12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Raising the Bar, April 18, 2001
This review is from: The Trial (Paperback)
Robert Whitlow handles legal, spiritual, and southern details with style. He brings his world to the written page in a credible manner, fueling the plot with the intricacies of a murder trial. The twists and turns are minor, but satisfying, and the Georgia/Tennessee settings serve as a colorful backdrops. Although the spiritual lessons come on strong and a bit pedantic, the characters (and Whitlow) breathe reality into what might usually pass as stale religious lines. I closed the last page feeling challenged and edified by the story's morals.
The emotional details are the ones that occasional trip me up in his writing. The conflicts are real, the characters believable and likeable, but the resolutions seem to come a bit too easily and/or quickly. I do recognize the aspect of the miraculous in some of this, but, for example, I would've liked to see Mac McLain's suicidal struggles progress more consistently. I prefer to see a bit more of what's going on in the characters' heads. That said, Whitlow's minimalist approach does avoid becoming melodramatic or sappy.
Some might prefer the numerous courtroom scenes in "The Trial"; personally, I enjoyed the variety of "The List." The good thing is that Whitlow, like Grisham, doesn't seem satisfied with a formula. He continues to raise the bar for Christian legal fiction, continues to try new things in the process. I anticipate his next book, knowing I won't be disappointed.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's not a "Trial" to read this great book..., December 27, 2003
This review is from: The Trial (Paperback)
Attorney Kent "Mac" MacClain is on the brink--nine years earlier, he was at the wheel in a horrible accident that took the lives of his wife and children. Mac is having a spiritual crisis--feeling unable to deal with the deep pain and hurt the accident placed upon his heart and soul and decides the time has come to end his own lfie, when the phone rings in his office. He has been asked to take on the case of Pete Thomason, a man who is accused of killing Angela Hightower, the daughter of a family of high power and prestige in the small town in which Mac lives and works. Against Pete is not only a mountain of compelling evidence but also the fact that he cannot recall any details of the events leading up to the death of Angla.
Both men face a spritual crisis. Both men are fighting for thier lives.
So begins Robert Whitlow's second novel, "The Trial." After thoroughly enjoying his work on "Lfie Support" I was eager to find more of Mr. Whitlow's work. I'm happy to say that the great storytelling, character development and page-turning suspense of "Life Support" are also very much at work here in "The Trial." Whitlow balances a lot of separate story threads--Mac's spiritual crisis, his budding relationship with Anna Wilkes, a pyschologist who evaluates Pete, the story of Pete and what is happening to him in the prison and the pain and suffering of the Hightowers as they try to make sense of what happened on that night to take their daughter. "The Trial" is more than just a legal thriller, it's also a murder mystery that will keep you turning the pages to find out who did it and why.
But, as with "Life Support" the greatest parts of "The Trial" are not the moments in which we have the stunning revelations of who commited these acts and why, but insted Whitlow's character creations and the building of his setting for the novels. As with "Life Support" it's the little details that make this books so compelling to read. It's easy to see bits and pieces not only of yourself but people you might know in your daily walk in the characters who inhabit Whitlow's novels. Mac is a man who goes to church on Sunday, but his attendance is dictated on how the Gerogia football team did the following day and he has a Sunday School class full of fellow fans (and despite my beign a die-hard Tennessee fan, I didn't mind this too much...esp. since the Tenenssee-Georga game that Whitlow tells about his book has the Vols winning...but I digress). We see prayer circles that pray for Mac, we see Mac meet Anna and her young son, who awaken some long forgotten feelings deep inside him.. We see Mac serve as a mentor to a new young attorney and we see him fight for the life of his client. All of this while struggling with his own internal demons. Mac is a compellng character, as are all the characters in this novel. "The Trial" resists the urge to give us one-dimensional characters. Instead, each character is uniquely human with his or her own strengths and weaknesses, all of which are on display here in the novel.
"The Trial" of the title not only refers to the court case that Mac wants to win but the spiritual war that goes on in both his and Pete's soul. The novel features a lot of twist and turns, but Whitlow always keeps them grounded and feeling authentic, something that can be difficult to do.
The other great strength of this novel is that Whitlow superbly uses the elements of a typical Christian thriller and makes them fresh and new. He never strays into the cliches. As the novel progresses and certain events happen, they feel natural, coming out of not only the flow of the narrative but also on what we know about the characters from the previous chapters.
All in all, "The Trial" is a compelling and dynamic read. It is a novel that I heartly recommend to anyone looking for a great legal thriller inhabited by compelling and interesting characters. Whitlow has captured the imagination of this reader and I cannot wait to read the next of his novels. If I wasn't a fan before, I most certainly am now...
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, Engaging and Inspiring!, March 13, 2002
This review is from: The Trial (Paperback)
Move over, John Grisham! Now we get a suspenseful courtroom drama, engaging characters, an enthralling plot and a real-life look at the power of a loving God all in one book! Whitlow's first book, "The List" was a great read, but in "The Trial" his writing style has become smoother and more professional. The characters are real and believable, and they grow and change in a satisfying manner from the beginning of the book to the end. If you pick this book up, I hope you don't have any plans for the rest of the day!
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