Try Dying

I thoroughly enjoyed Try Dying. Interesting characters, conflict upon conflict, fast-paced but well-detailed writing. The lead character stays interesting throughout, and there's a satisfying resolution of the story problem. There is not a boring page in the book. There is also a compelling atmosphere: down and dirty L.A. can be felt and heard. Yet Bell communicates this atmosphere without dragging the reader through the trash, if you will; that is, the book is free of profanity and graphic sex; I'd feel good about my daughters reading it. I have already ordered the next two books in the series.

I just finished reading Mr. Bell's lastest novel and it was fantastic. It kept my interest from cover to cover. He did a great job of bring each person in his book to as real as he could. His writing provides the detail that you feel you are right there. I have read everyone of Mr. Bell's books and this latest one I feel he has truly expanded to a different direction but a great new series. I can't wait for the next in the series. For me when I finished the book and had a smile on my face that told me I was well satisfied, that told me without question Try Dying was a great book.

Ty Buchanan's beloved fiancé has just died in a freak Hollywood style accident, instantly spinning his world off its axis. Maybe someday he'll recover. Maybe someday he'll make sense of his emotions and get on with his life without Jacquelyn. Only someday doesn't come, and Ty watches himself become a man he never dreamed he'd be. An attorney sworn to uphold the law, he's soon breaking it to find out the truth about Jacquelyn's death. Was it really accidental? In the vein of Brandt Dodson's Colton Parker series, Try Dying is a no-nonsense crime novel with a legal bent rather than a private investigator or cop angle. Cinematic in feel due to Bell's expert use of snappy dialogue, there's also a nice peppering of movie references, no doubt coming straight from Bell's own love of classic films. Even Ty Buchanan is a namesake derived from characters in two movies, Tyler Durden in "Fight Club" (1999) and Tom Buchanan in "Buchanan Rides Alone" (1958). In a recent interview Bell reveals: "I haven't been happy about some of the trends in contemporary, secular suspense. And I think the audience out there is getting tired of the gratuitous elements. I believe you can write page-turning suspense without that, like some of the great crime novels of the 40s and 50s. I wanted to offer that, because I see the need for it." That's one of the great things about Try Dying. Life is painted in all its edgy glory, and the underbelly of LA is as much a character as Ty. Yet through it all Bell manages to show us this world without rolling us through the gutter. He's accomplished exactly what he set out to accomplish--to craft an action-laced thriller devoid of smut. Many an author has decided you can't portray life as it is without swearing, gore, and sex, but Jim proves you can. A very small quibble is I was a little confused a few times by the novel's extensive cast. Even though Try Dying isn't Christian fiction per se, Jim freely portrays Biblical principles, such as forgiveness in a priest's heart even though he's paid a stiff price for a molestation he didn't commit. In some ways I found the Christian take-away value more poignant than you find in much of today's "Christian fiction". It's clear the priest and a basketball playing nun have a real relationship with Jesus, and they become Ty's confidants. Hopefully they'll be involved in the next Ty Buchanan novel, Try Darkness, and continue to shine light into Ty's world. Truth is truth, and Bell makes sure to weave it through all of his books. Ty's journey is a harrowing one, filled with enough beatings, explosions, and bad guys to rival the best crime fiction has to offer, but morality isn't left in the dust. Try Dying is a dynamic start to a new series, filled with colorful characters and elaborate plots. --Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk

James Scott Bell has used his legal background and his mastery of the craft of fiction to produce a novel that is comparable to those of Raymond Chandler. Attorney Ty Buchanan suffers the loss of his fiance, finds that her death was no accident, and is swept up into a maelstrom of mayhem that leaves the reader anxious to turn the pages. The last thirty pages have to be read at one sitting, even if it's after midnight. I understand that the next Ty Buchanan book is already in the works. I can hardly wait.

Gritty. That was my first thought when I finished reading this book. The other was, wow this could totally be made into a movie. It reminded me very much of the movie Collateral starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. The way the setting was described along with the action sequences and just the mood in general made me feel like I was in a slow moving but suspenseful film noir. There's a lot of mystery and suspense in this book that keeps you guessing til the end. Things that appear to be unconnected somehow have a thread that ties everything together. I love all the characters in this novel especially the non traditional priest and the basketball playing nun. Really can't wait to read more about them. This is a book you could pass on to anybody who is a fan of the genre and they would not be disappointed. I would compare this book to be on par with John Grisham just without sex or cursing. Like I've said before it has been proven that you can write an excellent story without having to resort to filler material. There were several places in the story where I could see another author just throwing in a sex scene or placing a few f-bombs to add space. But the story does not need it at all. Instead what you get is action filled drama, several intense scenes of violence and a story that keeps you reading from page one. This book shows that Christian fiction is not just clean romance novels. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. Top notch writing, Mr. Bell, top notch.