Forgiveness- A SENSATION NOVEL by
SIMON HOBBS
The life and murder of Bessie Caroline Goodwin
It is 1863. Elizabeth 'Bessie' Goodwin, a young woman of conscience and spirit, lives with her manipulative grandfather, Captain Francis Goodwin, at Wigwell Grange, near Wirksworth in Derbyshire.
In August of that year she is brutally murdered by George Townley, to whom she had previously been betrothed, when he discovers that she is now in love with someone else- a young clergyman. Bessie refuses to disclose the identity of her new lover to George.
After he has stabbed Bessie, and given himself up, George asserts, to general incredulity, that his actions are morally justified. Samuel Leech, a small-time Derby solicitor, takes on the thankless task of representing George in court. However, this turns out to have unexpected personal consequences for the lawyer as well as for his client.
About SIMON
Simon was once a public sector lawyer. ‘Forgiveness' is his debut novel. It was prompted by the chance discovery of a scrapbook about the murder assembled in 1865 by an unnamed but concerned Derby resident. His book blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction- the story makes extensive use of contemporary source material but other apparently genuine historical material is, in fact, made up.
