The Judge

Randy singer is fast becoming one of my favorite authors in the suspense genre. The Judge (originally published as The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney) is the second book by Singer I have read this summer. It will most definitely not be the last. This novel is fast-paced, filled with endearing and sometimes quirky characters, and kept me guessing until the very end. If you like suspense laced with the justice system a la John Grisham or Robert Whitlow, you will love The Judge.Judge Oliver Finney, a cigar smoking, Christian, sitting judge from Virginia, has been selected to defend Christianity on the new reality show, Faith Under Trial. Finney expected deceit and TV tricks, but never expected a conspiracy to kill one or all of the show's contestants. Enlisting the help of his law clerk and a teenage whiz kid, Finney investigates just what is going on in Paradise Island. Determined to give glory to God and to protect his fellow competitors, Finney uses his wits and his faith in God to get to the bottom of the mystery.I loved the characters in The Judge, especially young law Clerk Nikki Moreno. Her character, along with sidekick Wellington Farnsworth (who names a kid that?), were a hoot! The contestants on the show chosen to defend scientific atheism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam were also treated with a deft hand. They were not over the top zealots, but portrayed as people with deep faith, even if in the wrong thing.As part of this blog tour, I was asked to answer the question "How would you defend your faith?". I thought about this throughout my reading of The Judge. A passage near the end of the book sums up my feelings in the defense of my beliefs -But she noticed recently, as she read Judge Finney's Bible, that at times it almost felt as if she were speaking to him. She had seen so many of the words of Christ exemplified by Finney's life that the words themselves had a familiar ring to them -- an almost-eerie feeling of deja vu.This is how I hope people see my life -- not mere words, but a life lived out as close to Jesus' as possible. So I guess I would say my life should be my best defense.I highly recommend The Judge for its page-turning suspense, great characterization and for its ability to get the reader thinking and thinking again.Highly Recommended.(I received The Judge from Tyndale in return for an honest review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

I wanted to give this book 4 stars ,as I think the plot was unique s"and would make for a great read. I was a little let down for a few reasons.1. I had several blank pages (2) There should be more focus on each person defending their positions. This was built up in the beginning but not well detailed (3) When the positions were being defended the points were weak..more could be done in this area

When we think of novels with a religious or spiritual basis, we tend to think of Dan Brown and his ilk - folks who are just as likely to be unhappy as happy with the religion they are depicting. Singer suffers from no such problem, as he has a definite Christian point of view. At the same time, he provides a well-balanced thriller - with the emphasis on thriller - that should make a person of any background happy, including atheists.Singer's story is about a wealthy man of no faith who, dying, decides to hold a sort of reality show highlighting five individuals who might be considered at the pinnacle of their particular faith. Although Singer has no religious agenda, the wealthy man does: he specifies some unusual requirements for the selection of the individuals, who represent Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and science/atheism.It's pretty hard to talk about the book without giving away important secrets. A good part of the show focuses on challenging the participants' beliefs under difficult circumstances - which include using some of their personal background against them. Singer creates an opportunity to talk about the relative merits of numerous religious affinities, but without making himself an advocate. He manages to pull this off even though he and his protagonists are both Christians. Well done!

What a great novel! It was written awhile ago and I wasn’t sure I had read it as it has been renamed, I haven’t but can’t believe it took me this long to find it. Randy Singer is a fabulous author and this book is just as fabulous. If you’re a reality show fan it’s an even better read as that is the setting. It keeps you guessing which is one of my favorite reads.

Loved this book. So many plots and undercurrents besides the main story. One of those books that you are loathed to put down and try to speed read in parts because you just need to know what's next. It shows the total humanness of the characters making them totally relatable. Grabs you from the beginning and keeps you to the end.The only thing I was not totally into was delving in to code explanations. However, despite that being relevant, it did not take away my enjoyment of the book. Highly recommend Looking forward to more of his books.

I love the books by Randy Singer. They are exciting, well written and definitely thought provoking in a very positive way. They also bring out Biblical concepts in a very practical way. This book was different than others but so good. The characters are very well developed. It keeps your interest every minute. It is creative and well researched. A great read

This book was really great. Lots of twists and intricate story line with the characters faith intertwined. I highly recommend this author

I have read several of Randy Singer's books and found The Judge to be one of his best. He does a great job of weaving interesting characters with plots that are both original and heartfelt. I have found that several novels of the "Christian" genre overplay faith and underplay humanity. Randy Singer does neither. He presents real life and faith as they should be integrated in day to day existence with imperfect people in an imperfect world. Kept my interest from beginning to end which not many books do. I really enjoyed the originality of this story, and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a great read.