The Last Plea Bargain

It was hard to put this book down and do anything else. It had my attention from the beginning and moved swiftly. The conclusion was u expected and shocking. There were no hints to prepare you.I am always surprised when men write about women. I hadn't read anything by this author before and thought this woman was hard like a man. While there are parts where she cries it feels a little forced or what she should do at the time, not natural.What I kept wondering about was the .Christian aspect. There was no preaching and if not for the brother who was a pastor I saw no suggestion that the protagonist was Christian, only that she had been at one time. Her behavior was ok but her unforgiveness and desire for revenge left me wondering about why the book was considered Christian literature.At the very end there is a line where she decides maybe God had been looking out for her. That's all. So much have could have been done with that but that is what I like.Over all it was an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense. I learned a lot about the legal system and how it can be manipulated.

This was a really enjoyable, smooth read, with no formatting errors or typos. If there is one negative about it, it would be that it was too stuffed with plots. I believe the one in which the criminals set up a no plea deals situation, led by Tate, was not needed, nor was the confusing and time consuming business about Jamie Brock's father's stellar reputation at risk because of another ploy by Tate. Jamie nearly fits the description of a person who has ice water in her veins, but her dog, Justice, and her affection for the animal nullify that label. Her budding feelings for LA, then for Mace, also negate the icy demeanor, but I felt the story would have been better if the attempts at a love interest had been left out. It seemed they were incorporated simply because a reader or two might have been expecting them, not because it was something the author truly believed in.Courtroom drama is one of my favorite genres, and even though I don't truly know what goes on inside one, I thought the courtroom scenes were great. Through my time reading detective and legal thriller pieces, I have always become disenchanted with the story climax, as the really unbeliveable material pops up there, and that held true in this story. But it doesn't bother me so long as there is an enjoyable read getting there. If I didn't have that kind of outlook, I wouldn't read these kind of stories, which would be unfortunate, as some of the best writing ever rests in the build up in these tales.I recommend this book, and I will gladly read more of Singer's work.

Randy Singer is a master storyteller. If he wrote for a secular publishing company, he would be wildly-popular with the same reputation as John Grisham. But I am thankful he writes Christian fiction as I can always depend on his books to be centered around a Christian worldview. His character development is outstanding and even though I would not call myself a legal thriller buff, I am drawn into his stories from page 1. I also like how he tackles difficult issues with his even-handed approach to both sides of the issue without sounding preachy. In this particular story, the reader is acutely aware of the struggles experienced by the story's main character, Jamie. She is a tough prosecutor who views life in black and white. By the end of the book the readers sees her morph into a character who accepts that life cannot always be approached with black and white solutions. Excellent read and highly recommended.

When you read a lot of books, you learn that even many good books can become predictable. This book is not one of them. Frequently throughout The Last Plea Bargain, I thought I had certain elements "figured out." I was pleasantly disappointed almost every time. As Mr. Singer unravelled the threads of his plot, he surprised me again and again - all the way to the end. That is only one of the strengths of this extremely good work. It not only has a relentlessly good plot, it has an amazing variety of "flesh and blood" characters. I will be truly disappointed if I do not meet these characters on another case. Finally, this is a work that advances at the speed of life. Nothing feels rushed or over-dramatized. This is a story in which the action feels natural. There are scenes in which the action leaves you breathless, and others in which the suspense has you holding your breath. In between is a story that is a pleasure to read.This is the second book of read by Mr. Singer. I am looking forward to reading all he has written.

Now this was one surprise thriller for me. The first two chapters read a little dull but beyond that, it picks up.Jamie Brock is the sure fire prosecutor who believe in the sanctity of the law and who's grappling w/ the loss of her father shortly after the murder of her mother. She's determined to bring the person she deems as the killer, to book.Caleb Tate is a savvy and sleazy defense lawyer, who's being fingered for the murder of his wife, Rikki Tate. He works to defend himself of the charges, but things get a little out of hand and he decides to break the law.Ben Masterson is the chief prosecutor, the Wyatt Earp, if you will. He's the leader of the good guys, until a twist you cannot anticipate pulls it all under his feet.Quite the entertaining piece. If you love legal thrillers, police procedural reads and the most unexpected of twists to the ending of a book, then read on.

A couple of points... my review title says early Grisham; in my opinion, Grisham has gone downhill since becoming famous, so likening this book to an early Grisham is a compliment. Secondly, I agree with earlier reviewers - the ending appeared rushed and not up to the standard of the first 3/4 of the book - not in terms of the story, but in the way the surprise ending was presented. I was enthralled by the story - good plot and characters, good grammar, very few typos (I only spotted one and I'm a pedant - that's not rude). It's a crime / legal story but the "heroine" is a district attorney (which I think is a public prosecutor). Some of the legalese seems a bit weird to British ears - grand jury, indictment, and the strange methods of jury selection, as well as the dubious process of people being allowed to vote for people such as judges and "district attorneys" - my god, we could end up with someone like Cherie Blair! But if you've read an early Grisham, you should have the gist by now. Overall, a very good book and I'll look out for this author. The only adverse comment I have is that I got this book free (lucky) but was surprised to see it at over £8 when I came to submit this review. Is it worth £8 for a Kindle download?? Debatable.

As a big fan of Michael Connelly I needed a new author to turn to having read all Connelly's books. Singer looks like he may fit the bill!This book was excellent in developing characters and plot lines carefully woven into an intriguing tale which surprised and engrossed me completely. The evident knowledge of the US and Georgia specific legal processes together with clever characterization and subtle embellishments - in this case the faith of several characters - added to my enjoyment and whether or not Jamie Brock features in any other of Singers work, I will be downloading a new book by this author today.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and every character was well written. About the only thing on a downside (and thats being picky) was there was a little too much legal jargon, which went totally over my head. Will be looking for more from this author, and perhaps John Grisham had best look out.

Up until the last 10% of this book I would have given 4 stars, the last 10% I felt was a little rushed to get it finished. Nonetheless this is an enjoyable book with not too many weighty characters to bog you down. If I had paid for this I certainly wouldn't have felt it was money wasted. A decent read and will be reading more of this author even if I do have to pay for them. Oh alright let's call it 3.5 stars :)

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A really good twist at the end and I found myself unable to put it down as I wanted to know what happened. Hope there is a sequence.