Customer Reviews

False Witness

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2 star:		(1)
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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.

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

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.

The government can change an identity but it cannot change a life.

Suspense author Randy Singer brings awareness to the plight of Dalits in India.

My Review of False Witness:

I received a review copy of this book from The B & B Media Group, Inc., for the purpose of reading and then writing a review. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. And everything I express personally about this book is of my own opinion.

Now that I got that out of the way.....

When I first got notice about the book I was immediately intrigued. Any one who gets compared to John Grisham is worth checking out. At least I think so. Also, the fact that all proceeds from the sale of this book go to help the Dalits of India... well... that alone is reason enough for me to read the book. I'll talk more about the author and the Dalits a little later.

What do you get when you throw together intrigue, Chinese triads, bounty hunters, law students, Dalits, F.B.I., and an algorithm that will uncover all of the secrets of the internet and more?

False Witness.

This novel is so good, so intriguing, fast-paced and spell-binding that you can not put it down. At least I couldn't. From the first paragraph you are caught in a whirlwind that just goes faster and faster.... but..... never out of control.

Professor Kumari, a gifted mathematician and creator of the Abacus Algorithm, is only trying to help his people, the lowest cast of people, besides the Christians, the Dalits of India. Instead, he finds himself hiding from a very powerful Chinese triad.

Enters, Clark Shealy, bounty hunter and sometimes repo-man. He gets caught in the middle between the triad and Kumari. Actually he has to find Kumari before the triad begins to torture his wife.

Four years later... well, you just have to read the book for yourself. Let me say this, you will not be disappointed.

I have read a lot of books, but this one is definitely getting placed on my shelf of honor. Right next to my John Grisham books.

The plot is tight with suspense and intrigue. I found myself holding my breath until I turned the next page. All of the characters in False Witness, are full of life. Your heart goes out to Jamie, you find yourself remembering the brainiac in your college class and everyone knows an Isaiah.

Weaved throughout the book is the ribbon of life, Jesus Christ. It's more sutle then in your face, like some Christian fiction can be. It just rounded out the novel and also helped explain why Professor Kumari developed the algorithm.

About the Dalits of India

The Dalits, formerly called the "untouchables," comprise nearly one quarter of India's society, with population estimates of 250 million people. The term "Dalit" means "those who have been broken and ground deliberately by those above them in the social hierarchy." Dalits live at risk of discrimination, dehumanization, violence, and enslavement through human trafficking every day. By all global research and reports, the Dalits consititute the largest number of people categorized as victims of modern day slavery.

A bit about Randy Singer

Randy Singer is a man of many talents. By date he is a litigation attorney specializing in complex personal injury cases and commercial litigation for the law firm of Willcox and Savage.

His first novel, Directed Verdict, won the prestigious Christy Award for the best Christian suspense novel that year. He has written ten legal thrillers.

Randy is deeply passionate about ending the human rights struggle of India. He is donating all royalties from the sale of False Witness to the Dalit Freedom Network, which works to provide Dalit children a first-class education and to free them from the bondage of human trafficking.

False Witness

I absolutely did not want to put this down. Randy Singer takes you on a wild ride of deceit, greed and good hearted people. You will spend the entire novel trying to figure out who is deceiving who and who is the good guy and sometimes that line is very blurred. If you like thriller author such as Tom Clancy or James Patterson you will love this one.
Free Book Reviews

This is the first book I have read by Randy Singer, and, wow, is it an awesome thriller! I loved every second I spent in this book, breathlessly reading and unable to stop. (And, yes, it is now a favorite thriller!) I was a bit confused how this book would be, since the synopsis has Clark going through something, and then Jamie goes through another thing four years later. I didn't understand how the time-lapse would work into the story, so just decided to start reading. And I am glad I did! It all made sense in the end and made for a totally awesome book!

There are many characters in this book and Randy brought each of them to life through his book. Clark and Jessica were amazingly strong people. I can't imagine going through what those two did. And seeing the love they had for each other was very sweet. My heart bled for Clark as he tried to rescue Jessica because the mafia could bring her harm. That first part of the book was so intense! And when Jamie entered the picture with her law student peers, Isaiah and Wellington, the plot continued to thicken and build. Jamie was fun to get to know and I liked her strengths and independence. Isaiah was just plain cool! He was one of my favorites. All the characters in False Witness were amazing and unforgettable.

If you didn't know, suspense/thrillers are my all-time favorite genre. So I love a plot that will take me for crazy spins, unexpected turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat, and my fingers gripping the pages. And that is what I found in False Witness. The plot was amazing. I haven't read a book before about people going through the Witness Protection Program, so really enjoyed that angle and what it added to the story. Randy did his homework on this book and it shows in every aspect of this plot. There is a lot of violence and torture in this book, so younger teen readers might not be comfortable with that--which is pretty heavy in this book from blowing out kneecaps to threatening to do surgery on a victim without any pain medication. I didn't find this a problem for me, but others might.

Randy's writing style is unique and vivid. There wasn't as much dialog and a lot of telling. I like books with a lot of dialog and more showing, but this is the author's style. And the adventures and peril that the characters went through--and the awesome time I had just reading the book--made me not even notice it after a while, I was so caught up in the story!

What else can I say about this amazing book? It was just awesome! This is the first book I have read by him, and it will not be my last. He is an author worth looking out for as he continues to write. And when I flipped through the last few pages at the back of the book after I finished the story, I was ecstatic to find out that Jamie Brock's story will continue in The Last Plea Bargain that comes out next year. How cool! I loved getting to know Jamie and, hopefully, I will get to know more about Isaiah and Wellington as well! False Witness is a rip-roaring adventure that you need to experience! I highly recommend it!

I reviewed this book for the B&B Media Group. Special thanks to Audra Jennings for sending me a review copy. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.

Wonderful read. Started one day and finished the next. Couldn't put this one down. Wanted to keep turning the pages - suspensful right up to the last page. Highly Recommended.

Randy Singer has written one of the best Christian thrillers I've ever read. It's refreshing to find a thrilling legal plot that doesn't hinge on a vial of toxin or some kind of odd medical experimentation. Instead, bounty hunter Clarke Shealy is on the trail of a Chinese mathematician's algorithm that could change the very nature of the Internet --- and his wife's fate is hanging in the balance.

And that's just the first 100 pages. After setting up this conflict, readers are introduced to a quirky team of law students who are working at a legal aid clinic in the Southeast and become involved with a man named "David Hoffman," who is in the FBI's Witness Protection Program.

Even if Singer were not a strong writer (which he is), this book would be fascinating because he's not only a veteran trial lawyer but also an attorney who has worked for the Witness Protection Program --- experience that he uses in graceful, small doses as he entwines his characters further and further in a web of legal, government deceit. Since the algorithm in question could not only ruin Internet communication but also disarm national security, the stakes are high and Singer keeps the tension there as well.

The fascinating part about FALSE WITNESS is how the author weaves in the moral and ethical shifting sands his characters and our society stand on as they try to negotiate a threat that doesn't come from nuclear weapons or suicide bombers. Singer is one of a breed of Christian fiction writers who believes that less is more when it comes to faith; he imbues faith where it needs to be and leaves the rest to God and the reader.

Thankfully (and I think Singer would find this as funny as I do), he doesn't leave the novel-writing up to God, the way some authors seem to do. Singer knows when to keep a paragraph brief or when to add more description. He doesn't waste time on backstories of characters when they are on the scene for a specific reason; likewise, when we need to truly understand motivation, we get it.

Understanding the relationships that build up between the law students as they race to understand their mysterious witness is so engrossing that readers will wonder if Singer is planning a sequel with this intrepid trio of intellectual warriors.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Randy accomplished quite the feat last year. He wrote a couple of books last year, and in a crazy kind of way, they went together. "The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ," along with "The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney," was basically a force to be reckoned with as a team. Well, now Randy Singer has another team, and I think it just might fit the bill. "False Witness" promises a ride that possibly a Camarro could match, and a puzzle that promises to confuse.

Who's David Hoffman? And why is his appearance such a mystery? He doesn't pick a lawyer that is best of the best. He picks a few law students, Isaiah and Jamie to try him out. Oh, and a pudgy kid named Wellington Farnsworth. And under the supervision of their professor, Professor Walter (Persnickety) Snead. Add that formula to a coveted coded algorithm, along with the Chinese mob, you better hold on for the ride! Are your knuckles white yet? They should be. Are you in for a shock? You might experience a couple here and there. Better yet though, when the Government is involved, who's telling the truth?

I think the truth is basically the main idea here. In some cases, it just flat-out isn't easy to do the right thing. Wellington Farnsworth learns that, and realizes that he may have been chosen for such a time as this. For such a time as this also comes from Esther, which is a powerful book of The Bible, and it doesn't even mention God's name once! While this was twisted, it wasn't Randy's best. It became predictable in parts, and I felt it was missing what I'd call, "The Randy Singer Edge!" The edge that I loved so dearly in "Directed Verdict," as well as "Dying Declaration." But that's ok. It was worth the read. And as far as being such a time as this? Maybe it's now! Pick it up and enjoy.

'False Witness' was suspenseful and intriguing. The fact that if the 'Abacus Algorithm' really did exist, Internet security would be non-existent was a scary thought.

There were so many interesting characters in 'False Witness', from Professor Dagan, who discovered the algorithm - that is the 'key to every lock', to bounty-hunter/repo artist Clark Shealy (a.k.a. David Hoffman), to the ambitious law students Isaiah, Jamie, and Wellington.

When Clark goes to arrest a highly wanted man, he instead finds out that he has been double-crossed and gets knocked out. When he wakes up, he learns that his wife was abducted by the Chinese Mafia!

They give him an ultimatum: locate and bring Professor Dagan to them within 48 hours. If he fails to do so, they will start torturing his wife.

Until he had actually captured Dagan, Clark hadn't thought twice about the ethics of exchanging Dagan for Jessica. The only question had been how to do it. - Page 71

What I didn't like about 'False Witness' was how some chapters ended suddenly and the next chapter didn't continue on where the last one left off. And at one point the book jumped ahead 4 years.

I was relatively surprised by how much I liked 'False Witness', because the last book I was reading by Randy Singer, I didn't enjoy that much.

The concept that there could be this algorithm that could cripple the Internet, fascinated me. But the fact that the mob wanted it SO much that they kidnapped Clark's wife and demanded him to bring Dagan to them, added a lot suspense and tension, making 'False Witness' (at times) hard to put down.

I found Jamie's story really sad, what happened to her and the reasons why were so unnecessary and mean (I'm not going to say what happened because that would give too much away). I enjoyed Wellington's character. He's was so smart, yet he didn't gloat about it - in fact he was somewhat shy.

All in all, I really enjoyed 'False Witness'! I would recommend this if you enjoy suspense books or legal thrillers.