Deadlock [Paperback]

James Scott Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

She is a Supreme Court Justice. She is an atheist. And she is about to encounter the God of the truth and justice she has sworn to uphold. For years, Millicent Hollander has been the consistent swing vote on abortion and other hot-button issues. Now she's poised to make history as the first female Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. But something is about to happen that no one has counted on, least of all Hollander: a near-death experience that will thrust her on a journey toward God. Skeptically, fighting every inch of the way, Hollander finds herself dragged toward belief in something she has never believed in---while others in Washington are watching her every step. Too much is at stake to let a Christian occupy the country's highest judicial office. Even as Hollander grapples with the interplay between faith and the demands of her position, and as she finds answers through her growing friendship with Pastor Jack Holden, a hidden web of lies, manipulation, and underworld connections is being woven around her. It could control her. It could destroy her reputation. Unless God intervenes, it could take her out of the picture permanently.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this legal thriller for the evangelical Christian market, former trial lawyer- turned-novelist Bell imagines what would happen if a prochoice, atheistic Supreme Court Justice suddenly became a born-again believer. A near brush with death and the sudden loss of her mother leaves 52-year-old liberal Justice Millicent "Millie" Hollander pondering eternity and considering faith. When she becomes chief justice, Millie discovers that the belief she has embraced excites a firestorm of confusion and anger from her former supporters. A case involving a separation of religion and state opens up a huge rift in the Court, and the media soon turns the whole affair into a three-ring circus. Alarmed about Millie's potentially conservative positions, the president and stereotypically hard-drinking, womanizing Sen. Sam Levering plot her impeachment and possibly her death. A weak subplot concerns a teen's abortion and subsequent lawsuit against the clinic where it was performed, which rather unconvincingly intersects with Millie's story toward the close of the novel. Portions of the plot aren't completely fresh Angela Elwell Hunt's recent The Justice ably tackled the same general topic for the same audience. But Bell's take on the idea of a Supreme Court justice making a religious about-face offers some unique spins, including a curveball plot development that will blindside most readers. Laudably, most characters are multidimensional, and even the senator's evil troubleshooter, Anne Deveraux, becomes worthy of pity. Evangelical prolife fiction aficionados should appreciate this addition to the CBA thriller genre.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Often the swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, liberal (and atheist) Millicent Manning Hollander is on the verge of becoming the first female chief justice with the backing of a powerful but morally bankrupt senator and the President. But a near-fatal accident, along with her mother's unexpected death and a burgeoning relationship with minister Jack Holden, pushes her in a different direction; Millicent's religious conversion changes her life and her interpretation of the law. As the chances increase that the Court may rule on an abortion case involving 16-year-old Sarah Mae (will the Christian Right finaly defeat Roe v. Wade?), Millicent's political foes threaten to impeach her, and only her new-found faith can help her. Bell, a lawyer known for solid Christian legal thrillers (Final Witness), offers a thought-provoking fantasy about what might happen if a staunch liberal becomes a conservative Christian, although he does slips into didactic overload with his strong anti-abortion rhetoric when he discusses Sarah Mae's situation. Strongly recommended for more conservative collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Reprinted edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310243882
• ISBN-13: 978-0310243885
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #945,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JAMES SCOTT BELL is a bestselling and award winning suspense writer. He was the fiction columnist for Writer's Digest magazine and has written four popular books for the Writers Digest line: Plot & Structure, Revision & Self-Editing, The Art of War for Writers and Conflict & Suspense. Jim taught writing at Pepperdine University and numerous writers conferences in the United States, Canada and London. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he studied writing with Raymond Carver. He lives and writes in L.A. He blogs weekly at Kill Zone -- www.killzoneauthors.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous read!, November 13, 2002

By 

Colleen Coble (IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deadlock (Paperback)

All I can say is "Wow". Jim Bell's new novel DEADLOCK is a book that grabs hold in the first paragraph and doesn't let go. With a riveting plot line that takes off on the premise of a Supreme Court judge converting to Christianity, it read like something right out of the front pages. I love it when I learn something from a book too, and it was fascinating to see how the Supreme Court works and all the politics involved in decisions. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping Read, December 7, 2002

By 

Lisa Samson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadlock (Paperback)

James Scott Bell has done it again, providing yet another fast-paced, riveting read, this time setting the book in the halls of the Supreme Court and Congress. Being a Marylander, I was wondering if Bell would be able to nail that "inside the beltway" feel of DC. He did. I learned more about the Supreme Court, and in an entertaining way, reading this novel than I've ever learned in school. The main character, Millie, a liberal justice, is written with such care and sensitivity. Though her views were diametrically opposed to my own when the novel opens, I found myself loving the woman anyway, due to the fact that Bell paints her as a human being with wonderful qualities. Deadlock takes the high road in character-development, refusing to demonize her entire character because of differing political views. Bravo, Jim, for writing a novel regarding issues without a heavy hand. The story speaks for itself.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling "What-If" Political Novel, June 27, 2004

By 

Daniel Darling "Christian author and speaker" (Chicago area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Deadlock (Paperback)

James Scott Bell has answered the ultimate political what-if question. What would happen if the swing voice on the United States Supreme Court, the darling of the elite eastern media and the hero of center-left Democratic party, undergoes a change of heart and becomes a dyed-in-the-wool conservative? And what if her conversion occurs just as she is appointed chief justice?

In a thoroughly Christian thriller, James Scott Bell delivers a heart-pounding suspense that paints all sides of the political canvass. Bell is clearly conservative politically and yet he doesn't offer weak, straw-man arguments for the other side. Neither does he create stick-figure belivers who can only offer easy cliques. He gives a heroine who makes the slow journey towards God and a pastor whose only checkered past gives him a heart for souls in need and a compassion for the hurts of those around him.

James Bell weaves the everday life of common Americans with the inside-the-beltway intrigue that makes Washington, D.C, the most suspicious place in the world.

Deadlock is a solid Christian novel that asks the right questions, keeps the heart pumping, and weaves a sure, but subtle Christian theme throughout.