Mary Elizabeth Martin

I’m Mary Martin, author of the Osgoode Trilogy, which I wrote over many years. This trilogy is a series of suspense novels featuring a lawyer-protagonist, Harry Jenkins. The first two novels, Conduct in Question and Final Paradox are published and the third, A Trial of One will be published in September 2007.

It’s funny, but you don’t often see the patterns in your life until quite late on. And then—it’s as if someone has been writing your life story all along. Looking back on my childhood, I see someone who had lots of imaginary friends, loved to make up detective games to baffle everyone and was crazy to read. Like many young people, I had difficulty in deciding upon a direction to head in life. School made me painfully aware that my abilities were not of the mathematical or scientific variety, so that cut out a lot of areas. But I did love writing and reading.

And so, after high school, I studied English at University only to find out that the courses turned out fine critics of the language but not creative writers. After University, I decided upon law school. For a person who wanted a creative field, that may seem to be a 180-degree turn, but in retrospect, it all seems to fit together nicely.

I sometimes think that I practiced law to have something to write about. My practice was a great inspiration for character, plot and themes. Law practice gave me a great deal of second hand experience through my clients. For example I, myself, have never personally experienced divorce, but I have worked through the ins and outs of plenty of divorce actions and know the pain people go through. Lawyers are often involved in the lives of their clients at crucial times, when the monetary and emotional stakes are very high. This experience gave me a real window on the world of humanity—with insight into the “workings” of human beings and the law. And it raised questions such as— Does the law push and pummel us to our higher selves? Or is it just a dull tool which grinds away at us, but making little difference to our lives?

The protagonist of the Osgoode Trilogy is Harry Jenkins, a lawyer practising in a small estates firm in Toronto. Let me tell you a little about Harry’s world.
Conduct in Question is the first in the trilogy, with three plot lines: a murder plot with a true Jekyll and Hyde character at its root dubbed by the media as the Florist, a massive money laundering scam into which Harry is sucked and a love story. The next two novels feature Harry Jenkins as well. In the trilogy, I raise issues such as, How much money is enough? Why do we turn a blind eye? Is evil real? And of course, how does love, forgiveness and compassion figure in our lives?

Final Paradox is the second one. In it, Harry’s client, Norma Dinnick, teeters between madness and lucidity claiming that some very valuable shares have been stolen. The money appears to have been raised by fraud. Trouble is that there are other claimants to this bounty. One of them is Archie Brinks, who is fatally shot in open court. The murder weapon is an ornate silver duelling pistol which is used to frame innocent parties. Harry must also deal with his elderly father’s request for forgiveness for a long buried wrong—not an easy matter for him. The question for Harry—Can love and forgiveness be found amid fraud and deceit?

A Trial of One This is the third novel in which Harry is sent on a quest for the shares sought after in Final Paradox. He is relentlessly pursued through London and Venice by Dr. Robert Hawke—a highly intelligent, but completely mad “doctor.” Yet another question—Who will qualify as the candidate in a trial of one?

To learn more about Harry’s world, please visit my website at www.theosgoodetrilogy.com where you will be able to sample some chapters.

Right now, I consider this to be one of the most interesting periods in my life. Retired from law practice, I have the time to devote myself full time to writing and reading. I also have a passion for photography and travel. I took the photograph on the front cover of Final Paradox on my first night in Venice of a shop window with a Pinocchio puppet in it. It seemed just right to express the theme of fraud and deceit in the story. In addition, I have the time to study in some areas, which fascinate me such as philosophy, art and Jungian psychology. And so, I am fascinated to see the unfolding of the next stage of my life.

Please visit any of the online bookstores to buy a copy of Conduct in Question or Final Paradox [and soon] A Trial of One.

Story ID:	2224
Written by:	OurEcho Admin (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	In The Spotlight
Location:	Toronto Ontario Canada
Year:	2007
Person:	Mary Elizabeth Martin