Will anyone ever know what happened to the Aloha, a sport
fishing boat that vanished with all onboard in the Pacific off San
Francisco’s coast? ‘Knowing’ is a complex, inexact
business. There’s real truth and then there’s courtroom
truth; a jury’s verdict may or may not approach what actually
happened. Nor can someone reading about such an event—one that
had no witnesses or hard evidence to explain it—be sure where the
truth lies. But trials, judges, and juries are what we use in our legal
system to find truth.
The Widow Wave explores this alternate
reality. It is a fascinating true-life mystery and lawyer procedural
rolled into one. Jay Jacobs offers no facile answers—and
he’s not the flawless protagonist typically starring in such
dramas. He lets us see how such a big wrongful death case really
unfolds, in a true story that reads like a novel. Will the jury find the
truth? Will the reader?
"Jay Jacobs’ vivid prose
pulls you into a compelling drama, deftly transporting you from the
courtroom to the storm-tossed Pacific and back to the courtroom again.
The book reads like a well-wrought detective novel."
—
Daniel James Brown, New York Times Bestselling Author of 'The Boys in
the Boat'
"An intelligently told true story of honor,
integrity and justice. The Widow Wave reminded me of The Perfect Storm,
played out in a taut courtroom thriller. Jay Jacobs masterfully weaves
the harrowing tale of the last voyage of the Aloha, and courtroom battle
that followed. A great read."
— Robert Dugoni, New
York Times Bestselling Author of 'My Sister's Grave'
"A
compelling story of a modern day maritime tragedy that beautifully
discusses the vital importance of advances in observational
technologies, forecasts and communications in avoiding future loss of
life at sea. Jacobs skillfully weaves together the legal, scientific and
maritime narratives to enthrall and educate the reader."
/>— Julie Thomas, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Manager of
the Institute of Geo and Planetary Physics
"Trial
lawyer Jay Jacobs, in a unique, personally revealing memoir, defends a
widow and her deceased husband's honor in an intimate first person
account of how the civil trial process unfolds.... The reader will learn
about the strategies, shoals, and embroilments of a real life,
vigorously contested trial with its many emotional upheavals."
/>— Justice James Marchiano (ret.), formerly Presiding Justice,
California Court of Appeals, First Appellate District