An old style novel that drew my attention whilst browsing an antiquarian bookshop in Rochester.

Paul Mathry, a student about to graduate and embark upon a teaching career, finds out that his father was convicted for murder, a secret that his mother had hidden from him since his childhood.
Driven by an intense desire to see his father, Paul sets out to visit him in prison, only to find out that visitors are never allowed there.
From there, he meets the primary witnesses in the case that convicted his father, not all of whom are supportive to Paul's cause. He encounters several dead ends but he persists, with the help of a store girl named Lena and a news reporter.
His persistent campaign finally bears fruit. Rees Mathry, Paul's father, goes on appeal and is vindicated. The novel ends with Paul's father, a hardened, cynical man, seeing a fleeting hope for self-renewal and a purposeful life.

An old book this, published in 1950, the year of my birth. However, there is no doubt that the author is a master of his art. The settings and atmosphere are perfectly clear and the character descriptions are great. It really kept my interest all the way through and the ending was totally believable.

Left on bench.

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