Space Viking

When his wife is murdered on his wedding day, Lucas Trask begins his search for her murderer with unexpected consequences. Lucas uses his personal fortune to buy a starship and become a Space Viking raiding and trading and building an empire while searching for his wife's killer.
Henry Beam Piper was an American science fiction author best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of Paratime alternate history tales.