Life Everlasting

October 18, 2004
Fans who missed Whitlow's Life Support will want to read that novel before attempting this sequel, which has strong moments but may be confusing to the uninitiated. Divorce lawyer Alexia "Alex" Lindale finds herself doubling as a criminal defense attorney for Rena Richardson, a perfidious client who keeps changing her story about how her wealthy husband came to fall from a cliff. Meanwhile, the husband begins to emerge from his coma due to the healing power of prayer and music-a recovery that terrifies Rena, who fears that he will soon be able to tell the truth about his accident. The novel offers a well-honed subplot about Alex's growing Christian faith and her attraction to the pianist who first introduced her to God, as well as interesting courtroom drama and lovely ruminations on music and nature. However, the plot threads aren't as tight or the twists as surprising as readers have come to expect from the Christy-winning Whitlow, and the ending fizzles.

November 1, 2004
This fast-paced sequel to Life Support begins with Baxter Richardson waking up from a coma caused by his wife pushing him over a cliff. Only Rena has convinced everyone that he fell while he was trying to kill her. Baxter's father, Ezra, is using his power of attorney to transfer his son's property to his name and leave Rena out in the cold. Rena's lawyer, Alexia Lindale, wonders if some recent break-ins at her home are tied to the Richardson family. She also is becoming fond of Ted Morgan, a minister who believes God can use him through music to help Baxter recover. Christy Award-winning Whitlow is the best writer of legal novels in the Christian fiction genre, and his taut psychological thriller will appeal to both John Grisham fans and readers who enjoy James Scott Bell's "Trials of Kit Shannon" series. Whitlow practices law in North Carolina.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.