September 2004

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Move over, John Grisham. Street preacher and lawyer Randy Singer excels at legal thrillers, and in this newest offering, he shows why he is one of faith fiction's best suspense novelists.

Singer (Irreparable Harm, Directed Verdict) unfolds the story of a conservative Christian family that prefers prayer to seeking medical attention. "Just have faith," Thomas Hammond says to his wife. "God'll heal 'im."

Their young toddler dies, and powerful politics come into play as the parents lose their two other children to the courts and face charges that could land them in prison. The white couple hires the likeable, divorced African American law professor Charles Arnold to take their case.

Racial tensions, consequences of well-intentioned yet misguided belief, collisions between the law and religion, and a dollop of romance make the pages turn quickly. In the end, the case may hinge on one character's "dying declaration."

Singer knows how to incorporate just enough legal details to make things interesting without overdoing it. Readers of his other novels will recognize many of his previous, multifaceted characters, and enjoy the introduction of some new ones.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Dying Declaration is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

The publisher offers an excerpt.

More about author Randy Singer (including his proof of God) is available from his website.