Fatal Convictions

August 1, 2010
Alexander Madison, a Virginia Beach attorney, isnt quite an ambulance chaser, but hes the type of lawyer wholl show up at a patients hospital room, offering his services. Hes also a part-time pastor, and his interest in his clients isnt purely financial: he seeks them out because he really cares about finding justice for those in desperate need of it. He has a promising personal-injury case (a woman was run off the road and smashed her car into a tree), but there is a troubling question: Is there any evidence that another car was even involved? Meanwhile, a high-profile murder case comes his way. Madisons first reaction is to avoid it, but on reflection, he takes the case, defending a Muslim imam accused of murdering a woman who had converted to Christianity. Singer, a trial attorney, is a capable writer, and Madison is an intriguing creation. The novel has a few surprises, and the religious themes (a regular feature of Singers novels) are handled adroitly and subtly: theyre there if you want them, but theyre not intrusive. A solid, well-crafted legal thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)