The Last Crusade, A Novel

Faced with the threat of bankruptcy and on the advice of his ambitious lawyer, a young businessman, Godfrey Duke Jr., sole heir to the greatest name in American capitalism-his unrevered Aunt Alexandra Duke-goes on a crusade to the Holy Land to recapture it for Christianity. An ancient though still valid law provides that all debts are frozen for anyone who takes up the Cross and engages in the cause. Though determined to disinherit him, Aunt Alexandra has only six months to live and Godfrey and his lawyer use all their ingenuity to outwit her while keeping his creditors at bay. Godfrey's battles against the Infidel and the Unconverted and his lawyer's against the wiles of Alexandra Duke provide the action for this satire set in Washington, DC, and the Holy Land. The author, a graduate of George Washington University and University College London, was born in New York City, and has practiced law in Washington, DC, the Middle East and Europe.