James Scott Bell Reviews

Page Three

Added May 8, 2005

Sins of the Fathers

Author: James Scott Bell
Publisher: Zondervan Books
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: April 2005
Genre: Fiction: Christian/Legal/Thriller
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $13.99
ISBN: 0310253303
Author Email/Website: www.jamesscottbell.com
Reviewer: Phillip Tomasso III

Ever feel as if you are sounding like a broken record? You just keep saying the same thing over and over, yet you hope that anyone within hearing distance is actually listening to you? That's how I end up feeling every time I write a review for a James Scott Bell novel. How many times can I say he develops realistic characters? Or that he develops tightly woven plots? Or that he is a craftsman wordsmith with narration and prose? Or that the courtroom drama he writes puts other best-selling attorney-authors to shame? Well-I'm about to say it all again.

Sins of the Father grips the reader from go. It is the unsettling, believable tale of Darren DiCinni, a young teenage boy who shoots and kills innocent kids his age at a baseball game. You read headlines like this in the news all the time. It happens (which is what I like about Bell. He is not afraid to tackle the tough issues---just read Deadlock). After the shooting, Darren claims God told him to do it.

The case is a slam-dunk for prosecution. There are more than twenty witnesses to the crime. Darren's prints are on the rifle. The bullets fired match the weapon Darren used. The only question remaining seems to be how long will Darren be locked away in prison.

Enter Lindy Field. As a defense attorney, she is assigned to represent the young murder. The problem is she is not sure she is up to the task. A similar, tough case haunts her waking and sleeping hours. And this case from the past left her emotionally distraught to the point of a nervous breakdown.

After meeting with the defendant, she is convinced Darren might be innocent, by reason of insanity, the oldest defense in the book. One mother, Mona, whose son was murdered, is outraged and disgusted with Field. She will not stand for it. Isn't it bad enough that their lives have been forever altered, marred ... shattered? Once, she was a solid Christian. But her faith in God is gone. If there is a God, a loving God, there is no way He would allow bad things to happen to good people. Ultimately she joins a group for parents who did not see justice from the justice system when violence was imposed on their families. Together, they have gained clout and a voice within the community. Will this group help her heal, or leave her feeling empty and even more confused?

Lindy works with a team to build her defense. Obstacles wait at every turn, and hiding in every nook and cranny. In a desperate race against time, Lindy Field must unravel a conspiracy with roots that go deep, real deep. As she gets closer to the truth, those working to hide that truth will stop at nothing to keep her from unraveling the mystery behind the ballpark murders. They. Will. Stop. At. Nothing.

I could include all the clichés here-a page-turner! Fast-paced, and entertaining! Explosive! Like a roller coaster ride from beginning to end-but I won't. I don't need to. Sins of the Father requires more than the standard review clichés. Sins of the Father is deep, and heartfelt, and along with each and every other book James Scott Bell has written to date by-it is one of my all time favorites.

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Added April 11, 2005

Glimpses of Paradise

Author: James Scott Bell
Publisher: Bethany House
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: April 2005
Genre: Fiction: Christian/Historical/Legal
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $12.99
ISBN: 0-7642-2648-7
Reviewer: Phillip Tomasso III

Glimpses of Paradise is the latest from best selling author James Scott Bell. To say that the story encompasses the lives of two people from a small Nebraska town would be like saying the ocean is a place where you can go swimming. Bell has written a novel that I easily see adapted onto the big silver screen. Which imposes an irony on my part. Here, let me explain...

Glimpses of Paradise, set in the 1920's, chronicles the lives of Doyle Lawrence and Zee Miller. Doyle's wealthy parents have his life all planned out for him. He will graduate from high school, go to law school and become an attorney just like his father. Things are different for Zee. Her father knows exactly what he doesn't want for his daughter. He is a preacher certain of the destructive direction of the world-especially since the recent coup Hollywood has had within the country. What does Zee want? What else-she wants to be a star in movies, of course!

Unhappy with college, and with the war well underway, Doyle enlists. Death and killing wound his spirit, leaving him empty, like a pumpkin shell after the seeds have been exhumed. After the war, Doyle finds himself in Los Angeles. He has been reduced to a down and out bum. The chip on his shoulder is visible, and his temper volatile. Messing around with the wrong people, Doyle soon realizes he has many enemies. If he doesn't watch his every step, he could find himself dead.

Dangerously adventurous, Zee flees her small town life as well. With her heart set on making movies she is ready to ignore her father's warnings that Hollywood is an evil world where morals and purity are eagerly discarded. It isn't long before the truth her father warned her about becomes the kind of reality nightmares are made out from. This new form of education only makes her more determined to succeed. In a short period of time, she aspires toward stardom.

When Doyle and Zee run into each other, it is as if a wrecking ball of destruction is set into motion. Plots and deceit ensue with amazing speed. Suspense and intrigue build to nearly unbearable levels. Loyalty is completely disregarded. Love and hate become indistinguishable. Doyle learns that salvation is there for the taking. Zee thinks it is too late to change the life she has created for herself. It all comes to a head when Zee finds herself on trial for murder.

James Scott Bell is one of the best writers out there, bar none. His courtroom scenes are lively, entertaining and poignant. He knows how to properly blend romance with mystery, suspense with drama, and God against an immoral world. He creates characters readers have to care about, and more importantly, he tells a story worth telling. Glimpses of Paradise is a troubling tale, told at a break-neck speed. I also enjoyed seeing a favorite character of mine, Kit Shannon, receive a minor role in the book. What a pleasure that was. It was like running into an old friend. (Don't know who Kit Shannon is? I suggest checking out A Greater Glory, A Higher Justice, and A Certain Truth-all by James Scott Bell).

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