympathetic as ever. He is now Head of Chambers, but we aren’t allowed to forget that he was originally very much an outsider in his profession.
There is no major “twist” at the end, but one is not necessary – and the final scene brings the book (and the series) to a very satisfying conclusion. Any weaknesses? Well, in my Kindle edition at least, there are some typos and errors (eg, on one page, DS McPhail is referred to, separately, as both DC McPhail and DI McPhail), and perhaps this was because the author was not able to proofread his final book. There are also the author’s customary repetitive descriptions of certain court scenes. So we will get a long summary of events from the judge at trial, and then a very similar summary of the same events from the judges on appeal. And there are the repeated judge’s warnings to the jury not to pay attention to media reports of the trial and not to discuss the case with anyone else. But, to be fair, that is just a reflection of what trials must be like in real life.
Overall, though, this is one of the most enjoyable series with a legal background that I have ever read. I felt quite sad when I finished this book, knowing that I won’t read about Ben Schroeder again. In his early days as a junior barrister, Ben was involved in a capital murder case; in this final book, he is made aware of the wishes of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in respect of the investigation into the Conservative MP's wife. So although the whole series is ‘historical’, it also spans an era which was very different at the end from how it was at the start. Each book in the series can be read on its own, of course, but to get maximum enjoyment from them I would recommend that they are read in order.
April 24, 2024
As Peter Murphy has expanded his clever and eloquent character Ben Schroeder through 9 books spanning decades , there is a tiff of John Mortimer enjoyment as with Rumple.The emergence of Ben Schroeder as head of chambers , some 30 years after book 1 and the clever plot lines based in each era are brought it would seem to a natural conclusion with this novel.
Schroeder initially has to defend an MPs wife on a death by dangerous driving charge, parallel to this is a cold case investigation by a new CID police officer into a break in 2o years previously in Cambridge by a animal liberation group, which comes about after a security guard who recieved a blow to the head wakes up from a 20 year coma.
There is also a sub plot regarding a colleague and ethics at the bar, and a nice reference to Schroeders ordeal with the same in an earlier book.
The wonderfully written legal arguments etc are superb as is the clever plot twists and leave you guessing till the very end.A small sprinkling of political chicanery is also involved.
A fantastic conclusion to a original and highly enjoyable series of legal thrillers.
Schroeder initially has to defend an MPs wife on a death by dangerous driving charge, parallel to this is a cold case investigation by a new CID police officer into a break in 2o years previously in Cambridge by a animal liberation group, which comes about after a security guard who recieved a blow to the head wakes up from a 20 year coma.
There is also a sub plot regarding a colleague and ethics at the bar, and a nice reference to Schroeders ordeal with the same in an earlier book.
The wonderfully written legal arguments etc are superb as is the clever plot twists and leave you guessing till the very end.A small sprinkling of political chicanery is also involved.
A fantastic conclusion to a original and highly enjoyable series of legal thrillers.
June 11, 2024
The final Ben Schroder book, and sadly the author has now passed away so there won't be any more. Read the whole series, it's excellent.
August 2, 2024
I'm so sorry that there will be no more books in this series. This book is perhaps a little too repetitive for those of us who are not trained to read in precise detail... but still a great read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews