Deadlock

Deadlock is a well crafted legal thriller that is hard to put down. It centers around Supreme Court Justice Milly Hollander who has some major life happenings including a near death experience that makes her examine her relationship with God. That leads to a major transformation of her legal philosophy. This happens about the same time that she is nominated to be the Chief Justice by a liberal president. Her new views cause major consternation for the president and members of Congress who share his philosophy. They make it their mission to destroy her. Along the way, the author weaves in a subplot of a young woman who has a major legal battle with the abortion industry. Overall, the story was excellent. It addresses issues of concern to all and will make the readers think. There are two things that I did not like. One is a plot twist that I would have liked to have seen done differently. Although the way it was written led to a major surprise, I think it took away from some excitement that could have occurred later on had it been done differently. The other criticism was this: One of the characters, Jack Holden, had written a legal brief exploring the big questions of life, God, etc. during his own spiritual searching. Holden shares it with the Justice. Mr. Bell only provided enough of the brief to whet the reader's appetite. I would like to see him expand on that. He could actually write a complete future novel based around that. In spite of that, this is a great book with superb character development. I highly recommend it.

Deadlock is an exciting legal thriller by one of the best Christian authors today, James Scott Bell. In Deadlock, Bell tackles the hot button issue of abortion from the political and judicial point of view, pointing out just how divisive the issue is to our country. Millie Hollander is a Supreme Court Justice on the verge of being the chief justice when she is hit by a car. This experience causes her to question her own beliefs in death, the afterlife and God. Meanwhile, Senator Levering from Oklahoma (you know this is fiction because there is no way a hard drinking, womanizing, Ted Kennady-esque Senator would ever come from Oklahoma) is assuring the democratic president that Hollander would continue to keep the tenious liberal/moderate majority on the court. Charlene Moore is taken on the national abortion lobby with a teenager as a client, alleging her client was warned of all the dangers of abortion before she had the procedure. Senator Levering, his seedy operative, Anne Deveraux as well as Hollander are all great characters who at one time or another have to reconcile their actions with their belief in God. This is a great legal novel with solid insights on how the Supreme Court operates. It also has strong relationships at its core, and that is what makes it a good novel. Bell doesn't solve the abortion crisis in this novel, but does make it apparent what he believes: God is the only way to really solve the problem.

James Scott Bell's writing has never let me down. This novel had everything: a page-turning plot, interesting history, intelligent dialogue, intriguing questions to ponder, touches of humor, and even a lovely romance tucked between the suspense and action. Most of all, it had succint, witty, crisp writing. It made me smile and it made me cry. I couldn't ask for more in a book.

I discovered Jim Bell a few years ago when a friend suggested Blind Justice. Having enjoyed that one, I recently bought Deadlock. I found Deadlock to be very enjoyable as its highly possible storyline is quite engaging. There's an interesting twist, too. A good read!Deadlock also ignited my real-life concerns about upcoming Supreme Court nominees.

All I can say is "Wow". Jim Bell's new novel DEADLOCK is a book that grabs hold in the first paragraph and doesn't let go. With a riveting plot line that takes off on the premise of a Supreme Court judge converting to Christianity, it read like something right out of the front pages. I love it when I learn something from a book too, and it was fascinating to see how the Supreme Court works and all the politics involved in decisions. I can't recommend this book highly enough!