To Become an Outlaw

‘When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw’ – Nelson Mandela

1964, Apartheid South Africa. Danie du Plessis, the son of a conservative Afrikaner family, is poised to start a glittering legal academic career at one of South Africa’s leading universities, when he falls in love with a student, Amy Coetzee. But there’s a problem: he’s white, she’s not. Facing arrest, imprisonment and ruin, the couple flee South Africa, and settle in Cambridge, where friends find them positions at the University. They marry and have two children, and have seemingly put the past, and South Africa, behind them. But in 1968 Art Pienaar enters their lives, and, insisting that they have a duty to fight back, enlists their help in increasingly dangerous schemes to undermine the South African regime.

When Pienaar and a notorious drug dealer, Vince Cummings, are found murdered together, Danie’s activities come to light, and he and his family find themselves in mortal danger. Danie is also threatened with criminal prosecution on behalf of a government desperate to maintain good relations with the apartheid regime. Danie knows he’s sailed close to the wind. But has he become an outlaw? Can Ben Schroeder persuade a jury that the answer is no?

• A compulsive mix of crime fiction and legal thriller, exploring topical themes of racism, prejudice, politics and corruption through the lens of Apartheid South Africa
• Eighth instalment in the Ben Schroeder legal thriller series following 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
• Can also be read as a stand-alone novel
• Peter Murphy is an ex Crown Court Judge and his extensive legal experience adds authenticity and insight to his writing
• Interest in workings of British justice system continues to grow thanks to popularity of books such as The Secret Barrister and Fake Law
• Perfect for readers of legal and historical fiction, as well as fans of courtroom thrillers such as BBC drama series Silk, Judge John Deed and Law And Order