Rating: 
Summary: "The Santee Series" ruined many nights' sleep!
Review: As I have learned after reading four Robert Whitlow books, it is difficult to begin reading them without becoming totally immersed, for hours, in the characters, legal drama, intrigue, spirituality, and sheer beauty inherent to Whitlow's writing and plots. It is also difficult to review Life Support and Life Everlasting separately, for one cannot be read without the other. Both books of "The Santee Series" ruined many nights' sleep in the past week as I lay in bed incapable of putting them down, but for that, I am glad.
"The Santee Series" is the story of a young female attorney representing a tortured, mentally unstable, evil woman. It is the story of a man who miraculously survives a murder attempt when pushed off a cliff/waterfall and lies in a coma fighting for his very life. It is the story of a man of God, a musical minister with piano skills nothing short of heavenly, determined to use his gift, along with the help of a Christian native-American nurse and her singing, for healing purposes, against all odds.
It is a story of faith, prayer, good, worship, and hope battling forces of evil, manipulation, greed, and deceit. Oh, yes, it is also the story of a long deceased elderly Ohion grandmother and her prayers on behalf of a beloved granddaughter, our heroine Alex Lindale.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, thought provoking reading.
Review: Ever since John Grisham wrote "The Firm" and it became a run-away bestseller, legal thrillers have become a dime a dozen. Lots of book publishers have sought to cash in on the trend toward the public's interest and the legal thriller has almost become its own genre-so much so that I fully expect it to get its own section in the bookstore someday. So, it probably shouldn't come as too great a shock that there would, eventually, be a subset of the Christian publishing genre for a legal thriller.
What was shocking was how good it turned out to be.
Robert Whitlow's "Life Support" is a legal thriller-and it's one with a Christian emphasis. But I'd easily put this legal thriller up against some of the best the secular publishing world has to offer. "Life Support" is just that good.
Rena Richardson did not have a happy childhood and she's not grown up to be a happy adult. She married an heir to a family's good fortune and has grown to love the good life. She wants to keep all that-the thing is she doesn't want to keep her husband, Baxter. So, one day while hiking she pushes him over a cliff and makes it look like an accident. But in a cruel twist of fate for Rena, Baxter survives and is put on life support. Rena wants to terminate it to cover her own secrets, but her fat her-in-law, Ezra has another legal document that gives him control over Baxter's life-and he very much wants his son to be living so he can exercise his power of attorney. Ezra has his own agenda as well-he's not all on the up and up and his company harbors some shady secrets he'd rather see kept out of the light of day.
Enter into this attorney, Alexia Lindale, who is assigned by her law firm ,which represents Ezra, to go in and mediate things. Rena draws Alexia into her web of lies, leading to Alexia's termination and striking out on her own to represent Rena in a battle against her former employers. Along the way, Alexia meets the musical director at a local church and finds herself being drawn not only to him but also to a newer and deeper relationship with God.
"Life Support" is a fascinating character study and one in which the pages fly by. Unlike a lot of other contemporary Christian fiction, the characters are all not lily white, but are instead real human beings. For as much of a one-note villain as Rena could be, Whitlow invests her with just enough likeability to make us feel some sympathy for her and to understand her plight. And as much as Alex and the music minister are the heroes of this novel, they are still human enough to have faults, doubts and foibles. It makes the pages come alive because we feel like all these characters are real people-not just one-note characters the author has created to hammer home his own agenda or point.
And although there are some things that are the standard stock of your basic legal thriller and your basic Christian-oriented novel, Whitlow blends them together seamlessly in his novel. This was a great book and one that I found myself sorry to see end-even though it does end at a crossroads with a promise for more to come in 2004.
I've not read any of Whitlow's other work, but after reading this one, I am definitely eager for more. Whitlow delivers a page-turning thriller with a profound and heartwarming message at the center. Just like life, there are no easy answers, but that's what makes this book such a pleasure to read.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, thought provoking reading.
Review: Ever since John Grisham wrote "The Firm" and it became a run-away bestseller, legal thrillers have become a dime a dozen. Lots of book publishers have sought to cash in on the trend toward the public's interest and the legal thriller has almost become its own genre-so much so that I fully expect it to get its own section in the bookstore someday. So, it probably shouldn't come as too great a shock that there would, eventually, be a subset of the Christian publishing genre for a legal thriller.
What was shocking was how good it turned out to be.
Robert Whitlow's "Life Support" is a legal thriller-and it's one with a Christian emphasis. But I'd easily put this legal thriller up against some of the best the secular publishing world has to offer. "Life Support" is just that good.
Rena Richardson did not have a happy childhood and she's not grown up to be a happy adult. She married an heir to a family's good fortune and has grown to love the good life. She wants to keep all that-the thing is she doesn't want to keep her husband, Baxter. So, one day while hiking she pushes him over a cliff and makes it look like an accident. But in a cruel twist of fate for Rena, Baxter survives and is put on life support. Rena wants to terminate it to cover her own secrets, but her fat her-in-law, Ezra has another legal document that gives him control over Baxter's life-and he very much wants his son to be living so he can exercise his power of attorney. Ezra has his own agenda as well-he's not all on the up and up and his company harbors some shady secrets he'd rather see kept out of the light of day.
Enter into this attorney, Alexia Lindale, who is assigned by her law firm ,which represents Ezra, to go in and mediate things. Rena draws Alexia into her web of lies, leading to Alexia's termination and striking out on her own to represent Rena in a battle against her former employers. Along the way, Alexia meets the musical director at a local church and finds herself being drawn not only to him but also to a newer and deeper relationship with God.
"Life Support" is a fascinating character study and one in which the pages fly by. Unlike a lot of other contemporary Christian fiction, the characters are all not lily white, but are instead real human beings. For as much of a one-note villain as Rena could be, Whitlow invests her with just enough likeability to make us feel some sympathy for her and to understand her plight. And as much as Alex and the music minister are the heroes of this novel, they are still human enough to have faults, doubts and foibles. It makes the pages come alive because we feel like all these characters are real people-not just one-note characters the author has created to hammer home his own agenda or point.
And although there are some things that are the standard stock of your basic legal thriller and your basic Christian-oriented novel, Whitlow blends them together seamlessly in his novel. This was a great book and one that I found myself sorry to see end-even though it does end at a crossroads with a promise for more to come in 2004.
I've not read any of Whitlow's other work, but after reading this one, I am definitely eager for more. Whitlow delivers a page-turning thriller with a profound and heartwarming message at the center. Just like life, there are no easy answers, but that's what makes this book such a pleasure to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good "UNTIL" the Last Page
Review: I am not sure what book the previous reviewers read. I was, as were they, totally captivated by the premise and, as well, was unable to put it down...until the last page! WHAT? That's it? That's all? More than once I had to go back and pick up the book and see if I had somehow missed the last chapter. Mr. Whitlow sets up at least a half-dozen intriguing story lines in this book...of which NONE are resolved! How could anyone who read this book not feel cheated? I even looked to see if there was a "To be continued" tease at the end...there was not. There was the mention of a book called "Life Everlasting" which is "coming soon" (in a year and a half,) but there is no indication whether it is the conclusion of this story. I was thoroughly dissapointed. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Life Support... that's what I need after reading this book!
Review: I am SHOCKED by the ending of this book. I've seen cliffhangers, I've seen abrupt endings, I've seen poor endings... but THIS... this takes the cake. WHERE IS THE RESOLUTION?!?!?I LOVED this book up until the last page. As a matter of fact, part of what kept the pages quickly turning towards the conclusion of the book was wondering how in the world Whitlow was going to tie up all these loose ends. And you know what? If "Life Everlasting" is going to be the sequel that ties up these questions, I can live with that. But at least say that. At least say, at the end of the book, "learn what happens to So&So in 'Life Everlasting!'" As it is now, I have no idea if Robert Whitlow is planning to wrap it up or not. I really hope so. Reading this book would be like seeing "The Matrix: Reloaded" -- if you didn't know that a third movie had already been filmed and was only 6 months away. *grr*
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait For the Sequel!
Review: I have read all of Whitlow's books and he just gets better and better. I knew by the end of the first chapter that this was going to be his best yet. Whitlow has matured as a writer with each succeeding novel. His characters are real people who deal with real life issues, and his plots grab hold of you and leave you hungry for more. The battle between good and evil always gets a work-out in his stories. It's easy to see why he is a Christy award winner. As for the "Grisham-esque" moniker--it's well-deserved. It's also a breath of fresh air for those of us who are Christian males--and avid readers--to get some good fireside reading from authors who have important words for the Body of Christ, and who, at the same time, can stand toe to toe in the secular realm. If ever there were crossover novels, it's Whitlow's. I will purchase the next Whitlow novel, and the next, and the next after that.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait For the Sequel!
Review: I have read all of Whitlow's books and he just gets better and better. I knew by the end of the first chapter that this was going to be his best yet. Whitlow has matured as a writer with each succeeding novel. His characters are real people who deal with real life issues, and his plots grab hold of you and leave you hungry for more. The battle between good and evil always gets a work-out in his stories. It's easy to see why he is a Christy award winner. As for the "Grisham-esque" moniker--it's well-deserved. It's also a breath of fresh air for those of us who are Christian males--and avid readers--to get some good fireside reading from authors who have important words for the Body of Christ, and who, at the same time, can stand toe to toe in the secular realm. If ever there were crossover novels, it's Whitlow's. I will purchase the next Whitlow novel, and the next, and the next after that.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Read!!!
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Robert Whitlow's books and devoured each one within a day. Life Support is no exception to his growing list of fascinating novels. It is refreshing to read a well-written book with an engaging plot that also has a solid, moral foundation. I eagerly look forward to his next work.
Rating: 
Summary: Good until the end
Review: I loved this book. I couldn't stop reading it. IT was unlike any book I've read but I was absorbed in it. The end left me begging for the next book to hurry out!!
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: I loved this book. I couldn't stop reading it. IT was unlike any book I've read but I was absorbed in it. The end left me begging for the next book to hurry out!!
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