Rating: 
Summary: 3 and 1/2 Stars...More Romance Than Legal Thriller
Review: After reading Whitlow's first two books, I was apt to label him the Christian market's John Grisham. "The List" had a terrific premise that spurred it along with elements of the supernatural. "The Trial" had an intriguing legal case that involved lawyers and courtrooms and clues and misdirection. "The Sacrifice" starts with similar aspects, then veers away from the legal twists, using them mainly as props for a deftly handled love story.The story initially revolves around a high-school kid indicted in a racial shooting, then begins to lean more heavily on the budding relationship between lawyer Scott Ellis and school teacher Kay Wilson, and finally reaches its climax with the growing menace of another of Kay's students. Whitlow throws in some comic dialogue and touching moments. He tackles the issue of divorce and Christian dating in a straightforward and sympathetic manner. I appreciated the relationship between Scott and Kay. It is sincere and thoughtful. Unfortunately, it rarely reaches too deep into her marital troubles or too far into his physical/moral struggles in the blossoming friendship. I also appreciated the irony that Scott, a Vietnam vet, receives an act of love from a Southeast Asian janitor. While the story moves along with a number of loosely connected subplots, the romantic relationship is the catalyst to read on. Or, more accurately, it should be the catalyst...Some of the story's other building conflicts lead to predictable results, despite the apparent efforts to occasionally mislead. Whitlow's words of wisdom are worthwhile, well worded, and connected to the events of the story, but they often come through his omniscient narrative rather than through his characters. For me, this was somewhat distracting. Although the cover of "The Sacrifice" might lead you to believe it's more closely related to the suspense of Whitlow's first two books, this novel should be read on its own merits. Technically, I would not classify it as a legal thriller. Overall, I'd recommend this book for those seeking believable romance with hints of legal dealings and touches of Christian homiletics.
Rating: 
Summary: Riveting --and inspiring-- to the very last page
Review: Although a practicing Jew, I enjoy Christian fiction, especially the pen I have recently discovered in author Robert Whitlow.
After reading The Sacrifice, it's not too hard to understand why Whitlow has been called a Christian version of John Grisham. This was an engrossing legal thriller, entertaining and riveting to the very last page, while carrying many moral and religious themes, exploring darkness, light, good, evil, salvation, faith, trust in a Heavenly Father and more. One of the most prominent themes, however, is the efficacy of prayer. In a post-Columbine world, with a depressed, morally confused, spiritually empty generation of teenagers and high schoolers, this book touches upon the vital and urgently necessary power of prayer in public schools.
The central characters involve a young attorney, his old high school ex-girlfriend and now colleague in teaching a group of high school students in a mock trial competition, students intent of prayer, faith, and love, other deeply troubled students intent on hate and destruction... and, my favorite charater, Tao pang, a "simple" immigrant janitor in the high school who barely speaks a word of English.
I felt I lived with these characters, especially Tao.
I look forward to reading Whitlow's other books, for which, if this book is any indication, I'm in for a treat.
Rating:
Summary: Prayers Of Average People Thwart Evil From The Adversary
Review: As a close personal friend of Robert Whitlow's, I sometimes feel my ability to review his works may be somewhat skewed. As with The List and The Trial, I thoroughly enjoyed his latest offering. There are two things that convinced me my bias was not off base.
The first came from a counselor and friend in the public school system where I live. She said, "I have seen that look in too many students' eyes". I knew then that Whitlow had hit it on the mark.
The second was more personal. Once again I have learned a new spiritual concept from Robert. Although I no longer see him on a regular basis, he continues to challenge my spiritual growth through his writings. What a blessing! I am anxiously awaiting #4!
Rating:
Summary: GROWTH THROUGH FICTION
Review: As a close personal friend of Robert Whitlow's, I sometimes feel my ability to review his works may be somewhat skewed. As with The List and The Trial, I thoroughly enjoyed his latest offering. There are two things that convinced me my bias was not off base.
The first came from a counselor and friend in the public school system where I live. She said, "I have seen that look in too many students' eyes". I knew then that Whitlow had hit it on the mark.
The second was more personal. Once again I have learned a new spiritual concept from Robert. Although I no longer see him on a regular basis, he continues to challenge my spiritual growth through his writings. What a blessing! I am anxiously awaiting #4!
Rating:
Summary: The Characters leap of the page -- Whitlow Does It Again!
Review: I am a big Whitlow fan and feel that this is a tremendous work. The story and development of characters in Catawba county had me glued to this book. As with The List and The Trial, both my wife and I read The Sacrifice in one setting. Whitlow's writing and twists and turns throughout make this a must read. The spiritual aspects behind the scene are wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Standing in the Gap
Review: I believe everyone who has school-aged children (or teaches them) should read this book. Columbine in all its tragedy opened a Pandora's box, and The Sacrifice holds the key to resolving some of the issues. I have also read The List and The Trial, but I think The Sacrifice has the potential for even greater, more practical encouragement. I also highly recommend Whitlow's other two novels if you haven't already read them - he is my favorite author!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, But Not Quite As Good!
Review: In his latest book, Robert Whitlow tackles a subject straight from the newspapers - deadly violence in the schools. He puts God squarely in the middle of the lives of the people involved, and does an excellent job letting us see into the mind of the students involved. We see evil at its nastiest, and we see God at work in combat with that evil. I'm once again impressed by the way Whitlow protrays female characters -- if his name weren't Robert, I'd suspect he was a woman! His other secondary characters -- specifically an older attorney, some teenagers and two preachers -- are remarkably well-drawn and sympathetic. Unfortunately, the main character, Scott, is not. Why Whitlow decided to portray him as a selfish, self-centered man is beyond me. In his last book, Mac was a non-Christian through much of the book and yet we identified with him. Scott is distant and bland most of the time, and sometimes he's downright dislikable. Still, we do rejoice when he finally accepts Jesus, even if that climactic scene isn't as dramatic and personal as we've seen Whitlow do in the past. Definitely not his best work. Still, I'd recommend this book above many of the Grisham books I've read just becaus the Lord is so obviously present throughout.
Rating:
Summary: Defies expectations
Review: Legal thrillers are a dime a dozen these days. For every Grisham, there are three to four other others turning out formula legal thrillers in an attempt to cash in on the popular trend in publishing. Which is what makes the works of Robert Whitlow such a marvelous find--they are legal thrillers, but they're well told, entertaining, page turning stories, the likes of which I haven't read in the legal genre since the earliest works of John Grisham.
Robert Whitlow is an amazingly talented author and that keeps showing through again and again in his work.
"The Sacrfice" is no exception to this rule.
What could have been little more than an exploration of a possibly racial motivated incident in a Southern small town (ala "A Time To Kill") instead turns out to be much more. "The Sacrifice" is an intimate examination of the events and circumstances that shaped the character of the protoganist, Scott Ellis. Ellis has returned to his native town to begin practicing law and gets his first big case--defending a young man who is accused of shooting into a baptism service at a local African-American church. The case isn't helped by the fact that the young man is a bigot, whose outward appareance and internal attitude reflect this. As he takes on the case, Scott also accepts a position to work with the local high school's mock trial team and is unexpectedly reunited with his high school sweetheart, Kay. Kay is going through a divorce and the relationship didn't end on a good note between them--Scott just let the relationship wither away.
As the novel progresses, you slowly begin to realize that this is a character study of Scott. He's never really allowed himself to be close to anyone for fear of causing or recieving pain. He can't be open with others or himself and he really only has an abiding friendship with his constant dog companion, Nicki. Slowly over the course of the novel, Scott's pattern becomes more and more apparent--as do the reasons behind it, which I won't give away here as it may ruin some of the enjoyment of the novel. We see Scott struggle--not only with his renewed feelings for Kay, who is going through a divorce, but also with his feelings about his friends, his client, his life in general and his relationship with God. One particularily powerful scene comes when Scott attends the church where the shootings occurred to possibly get information on the case and is almost confronted by the minister about his personal walk.
What surprised me most about this book was how quickly the pages turned. Whitlow's work has proven to be rivetting and compelling in the past, but "The Sacrifice" went above and beyond that. We come to care about Scott and what's going on in his life and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough at times. This is truely one of those novels that goes by far too quickly and the only regret you have when you've finished is that there isn't more of this great story to keep reading.
In addition to our journey with Scott, we also get an examination of evil and how it is at work in our world, sometimes hiding in plain sight. Whitlow builds the suspense of this storyline well in the story of Scott's journey and it leads to a truly compelling and page-turning conclusion. It is also extremely powerful to read, especially in the light of what we learn about Scott over the course of this novel.
"The Sacrifice" is a rich, compelling novel. It is Whitlow's third book and the third book of his that I've read. In fact, while I have one more of Whitlow's novels left to read, I think this one might be my favorite. Whitlow has crafted a novel that is next to perfect and I heartily recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Defies expectations
Review: Legal thrillers are a dime a dozen these days. For every Grisham, there are three to four other others turning out formula legal thrillers in an attempt to cash in on the popular trend in publishing. Which is what makes the works of Robert Whitlow such a marvelous find--they are legal thrillers, but they're well told, entertaining, page turning stories, the likes of which I haven't read in the legal genre since the earliest works of John Grisham.
Robert Whitlow is an amazingly talented author and that keeps showing through again and again in his work.
"The Sacrfice" is no exception to this rule.
What could have been little more than an exploration of a possibly racial motivated incident in a Southern small town (ala "A Time To Kill") instead turns out to be much more. "The Sacrifice" is an intimate examination of the events and circumstances that shaped the character of the protoganist, Scott Ellis. Ellis has returned to his native town to begin practicing law and gets his first big case--defending a young man who is accused of shooting into a baptism service at a local African-American church. The case isn't helped by the fact that the young man is a bigot, whose outward appareance and internal attitude reflect this. As he takes on the case, Scott also accepts a position to work with the local high school's mock trial team and is unexpectedly reunited with his high school sweetheart, Kay. Kay is going through a divorce and the relationship didn't end on a good note between them--Scott just let the relationship wither away.
As the novel progresses, you slowly begin to realize that this is a character study of Scott. He's never really allowed himself to be close to anyone for fear of causing or recieving pain. He can't be open with others or himself and he really only has an abiding friendship with his constant dog companion, Nicki. Slowly over the course of the novel, Scott's pattern becomes more and more apparent--as do the reasons behind it, which I won't give away here as it may ruin some of the enjoyment of the novel. We see Scott struggle--not only with his renewed feelings for Kay, who is going through a divorce, but also with his feelings about his friends, his client, his life in general and his relationship with God. One particularily powerful scene comes when Scott attends the church where the shootings occurred to possibly get information on the case and is almost confronted by the minister about his personal walk.
What surprised me most about this book was how quickly the pages turned. Whitlow's work has proven to be rivetting and compelling in the past, but "The Sacrifice" went above and beyond that. We come to care about Scott and what's going on in his life and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough at times. This is truely one of those novels that goes by far too quickly and the only regret you have when you've finished is that there isn't more of this great story to keep reading.
In addition to our journey with Scott, we also get an examination of evil and how it is at work in our world, sometimes hiding in plain sight. Whitlow builds the suspense of this storyline well in the story of Scott's journey and it leads to a truly compelling and page-turning conclusion. It is also extremely powerful to read, especially in the light of what we learn about Scott over the course of this novel.
"The Sacrifice" is a rich, compelling novel. It is Whitlow's third book and the third book of his that I've read. In fact, while I have one more of Whitlow's novels left to read, I think this one might be my favorite. Whitlow has crafted a novel that is next to perfect and I heartily recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Whitlow Does it Again!
Review: Robert Whitlow is such a great writer. This is his best work so far. Our family has enjoyed his other books, The Trial and The List. This is a real page turner. The Sacrifice is a story that keeps you on the edge of your chair. I can't recommend it more highly and our entire family looks forward to more great writing from Whitlow.
|
