Customer Reviews

Circumstantial Evidence: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful legal thriller. I live in L.A. and work in criminal justice, so I can attest to the book's realism. It rings true. The racial aspects are handled sensitively, especially the defendant's mother, who has great dignity and inner strength. I know people like this. On top of all that, the courtroom scene is an absolute page turner. If you like thrillers, get this book. Bell is one terrific writer.

I work in a Christian bookstore where one of my perks is getting to read a lot of Christian fiction. This is well above average in style, content, plot, and relevancy. The Christian message is loud and clear. Enjoyed it from the start.

I read it in two days. The author made me feel the rising panic of the main character as her family life, her career, her ethics, and her romantic future collided. The courtroom politics made me want to scream--because they were so realistic! I've read all Bell's books and want more. He is a master of legal thrillers.

Descriptions and story line move and keep the interest of the reader and I recommend this book. Integrity amid the struggles of life!

I really liked this book and could hardly put it down. It kept you on your "toes" all the way through. I like most of James Scott Bell's books.

This book is so much better than most Christian fiction. This is a real story, with real characters, and not just a message wrapped up in fictional language. I hope Mr. Bell gives us more of the same.

Expertly written, Circumstantial Evidence will keep readers turning the pages. They will take delight in the legal twists of the story and the insightful look into human nature

Although I did enjoy parts of this book, especially the court drama at the very end, some parts of the book were disappointing. The fact that all of the black male characters in this book were either in a gang and not even one was portrayed in a good light made this book hard for me to read. Even the main character, Tracy Shephard, did not really have a fully developed character. I didn't develop a closeness with the main character, and this left me with no particular feeling about any of the characters in the novel.

I am going to be very careful in my criticism of this work. Written by an attorney with a vivid imagination and in later offerings a far better narrative, this is a formula book with a difficult to swallow plot and nearly impossible to believe characters.

I am not going to attack this book because I think it will appeal to the audience it is marketed to. It was written as a religious thriller. A legal page turner with a biblical perspective. There is a strong lack of character development, abysmal neo-novelist errors and a good does of some stereotypical depiction of race, sex, politics and geography. All of these would mean a negative star ration for a secular novel aimed at a general audience, but I think most readers of this genre of novel will like it very much and enjoy every page.

There are twists and turns, though each one is fairly predicable. The protagonist is a female prosecutor who is widowed and raising small children. She is swept away, romance novel style, by a charismatic politician in a matter of hours according to the book and that is just the beginning of the implausible and sometimes impossible situations delivered to the reader. Still, I think there is a segment of readers who will love all this.

So though I was not impressed with this book, I will say it has some merit and there are those who will enjoy it very much. Bell's later books are much better written and show a polish and skill this one does not. I won't detract from the message that runs through out this work, either. It is a sweet if not overused devotional to the goodness and power of God.