The Widow Wave: A True Courtroom Drama of Tragedy at Sea

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' may be a complex, inexact business. There's real truth and then there's courtroom truth; a jury's verdict may not approach what actually happened. Can someone reading about such an event-without witnesses or hard evidence to explain it-be sure where the truth lies? Still, trials 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? 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