False Witness

Chinese Mafia, bondsmen, bounty hunters, FBI agents, lawyers, and the mathematical discovery of the century all combine to make False Witness an intriguing twist of action and mystery. Professor Dagan and his protégée discover an algorithm capable of cracking most internet security encryption. However, when the Chinese Mafia and the US government, set their mind to obtaining this algorithm, a chain events is set it motion that will forever change the lives of a young couple; forcing them to enter the witness protection program and rely on a government, they do not trust, for their survival. At worse, False Witness is a good book. It's really a great book. The plot is interesting and at times unpredictable; the action fast paced and continuous. Corruption is deep and the good guys are not always as they seem. However, the real genius of this book is in the characters. From nerdy Wellington Farnsworth to brash Isaiah Haywood, each character has multiple layers, with each layer revealing a little more about humanity. I've read four other books by Randy Singer which I enjoyed, but I do believe this is his best to date. Definitely well worth reading.

Wonderful read. Started one day and finished the next. Couldn't put this one down. Wanted to keep turning the pages - suspensful right up to the last page. Highly Recommended.

With a number of books under his belt, Randy Singer has proven to be the master of legal thrillers told from a Christian world view. He never preaches. He tells great stories, and lets the characters' own wrestlings speak for themselves. This time, by diving into matters of international espionage, Singer has pulled off what Grisham only hoped to do in "The Broker." Leapfrogging off of the codes and ciphers explored in Singer's thriller (and matching non-fiction volume) from last year, "False Witness" raises the earthly stakes. The plot revolves around an unimaginably valuable code, the Abacus Algorithm, which could unlock all existing Internet security systems. In the dramatic opening hundred pages, we meet a married couple whose lives will never be the same after brushing up to the secrets of the algorithm. The story jumps from there to a trio of legal students who get drawn into the violent game between federal agents and Manchurian triad gangs. The students are likable and resourceful--which is a good thing, considering the trouble they are about to face. Singer weaves a complicated plot into a fantastic page-turner. He pulls off a few surprises, while giving us food for thought regarding the price of justice, the compromises some are willing to make, and the legalities of governmental infringement in private lives. But don't let these heady issues fool you. This is first and foremost a great read. If there's any justice, Singer's books should be hitting the bestseller lists.

Randy Singer has written one of the best Christian thrillers I've ever read. It's refreshing to find a thrilling legal plot that doesn't hinge on a vial of toxin or some kind of odd medical experimentation. Instead, bounty hunter Clarke Shealy is on the trail of a Chinese mathematician's algorithm that could change the very nature of the Internet --- and his wife's fate is hanging in the balance. And that's just the first 100 pages. After setting up this conflict, readers are introduced to a quirky team of law students who are working at a legal aid clinic in the Southeast and become involved with a man named "David Hoffman," who is in the FBI's Witness Protection Program. Even if Singer were not a strong writer (which he is), this book would be fascinating because he's not only a veteran trial lawyer but also an attorney who has worked for the Witness Protection Program --- experience that he uses in graceful, small doses as he entwines his characters further and further in a web of legal, government deceit. Since the algorithm in question could not only ruin Internet communication but also disarm national security, the stakes are high and Singer keeps the tension there as well. The fascinating part about FALSE WITNESS is how the author weaves in the moral and ethical shifting sands his characters and our society stand on as they try to negotiate a threat that doesn't come from nuclear weapons or suicide bombers. Singer is one of a breed of Christian fiction writers who believes that less is more when it comes to faith; he imbues faith where it needs to be and leaves the rest to God and the reader. Thankfully (and I think Singer would find this as funny as I do), he doesn't leave the novel-writing up to God, the way some authors seem to do. Singer knows when to keep a paragraph brief or when to add more description. He doesn't waste time on backstories of characters when they are on the scene for a specific reason; likewise, when we need to truly understand motivation, we get it. Understanding the relationships that build up between the law students as they race to understand their mysterious witness is so engrossing that readers will wonder if Singer is planning a sequel with this intrepid trio of intellectual warriors. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

The CEO wanted the algorithm that will change the Internet especially if it is exclusively sold to him for about $50 million. Professor Dagan watched via computer from his apartment as his protégé Chow Zhang completed the negotiations. Only the other side, once they were assured only two people had seen the formula, abruptly ended the deal by killing Zhang. After a failed repro in Vegas followed by a drugging, bounty hunter Clarke Shealy receives a portentous call from the Chinese; they allow his beloved wife Jess to come on, but she begins to mention a name so he hears what he knows is bone on bone. He is warned to do their bidding in a timely manner if he wants his wife returned alive. They order him to locate a vanished Chinese mathematician, who created an algorithm that will change Internet protocol. The above two paragraphs are only the first third of an incredible action-packed thriller that proves Christian action tales can be exciting and inspirational, yet not biblical and without being intrusive. The story line starts with the deal, switches to Clarke's frantic efforts to rescue Jess, and finally changes into a legal thriller starring a professor and his three legal aid students. The two key elements are the switchovers are so smooth that the audience will realize how good Randy Singer is and the invocation of Christianity is lightly fitted into the plot without slowing down anything. Thriller fans regardless of faith will sing the praises of the author. Harriet Klausner