Well . . . I finished it. Of the eight Randy Singer novels I’ve read to date, my favorite is The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney. Unfortunately, Fatal Convictions published by Tyndale Fiction is my least favorite of the group and was a chore to finish as I mentioned in a previous post. In fact, I didn’t like the novel. As you know, there will be plenty of readers who will like or have already enjoyed the book, but not this reader.
Fatal Convictions presents Alexander Madison, a personal injury attorney and the pastor of a small church in Virginia. Alex took over his grandfather’s law practice when he died. Law partner and friend Shannon decide to take on a Muslim woman’s case against a trucking company driver who allegedly forced her off the road and left her with a head injury. While preparing for her case, a gruesome beheading known as an honor killing in the Muslim faith happens to a Muslim wife who converts to Christianity. The husband of the injured woman, an imam at a local mosque and friend to the husband of the victim, is arrested for issuing the order to murder the convert. All kinds of damning electronic evidence points to the imam, but Shannon is convinced he’s innocent and will take the case alone if Alex won’t join her.
The story takes us back and forth from the history of the imam’s family, the loss of his two sons in Hezbollah/Israeli conflicts, and the tension between his daughter Nara and her mother which still exists. When the daughter arrives from Lebanon, she provides a significant distraction for Alex with her beauty and intelligence while irritating Shannon with her constant interference and demands.
As you might imagine, the story dives into the belief systems/practices of the radical and reformist types of Muslims, throws out a lot of mixed signals, a few exceptional twists, and a dramatic conclusion with a somewhat palatable epilogue.
But here’s the deal breaker for me: I finished the book graduating from not liking any of the characters through over half the story to barely tolerating Alex and Shannon. Khalid, the imam, was handled with kid gloves, assigning him an almost “noble” persona. The only character I really liked was Ramona, Alex’s wise and witty grandmother.
I’ve said before if you’re going to address spirituality in a character, then just do it. The imam’s spirituality got plenty of attention. Alex seemed displaced as a pastor, unsure of his calling and his own belief system, not as dedicated and scrupulous as his grandfather in his law practice. Vacillating between pastor and attorney, he seemed dispassionate about both. Shannon was wooden, all-business. Nara never came off as trustworthy, and so Alex’s attention seemed immature and testosterone driven rather than real with little genuine regard for his faith when stacked up against hers. The Muslim religion got far more exposure than Christian ideals—those ideals not demonstrated in Alex.
Randy Singer is a good writer, and I’ve enjoyed the majority of his novels. Just not this one.
Father, please continue to provide stories for Randy to tell. You’ve given him many talents, and he uses them well. Watch over him and bless all of his efforts done to glorify you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.