Randy Singer has written a dozen legal thrillers, as well as several other books. Directed Verdict, his first novel, started a successful trend, winning him a Christy award. First published in 2002, Directed Verdict pulls no punches in its portrayal of courtroom drama and religious persecution.
Randy's lawyer protagonist, Brad Carson, comes to the attention of the Christian community when he defends the right of a pastor to pray with other Christians in front of an abortion clinic. Carson is ambivalent toward Christianity, but happy to be involved in a high-profile case. So when a missionary comes to him claiming that Saudi police tortured and killed her missionary husband, he jumps in to her defense.
Like much popular fiction, the good guys are not perfect, but definitely good, and the bad guys are downright evil. In this case, the Saudis are determined to win and not allow themselves to be portrayed as the ruthless, anti-Christian brutes that they are. Even though this is fiction, the story is a reminder that Saudi Arabia may be an ally to the U.S. and an important economic partner, but they are a brutal, oppressive regime. One wonders if any American politician will ever have the guts to call them out.
Singer crafts a fun story, building suspense, leading and misleading the reader about who is betraying whom, twisting and turning the plot. It's an entertaining story, including a convincing conversion to Christianity of one of the characters, a budding romance between two of the characters, and plenty of reasons for the reader to cheer for the underdog. Fans of legal fiction will eat this up.
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