An Unjust Death

by Terry Carson

Luke, has had more than his fair share of bad luck. Orphaned at a young age and later due to a misunderstanding expelled from his missionary foster family, he is trying to make his own way in rapidly changing colonial New Zealand. On board ship returning from prisoner escort duties to van Dieman's Land, he is wrongfully accused of murder. Later a jury accepts the lies of his European accuser, and he is found guilty and sentenced to death. With only a few days left before his public execution he has to find a way to escape the hangman and clear his name. He also wants to take revenge on his false accuser, and then find happiness with the young woman he loves.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2022

Reviews

[Josie Laird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luke is a young maori policeman in the early years of European settlement. Faced with constant racism and persecution, he adheres to his missionary upbringing. But one particularly nasty colleague accuses Luke of murder, and he is sentenced to the gallows.
The author shows a great understanding of the time period, and of the unjust legal system. The research which has gone into this book is obvious.