The Witness for the Defence is a crime and mystery novel written by English author and politician A.E.W. Mason, which was published in 1913. Despite Mason being an upper-class politician, the novel still manages to capture a depth of emotion and sustained intrigue for the working class. The success of The Witness for the Defence led to it being adapted into an American silent film of the same name.
This thrilling book also serves as a comment on the political situation at the time that Mason was writing. He reflects on the legal and ethical challenges imposed by colonized India and its role in the British Empire. As such, the depiction of the difficulties of a pair of star-crossed lovers from two very different social and ethnic backgrounds acts as a pioneer for future Anglo-Indian mystery and intrigue novels.
A.E.W. Mason was born in Camberwell, England in 1865. He attended Trinity College at Oxford University, and before becoming a writer, he was a successful actor and passionate cricket player. Throughout his life, he wrote many novels and short stories and is today remembered as a founder of the crime and murder mystery literary genre. He is most well-known for his 1902 novel, The Four Feathers, which follows the life of a young British army soldier.
