Self Incrimination

Randy Singer's SELF INCRIMINATION is a riveting Christian legal thriller. The haunting prologue opens with Trish Bannister getting abused by her husband. The novel moves forward a few months and reveals that James Bannister is dead and that his step-daughter Tara shot him in self-defense. Or did she? Attorney Leslie Connors works for Brad Carson, he is her fiance and busy working on another case. Leslie gets the responsibility of representing Tara at trial. Right away, there are problems with Tara's story. Sure, she had bruises on her, but the scientic evidince points to premeditation, not self-defense. The is my first Singer novel, and won't be my last. I found this novel to be perhaps a bit too long, but that is because it needed room to juggle all the plots. Brad is suing the makers of a reality TV show. Leslie is trying to plan a wedding, and also finds out she has a life-threatening heart condition. The district attorney may have something to hide. Throw in insurance fraud, sexual abuse and Leslie's curiousity about Christianity, and you have a lot to cover. While I think the novel could have been better if it had been about 50 pages shorter, I give credit for Singer for tying up every lose end and also making every plot thread, however minor, turn outto be significant at the end. I also give kudos to Singer for writing the entire novel except the prologue in 1st person present. You don't see that often, and it takes some getting used to, but it worked. Also, he wrote it from Leslie's point of view. I'm a man, so I don't know how successful he was, but I sure found some of the wedding talk to be cringe inducing, exactly as it should be when a guy hears a woman planning her wedding. Christians who love Grisham, Finder, Turow or Coben will enjoy this novel. Singer takes a lot on on SELF INCRIMINATION, but he delivers. I look forward to reading more books by this talented writer.

'Self Incrimination' is a superb legal thriller that will keep the reader's attention from start to finish. Written by Randy Singer, who has penned several other excellent novels, this story is very hard to put down. It contains a murder mystery, a spoiled rick kid defendant, possible corrupt police and prosecutors, and a defense lawyer who is dealing with an impending wedding and a life threatening physical condition along with her first murder case at the same time. While writing a great novel, Mr. Singer has also pulled off a very impressive feat: He wrote this book in the first person as a woman. In spite of this great challenge, he pulled it off very well. I have enjoyed several other books by this author. This one is certainly no exception. I not only recommend it. I also recommend that interested readers check out his other work.

I have seen Randy Singer preach and I've read all of his fiction novels. What can I say? He's excellent at both! He spins stories together in such a way that you cannot put them down until the very end. It is amazing just how he can grab your attention and hold it until the last word, and "Self Incrimination" is the latest and strongest proof he has given of that yet. I read this book thinking surely he couldn't write a story any better than the ones he's already written, but I was most definitely wrong, finding this to be superior to his other novels by far (and that is in fact saying something). Tara is a teenage girl who has just killed her abusive stepfather because he decided to beat her mother one too many times...or so she says. However, the evidence just doesn't stack up to incriminate her. Why would she be so happy to claim the murder of this man when the evidence clearly states she didn't do it? One cannot help but wonder. In steps Leslie Connors, Tara's new lawyer. Leslie is trying to make sense of the whole situation. She's trying to help a teen be declared not guilty when in fact the girl seems to want to go to prison. She also is trying to make sense of all of the different motivations and evidence Tara is throwing at her for killing her dad, but but some things still just don't add up. In the midst of this whole situation, Leslie has a lot of stress on her mind, namely the fact that she's getting married to the most charming man in the world, the head lawyer of the firm she works for, Brad Carson. She's in the midst of working on wedding plans and such when a heart condition strikes for which she needs open-heart surgery immediately. However, could her new husband ever find her attractive on their wedding night with a big scar running down her front? What man would want such a woman? Why should he be forced to care for her when she can't be physically attractive to him? He shouldn't have to put up with it, and Leslie loves him enough to go to just about any lengths to make sure he doesn't. Would this be worth calling off the wedding? Add to that the fact that Leslie's got some Christian missionary who's just a little too sweet trying to convert her "just in case" things don't quite go right on the operating table. Leslie's tried religion before, and it didn't do a thing to save her last husband, who left her as a widow. She's not gonna waste her time with that any more! Altogether, this turns into an amazing story with suspense, hatred, love, and mystery. If you are looking for a book which will absolutely capture you and leave you wanting for more, "Self Incrimination," or any of Randy Singer's books for that matter, is for you!

Randy Singer smokes in his latest, and just keeps getting better! All I can say is wow! But I originally said that for "Directed Verdict" so I have to say more. Just kidding, I'm more than happy to report after self indulging on this! My verdict? Pretty darn good! Maybe better. To say the least, this starts out with a bang! Tara Bannister isn't taking anymore from her step-father! And Leslie Connors is gonna help her. Her soon-to-be husband, Brad Carson will do what he can to help. And of course, Bella, the secretary keeps things interesting throughout the whole ordeal. And Sarah Reed, a firm believer in Christ, will be praying in the midst of all this mess. And hey, Leslie tells this all in the first person. Pretty impressive if you ask me. And it was self defense, right? Surely Tara is out of harm's way, no irreparable harm done, right? WHOA! WAIT!! Did I just say "irreparable harm"? WRONG BOOK! Yep, wrong book, but right character. Mitchell Taylor enters the picture to take on Tara! If you've read some of Singer's previous works, you may see a ghost or 2 from the past emerge with charm, or maybe in a detestable sort of nature. Things are gonna get good, right? OK, awesome! So, read this, and you'll find out soon enough that this isn't just about self incrimination. Not just that. You'll probably find some elements of self defense, (of course) self sacrifice, and possibly some self indulgence. The last part is up to you, by the way! Read this with your heart, and you'll definitely get more than you bargained for. I guarantee it!

Trish Bannister is beaten up by her drunken abusive husband; later she takes a sleeping pill and is passed out when her sixteen year old daughter Tara is also beat up by her step-father. Unlike her mother, Tara doesn't like his abuse and admits to shooting him when the cops question her. She swears it was in self-defense because she feared for her life. Trish hires Leslie Connors to defend her daughter who is nervous because this is her first murder case and the prosecution wants to try the teen as an adult. While she is trying to come up with Tara's defense, the scientific evidence doesn't corroborate the teenager's story. Leslie is busy making plans to marry the firm's founder Brad Carson, but puts her wedding plans on hold when she finds out she has a heart condition that needs surgery and fails to tell her beloved driving a wedge in their relationship. Randy Singer has written an exciting legal thriller that rivals the work of John Grisham. Readers learn how lawyers work to present a case that will exonerate their client while the defense attorney in charge of the case balances her health issues and her relationship with the man she loves. Both Brad and Leslie should be continuing characters in their own legal series if SELF-INCRIMINATION is any example. Harriet Klausner