Irreparable Harm

Rating:
Summary: Look out Grisham, a new kid is in town! His name is Randy!!
Review: Did I say Randy Singer was good? This man is awesome! If Randy Singer were a baseball, with all his twists and turns, and then a top notch fastball to boot, we'd be calling him Randy Johnson! I almost had to take a shower after this book, I was sweating so bad! And John Grisham needs to give Mr. Singer a call on writing tips, because Singer makes Grisham look like an amateur, and I really like Grisham. But there's a new kid in town, and that's who I'm reading!

Join Mitchell Taylor as he takes the case of Maryna Sareth. Maryna is running from the Snakeheads, Chinese gangsters, and so much more. You also get the feeling that she is indeed searching for something, being raised as a Buddhist. There are a lot of heart pounding twists in this case that literally make you sweat. In some places you actually feel for Cameron when you realize that she never had much of a relationship with her father, better known as The Rock. You feel for her in wondering if things between them will ever be resolved. Judge Baker-Kline, better known as Ichabod returns in this first class thriller to liven up the action.

All I can say is that if you have yet to read Randy Singer, you are missing quite a treat. Awesome! When you read him, you are reading more than simply a court case, or whatever it may be. He goes much deeper than that, and that is what I personally love about this author. He's one of my top 3 favorites to read!

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars...No Harm in That!
Review: Having just finished Grisham's latest, I asked myself how Randy Singer's new legal thriller would stack up. Singer's first book, "Directed Verdict," gave warning that he was a fresh and exciting voice in this genre. Could he back it up with a second hit?

Yes, and again, yes! Singer introduces us to Mitchell Taylor, fresh out of law school and applying for that coveted legal position. But Taylor quickly finds himself frustrated, working for a glorified ambulance chaser. What Taylor doesn't know is that he's about to represent a critical case in which cloning and woman's rights will be challenged from every angle.

Maryna is the beautiful and emotionally scarred illegal immigrant facing "irreparable harm." Her story, along with journal entries, is the beating heart of this novel. Maryna not only faces a violent past, she faces an unknown future as she carries a surrogate child. The child's mother discovers that this baby could have Down's syndrome and wants Maryna to "terminate" the pregnancy so that she can pursue a healthy child with cloned cells. The legal battles that ensue are only part of the conflict involved.

Singer handles the legal aspects with aplomb, and he does a fine job of educating us about cloning procedures. He particularly shines, though, when he dashes the dialogue with humor, and when his characters succumb to the dangers of romance and emotion. Without getting sappy, Singer makes us care for Taylor and Maryna. He threads many plot ideas together, creating a complex story--even if one or two threads remained a bit frayed in conclusion. For example, what ever happened to Maryna's would-be abductors?

By the story's end, Singer throws us some wonderful curveballs and change-ups. His narrative rarely lets up, and he rewards us with emotional payoffs. He gives us characters we don't want to leave--and reintrodues a few from his first book. On the last page, he drops some strong hints that we'll be learning more about some of these characters in his next book. I can't wait!

Singer, like Grisham, gives us serious issues to consider, while never forgeting to focus on human stories amidst the legal finagling. He serves up a hefty feast, but by the end leaves us wanting more. Hmm...I see no harm in that!