Witness for the Defence

By A E W Mason

A barrister's duty is to evidence, yet the truth before him may demand more than professional discipline. Henry Thresk, an ambitious English barrister and Member of Parliament, becomes involved in the criminal case surrounding Stella Ballantyne, a woman trapped in an oppressive marriage in colonial India. Her plight tests the boundaries between legal obligation and moral justice, while testimony, reputation and uncertain evidence complicate every judgement. Across criminal courts and colonial society, the novel examines how prejudice and coercion shape the stories people are permitted to tell. Courtroom suspense is interwoven with romantic conflict and questions of female autonomy, placing Thresk's ambition against the personal responsibility he cannot easily dismiss. Rather than treating the law as a simple instrument of truth, this legal mystery probes the distance between what can be proved, what can be believed and what justice may require. A later movement to Sussex broadens the drama from the pressures of a criminal case to the scrutiny of village society. The shifting settings bring colonial adventure into contact with social drama, while the consequences of testimony continue to trouble private loyalties and public standing. Combining crime fiction with psychological and romantic tension, the narrative sustains uncertainty around evidence without reducing its characters' choices to a courtroom puzzle. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9378417566
• ISBN13: 9789378417566
• Release Date: January 2027
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"