The Last Plea Bargain

This is the first book I have read by Mr. Singer but i intend to read more of his books he has a wonderful fast paced writting style that will keep you reading the book until you finish it. The book is very well reserched and you learn about new legal techniques as the lawyers on both sides use these techniques to either defend or prosecute their clients. The book is filled with twists and turns that you never see comming and the end isn't what you think its going to be I love books that are not predictable and just when you think you have figured it out it turns another way. I would love for this book to be made into a movie or a TV show because it would really be a good movie or a TV show. You will not be sorry you bought this book but you had better keep your kindle charger handy because you will be so engrossed in the book you will forget to charge your kindle when it lets you know the battery is low.

This book is fairly well written with a mostly solid mystery story. It seemed like there was a lot of forced preaching about the two sides of the legal system, and I didn't understand why the daughter who loved her defense lawyer father so much didn't seem to care about that during her inner monologues bashing defense lawyers. But the story was still good and the characterizations believable most of the rest of the time. Lots of "real" law twists and information, and the ending was good. I got drawn in eventually. I was wobbling in the early and middle part of the story, but by the end, I couldn't put it down until I knew how it turned out.

It was hard to put this book down and do anything else. It had my attention from the beginning and moved swiftly. The conclusion was u expected and shocking. There were no hints to prepare you. I am always surprised when men write about women. I hadn't read anything by this author before and thought this woman was hard like a man. While there are parts where she cries it feels a little forced or what she should do at the time, not natural. What I kept wondering about was the .Christian aspect. There was no preaching and if not for the brother who was a pastor I saw no suggestion that the protagonist was Christian, only that she had been at one time. Her behavior was ok but her unforgiveness and desire for revenge left me wondering about why the book was considered Christian literature. At the very end there is a line where she decides maybe God had been looking out for her. That's all. So much have could have been done with that but that is what I like. Over all it was an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense. I learned a lot about the legal system and how it can be manipulated.

When you read a lot of books, you learn that even many good books can become predictable. This book is not one of them. Frequently throughout The Last Plea Bargain, I thought I had certain elements "figured out." I was pleasantly disappointed almost every time. As Mr. Singer unravelled the threads of his plot, he surprised me again and again - all the way to the end. That is only one of the strengths of this extremely good work. It not only has a relentlessly good plot, it has an amazing variety of "flesh and blood" characters. I will be truly disappointed if I do not meet these characters on another case. Finally, this is a work that advances at the speed of life. Nothing feels rushed or over-dramatized. This is a story in which the action feels natural. There are scenes in which the action leaves you breathless, and others in which the suspense has you holding your breath. In between is a story that is a pleasure to read. This is the second book of read by Mr. Singer. I am looking forward to reading all he has written.

How on earth did I manage to miss Randy Singer all these years? If you love legal fiction in the style of John Grisham, you will love The Last Plea Bargain. Great, believable characters and an excellent plot (with a few twists at the end that took me by surprise), make this book a page turner from the very start. The Christian influence was there throughout the story; however, it was never overdone or heavy-handed in delivery. The subtle, but clear, message of The Last Plea Bargain was the balance between justice and grace. How better to demonstrate that balance than through the eyes of Assistant District Attorney, Jamie Brock, and those of Defense Attorney, Mace James. The Last Plea Bargain is a finely crafted legal novel. Although it is comprised of many layers, there are two key, but apparently unrelated, stories playing out alongside one another: The death of a prominent defense attorney's wife and the pending death by lethal injection of the man convicted of killing Jamie Brock's mother. The only thing connecting these two stories is that the same prominent defense attorney, Caleb Tate, had also been the attorney for Mrs. Brock's killer thirteen years earlier--a fact Jamie would never forget nor forgive. The first twist in the ending was a surprise, but the second twist was a jaw-dropper. Randy Singer is now on my list of favorite authors, and I can't wait to read more of his work.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and every character was well written. About the only thing on a downside (and thats being picky) was there was a little too much legal jargon, which went totally over my head. Will be looking for more from this author, and perhaps John Grisham had best look out.

Highly rated because, despite too many words of self-reflection by Jamie, this novel ended at top speed in a way that pleasantly surprised and entertained me. Female readers may enjoy the self-reflection more.

As a big fan of Michael Connelly I needed a new author to turn to having read all Connelly's books. Singer looks like he may fit the bill! This book was excellent in developing characters and plot lines carefully woven into an intriguing tale which surprised and engrossed me completely. The evident knowledge of the US and Georgia specific legal processes together with clever characterization and subtle embellishments - in this case the faith of several characters - added to my enjoyment and whether or not Jamie Brock features in any other of Singers work, I will be downloading a new book by this author today.

I felt that I was continually waiting for the story to begin and then for something to happen. It does become somewhat more intriguing toward the end of the book.

A couple of points... my review title says early Grisham; in my opinion, Grisham has gone downhill since becoming famous, so likening this book to an early Grisham is a compliment. Secondly, I agree with earlier reviewers - the ending appeared rushed and not up to the standard of the first 3/4 of the book - not in terms of the story, but in the way the surprise ending was presented. I was enthralled by the story - good plot and characters, good grammar, very few typos (I only spotted one and I'm a pedant - that's not rude). It's a crime / legal story but the "heroine" is a district attorney (which I think is a public prosecutor). Some of the legalese seems a bit weird to British ears - grand jury, indictment, and the strange methods of jury selection, as well as the dubious process of people being allowed to vote for people such as judges and "district attorneys" - my god, we could end up with someone like Cherie Blair! But if you've read an early Grisham, you should have the gist by now. Overall, a very good book and I'll look out for this author. The only adverse comment I have is that I got this book free (lucky) but was surprised to see it at over £8 when I came to submit this review. Is it worth £8 for a Kindle download?? Debatable.