False Witness [Paperback]

Randy D. Singer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2007

An Explosive Secret.
An Invaluable Code.
An Unreliable Witness.

Three ambitious law students at a local legal aid clinic watch as their routine case representing a man named David Hoffman ignites an incendiary trail of deception and betrayal. A member of the witness protection program, Hoffman has defrauded the government and eluded the Mob’s pursuit of his stunning secret: a coded algorithm capable of crippling the Internet and disarming national security.

Because of the intense threat posed by such a code, federal agents want Hoffman dead or alive. But the Mob wants him alive, more than willing to obtain the algorithm by whatever means necessary. And the would-be lawyers–caught in the middle of this deadly triangle–must overcome their differences and work together if they’re to survive long enough to graduate.

Bestselling author Randy Singer offers up his most dynamic legal thriller yet in a story based on his own real-life experience as an attorney assisting the U.S. Witness Protection Program. With page-turning suspense and heart-stopping twists, False Witness delivers on every level.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this gripping, obsessively readable legal thriller, Singer proves himself to be the Christian John Grisham. At the outset of the tale, bounty hunter Clarke Shealy gets an ominous phone call—a Chinese mafioso has taken Shealy's wife hostage, and if Shealy wants to see her again, he must track down a missing Chinese mathematician, who has discovered an extremely valuable algorithm that could change Internet technology forever. The first half of the novel follows Shealy as he tries to rescue his wife. Then Singer takes readers to a prestigious law school in the Southeast, where three top-notch students work at a legal aid clinic. Supervised by a professor who may not be what he seems, the students find themselves involved with a couple in the witness protection program. The two halves of the novel tie together seamlessly, and Singer introduces Christian faith with a very light touch. The three students—an African-American ex-jock who aims to be the next Johnnie Cochran, a feisty woman who wants to be a prosecutor so she can avenge her mother's brutal death, and a nerdy but endearing math whiz who wants to practice patent law—are especially well-developed. Indeed, readers may want to meet them again in a sequel. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* A gentle Chinese scientist has discovered a mathematical formula, or algorithm, that could decrypt every Internet encrypting technology. He wants to sell his formula to a responsible Internet firm, rather than to the Chinese or American government, which seem to him equally treacherous, or to a sort of Chinese mafia called the Manchurian Triad. In the bang-up, 100-page opener, Triad operatives pressure a bail bondsman named Clarke Shealy to deliver the Chinese inventor--or they will kill his wife. This conflict sets up Singer's legal thriller, about a law student, Jamie Brock, routinely doing her time in legal aid when she and two colleagues are presented with "David Hoffman," a member of the witness-protection program whom both the FBI and the Triad seem to be after because of what he knows about the algorithm. Great suspense; gritty, believable action; and unnerving scenes of torture make this entry Singer's best yet.

John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400073340
• ISBN-13: 978-1400073344
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Randy Singer is a critically acclaimed author and veteran trial attorney. He has penned nine legal thrillers, including his award-winning debut novel "Directed Verdict." In addition to his law practice and writing, Randy serves as a teaching pastor for Trinity Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He calls it his "Jekyll and Hyde thing"--part lawyer, part pastor. He also teaches classes in advocacy and ethics at Regent Law School and serves on the school's Board of Visitors. He and his wife, Rhonda, live in Virginia Beach. They have two grown children. Visit his Web site at www.randysinger.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thriller to the end, October 8, 2007

By 

Melissa (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: False Witness (Paperback)

Chinese Mafia, bondsmen, bounty hunters, FBI agents, lawyers, and the mathematical discovery of the century all combine to make False Witness an intriguing twist of action and mystery.

Professor Dagan and his protégée discover an algorithm capable of cracking most internet security encryption. However, when the Chinese Mafia and the US government, set their mind to obtaining this algorithm, a chain events is set it motion that will forever change the lives of a young couple; forcing them to enter the witness protection program and rely on a government, they do not trust, for their survival.

At worse, False Witness is a good book. It's really a great book. The plot is interesting and at times unpredictable; the action fast paced and continuous. Corruption is deep and the good guys are not always as they seem. However, the real genius of this book is in the characters. From nerdy Wellington Farnsworth to brash Isaiah Haywood, each character has multiple layers, with each layer revealing a little more about humanity.

I've read four other books by Randy Singer which I enjoyed, but I do believe this is his best to date. Definitely well worth reading.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars action-packed inspirational thriller, May 16, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: False Witness (Paperback)

The CEO wanted the algorithm that will change the Internet especially if it is exclusively sold to him for about $50 million. Professor Dagan watched via computer from his apartment as his protégé Chow Zhang completed the negotiations. Only the other side, once they were assured only two people had seen the formula, abruptly ended the deal by killing Zhang.

After a failed repro in Vegas followed by a drugging, bounty hunter Clarke Shealy receives a portentous call from the Chinese; they allow his beloved wife Jess to come on, but she begins to mention a name so he hears what he knows is bone on bone. He is warned to do their bidding in a timely manner if he wants his wife returned alive. They order him to locate a vanished Chinese mathematician, who created an algorithm that will change Internet protocol.

The above two paragraphs are only the first third of an incredible action-packed thriller that proves Christian action tales can be exciting and inspirational, yet not biblical and without being intrusive. The story line starts with the deal, switches to Clarke's frantic efforts to rescue Jess, and finally changes into a legal thriller starring a professor and his three legal aid students. The two key elements are the switchovers are so smooth that the audience will realize how good Randy Singer is and the invocation of Christianity is lightly fitted into the plot without slowing down anything. Thriller fans regardless of faith will sing the praises of the author.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If There's Any Justice, July 1, 2007

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: False Witness (Paperback)

With a number of books under his belt, Randy Singer has proven to be the master of legal thrillers told from a Christian world view. He never preaches. He tells great stories, and lets the characters' own wrestlings speak for themselves. This time, by diving into matters of international espionage, Singer has pulled off what Grisham only hoped to do in "The Broker."

Leapfrogging off of the codes and ciphers explored in Singer's thriller (and matching non-fiction volume) from last year, "False Witness" raises the earthly stakes. The plot revolves around an unimaginably valuable code, the Abacus Algorithm, which could unlock all existing Internet security systems. In the dramatic opening hundred pages, we meet a married couple whose lives will never be the same after brushing up to the secrets of the algorithm. The story jumps from there to a trio of legal students who get drawn into the violent game between federal agents and Manchurian triad gangs. The students are likable and resourceful--which is a good thing, considering the trouble they are about to face.

Singer weaves a complicated plot into a fantastic page-turner. He pulls off a few surprises, while giving us food for thought regarding the price of justice, the compromises some are willing to make, and the legalities of governmental infringement in private lives. But don't let these heady issues fool you. This is first and foremost a great read. If there's any justice, Singer's books should be hitting the bestseller lists.