Customer Reviews

Deadlock

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

The first book by James Scott Bell I read was "Blind Justice". It was a fast-paced book that was heavy on action, and it held my attention. "Deadlock" was the second one I read, and it was a very different novel. While "Blind Justice" could be considered a legal thriller, "Deadlock" would have to be more of a character study. There's honestly not a lot of action here, nor is there a lot of courtroom action (one subplot deals with an abortion case, but it has the majority of court time in the book), but there is a lot of character growth. The change in Millie is believable and paced well, and I have to say doing it any differently would have been a little too "fictionalized" for my taste. I only have two complaints, one major and one minor. The only true down spot I didn't like was the ending. There was an undercurrent of unrest in the Supreme Court with her change, and she makes a decision and gets help for it...then changes her mind a few chapters later. We are set up for an awesome showdown, and then it never happens. I realize that it was making a statement about her character and belief in the court, but it still seemed to cheat us just a little. The only other minor complaint is that one of the characters is described as looking like Denzel Washington, and that just never sits well with me. I think the fun of a novel is deciding your own players for the parts in your head, and when an author goes ahead and tells us who's playing this character, it sort of robs the fun of it. It's sort of like he's saying "I don't feel like describing this character, so here's who it is." I'm not saying that was Mr. Bell's intent, but it's a matter of personal preferences. Another novel I read did that for every single character ("This guy looks like a young Harrison Ford," and "She looked like Sharon Stone"), and I haven't liked it since. Again, that's just a minor complaint and I didn't even take that into consideration while rating this book. Other than that, there's not a lot to complain about. The revealed identity of one of the characters caught me completely by surprise, and I have to give a thumbs-up for that one. It fit perfectly into the story, and it made another character's decision late in the book make sense. I'll definitely be picking up more of Mr. Bell's books in the future, and I recommend this one.

And that, to me, is a good book. This was a Kindle freebie and after reading it, I wanted to read more of James Scott Bell's books.

The plot was enticing...a Supreme Court Justice whose beliefs were well-formed, a change in her faith and how that impacted her position within the Supreme Court and politics surrounding that...some good twists including an "untypical" sub-ending and just a little twist for the real ending.

The logic and background were interesting. I started the book and didn't put it down until I finished it. A good read!

And now, I have to go read my second James Scott Bell book.

James Scott Bell's writing has never let me down. This novel had everything: a page-turning plot, interesting history, intelligent dialogue, intriguing questions to ponder, touches of humor, and even a lovely romance tucked between the suspense and action. Most of all, it had succint, witty, crisp writing. It made me smile and it made me cry. I couldn't ask for more in a book.

This is a what if legal thriller that demands you pay attention!

This is the nightmare "what-if" scenario for the radical left. Suppose a liberal Supreme Court justice had a religous experience (or to put it blunter, she becomes a born-again, Bible-reading believer).

Go further and explore the impact her conversion has on her pro-abortion, establishment clause and "living constitution" vs. original intent beliefs.

Add one last goodie. While she is examining her positions, a liberal president (Al Gore, perhaps) nominates her as Chief Justice.

Now you've got the pot boiling.

The pro-abortion lobby has built an entire industry atop a fragile, and increasingly frail legal latticework. Should that ever truly be threatened, then are there any limits to politcal attacks or has the division between left and right gone too far?

I finished this one around 2:00 AM. You might want to start this on a Friday night so you can sleep in on Saturday.

Deadlock is a well crafted legal thriller that is hard to put down.

It centers around Supreme Court Justice Milly Hollander who has some major life happenings including a near death experience that makes her examine her relationship with God. That leads to a major transformation of her legal philosophy.

This happens about the same time that she is nominated to be the Chief Justice by a liberal president. Her new views cause major consternation for the president and members of Congress who share his philosophy. They make it their mission to destroy her.

Along the way, the author weaves in a subplot of a young woman who has a major legal battle with the abortion industry.

Overall, the story was excellent. It addresses issues of concern to all and will make the readers think. There are two things that I did not like. One is a plot twist that I would have liked to have seen done differently. Although the way it was written led to a major surprise, I think it took away from some excitement that could have occurred later on had it been done differently.

The other criticism was this: One of the characters, Jack Holden, had written a legal brief exploring the big questions of life, God, etc. during his own spiritual searching. Holden shares it with the Justice. Mr. Bell only provided enough of the brief to whet the reader's appetite. I would like to see him expand on that. He could actually write a complete future novel based around that.

In spite of that, this is a great book with superb character development. I highly recommend it.

Deadlock by James Scott Bell is the story of Millicent Hollander, a Supreme Court justice who is a known atheist and liberal vote on the court. When she finds her life suddenly taking a drastic turn, she finds herself forced to face her lack of faith and re-evaluate everything she believes in. This was the first book I've read by Bell, and to me it seems a little like Randy Singer-lite. There's less emphasis on the law and characterizations and more on plot. It's very well written, and I enjoyed how Bell used coincidences to bring not just Millie but others to faith. But Millie's change of heart seemed a little forced, especially her decision at the end of the book. It also felt a bit like this was a set up for the beginning of a series (maybe I'm wrong, but that's how it felt). Bell does a good job of talking about Jesus and the Bible without proselytizing. This was definitely an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading more of Bell's work, however if his other books are too similar to this one, I can see it would become formulaic.

Who writes these "Publisher Weekly" reviews anyhow? Do they read the same books the rest of us do?

Bell has given us another great read with realistic characters
and an intriguing twist. This is one I didn't want to put down until I finished it. He keeps getting better and better, and this one is his best yet!