No Legal Grounds [Paperback]

James Scott Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2007

How far will a man go to protect his family? Attorney Sam Trask will go farther than he ever dreamed, even in his worst nightmare. Because his worst nightmare is about to come true... At age forty-seven, attorney Sam Trask finally seems to have his life in order. The dark years of too much drinking and all-consuming ambition have given way to Christian faith. His marriage is strong again. Everything seems finally on the right track. Then a voice from the past comes back to say hello. Suddenly Sam faces a danger more real than he ever imagined---danger from someone who will not rest until Sam's life comes crashing down around him. Desperate, Sam seeks protection from the law he's served all his life. But when the threats are turned on his family, and the law seems powerless to protect them, Sam must consider a choice that strikes at the heart of his life and faith---whether to take the law into his own hands.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bell, a former trial lawyer and Christy Award–winner (Final Witness), offers a disappointing faith suspense story that illustrates this genre's recent preoccupation with sexual violence against women. Attorney Sam Trask has his hands full with his rebellious 17-year-old daughter, Heather, the lead singer of Screech Monk. Nicky Oberlin, a shadowy figure from Sam's college past, shows up unexpectedly, and for reasons that are inexplicable until the closing pages, stalks Sam and his family. More troubles pile up: a dog is poisoned, credit cards are mysteriously maxed out, Sam's law practice suffers, a rattlesnake attacks and a child from out of wedlock is revealed (a stock plot element in Christian fiction). [...] Awkward prose is scattered throughout (e.g., "the lights of the city illuminating the night sky like forbidden candy"), and Bell relies upon heavy back-to-back dialogue to move the plot along. Readers will want to skip this one. (Apr. 13)
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From the Back Cover

How far will a man go to protect his family? Attorney Sam Trask will go farther than he ever dreamed, even in his worst nightmare. Because his worst nightmare is about to come true… At age forty-seven, attorney Sam Trask finally seems to have his life in order. The dark years of too much drinking and all-consuming ambition have given way to Christian faith. His marriage is strong again. Everything seems finally on the right track. Then a voice from the past comes back to say hello. Suddenly Sam faces a danger more real than he ever imagined—danger from someone who will not rest until Sam’s life comes crashing down around him. Desperate, Sam seeks protection from the law he’s served all his life. But when the threats are turned on his family, and the law seems powerless to protect them, Sam must consider a choice that strikes at the heart of his life and faith—whether to take the law into his own hands. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310269024
• ISBN-13: 978-0310269021
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,680 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

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner of a legal thriller from James Scott Bell, March 5, 2007

By 

C.J. Darlington "Author of Thicker Than Blood... - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Legal Grounds (Paperback)

Lawyer Sam Trask's life is finally in order. His old drinking and success-at-any-cost ways have been replaced with embracing his family and his faith. Then Nicky Oberlin, an old college classmate, shows up. His first contact with Sam is an innocent enough e-mail. No big deal. Sam deletes the message. After all, he barely remembers the guy, and distractions in his already hectic schedule are not on the agenda. But there's something about the tone of the message that makes Sam uneasy.

And rightfully so. Nicky Oberlin doesn't take "no" for an answer, and soon his behavior escalates into harassment. Sam has sworn to uphold the law and defend the innocent as an attorney. But can the law protect him and his family from someone like Nicky Oberlin? Not when no law has been broken. Which is why Sam is forced to do something he never dreamed he'd do---take the law into his own hands.

Sociopathology isn't a subject often tackled in Christian fiction. But it's a subject that has long fascinated Bell. On crafting the plot of No Legal Grounds, he says, "I began to ask myself how a good Christian family man, a respected lawyer, might react if a sociopath decides, for reasons unknown, to come after him and his family. And what if the legal system, because the sociopath is so clever, is unable to help? And if the Christian man has a vulnerable teen-age daughter who becomes the subject of the evil, what then? What would this father do?"

It's this serious subject matter that gives No Legal Grounds a somewhat darker feel than some of Bell's previous works. It resembles Presumed Guilty closest in tone, since both deal with tough subject matters. But No Legal Grounds hits closer to home. We all have people in our pasts who could hold a grudge against us like Nicky does against Sam. Any one of us could be in Sam's shoes.

James Scott Bell is an expert wordsmith, artfully placing us in the scene. We're not just observing his characters, we're INVOLVED with them. We rejoice in their triumphs, wince at their pain, and root for them to win. No more so than with Heather Trask, Sam's seventeen-year-old daughter. A struggling musician who butts heads with her father's ideals, her scenes are particularly well done as we follow her down a path we know will only lead to trouble. And Bell manages to pepper in just enough slang and mannerisms of today's teens to believably portray Heather and her crowd without sounding like he's trying too hard. Some of the court scenes and legal aspects of No Legal Grounds struggle to flow with the story, but this is only a minor distraction amidst the suspenseful plot.

Ultimately, even though the dark might be darker, the light of truth still shines, a much-loved quality always found in a Bell novel. No Legal Grounds isn't a sugar coated, feel-good piece. That's not what it's meant to be. It's an honest look at one man's struggle to protect his family and overcome society's evils. Through Sam's journey we come to understand how we can overcome ALL evil---through the light of the Truth.

--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping Look At A Terrifying Prospect, March 3, 2007

By 

Richard Mabry "author, retired physician" (Frisco, TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Legal Grounds (Paperback)

Sam Trask has enough problems with his law practice and his family. Then a figure from his past, a man he doesn't even recall, begins a systematic war against Sam and his family--a war that progresses from psychological to physical. Every time I thought that the tension couldn't be ratcheted up, Bell managed to make my pulse rate go even higher. This book is a classic example that the genre of Christian suspense fiction isn't all sweetness and light--sometimes, as in this case, it deals with the dark things that can happen, things we don't think about because the prospect frightens us too much.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "No Legal Grounds"... perhaps James Scott Bell's best ever!, March 18, 2007

By 

Toby Martin II (aka R. Howe) "rchowe" (Erskine, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: No Legal Grounds (Paperback)

"No Legal Grounds" is a suspenseful thriller which rivals or surpasses other authors of this genre. With a plot comprised of a series of events which can only be described as nightmarish, a family is faced with the threats and terrorism of a totally-demented sociopath who will stop at nothing as he maliciously stalks his prey. And, all the while, with `no legal grounds' for law enforcement to act in their defense. With his intimate knowledge of the law and its restrictions, Mr. Bell, an attorney, brings to his writing a sense of realism. His characters are such that a reader comes to know and care about them--a vital ingredient for intensifying the suspense of a novel. And, as a devout Christian, this extraordinarily talented author creates his story without resorting to what some euphemistically refer to as `adult language' (i.e., `vulgar'); nor does he feel compelled to create scenes which, in many of today's movies would `earn' an R, or restricted, rating. Suspenseful, knowledgeable, creative, interesting, and inspiring--James Scott Bell provides his readers with all of this and more. "No Legal Grounds" is a terrific read. Highly Recommended!
--Ron Howe (aka Toby Martin II) Erskine, Minnesota.