Murder, betrayal, and a trial that feeds a media frenzy. Can one woman stand against the forces that threaten to tear her family apart? Pastor Ron Hamilton’s star is rising. His 8,000-strong church is thriving. His good looks and charisma make him an exceptional speaker on family values. And his book on pornography in the church has become an unexpected bestseller. Everything is perfect. Until a young woman’s body is discovered in a seedy motel room. The woman is a porn star. And all the evidence in the murder points to one man: Ron. With the noose tightening around her husband’s neck, Dallas Hamilton faces a choice: believe the seemingly irrefutable facts—or the voice of her heart. The press has already reached its verdict, and the public echoes it. But Dallas is determined to do whatever it takes to find the truth. And then a dark secret from Dallas’s past threatens to take them all down. As the clock ticks toward Ron’s conviction and imprisonment, and an underworld of evil encircles her, Dallas must gather all her trust in God to discover what really happened in that motel room . . . even if it means losing faith in her husband forever.
James Scott Bell is the #1 bestselling author of Plot & Structure, and thrillers like Don’t Leave Me, Blind Justice,Deceived, Try Dying, Watch Your Back, and One More Lie (International Thriller Writers Award finalist).
Jim attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he studied writing with Raymond Carver. He graduated with honors from the University of Southern California law school, and has written over 300 articles and several books for the legal profession. He has taught novel writing at Pepperdine University and numerous conferences in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.
His short fiction has appeared in two anthologies and he is currently at work on two series: pulp style boxing stories featuring Irish Jimmy Gallagher and the vigilante nun series Force of Habit.
Under the pen name K. Bennett he is also the author of the Mallory Caine zombie legal thriller series, which begins withPay Me in Flesh.
He is the purveyor of short and to the point Writing Videos.
Jim served as fiction columnist for Writer’s Digest magazine, to which he frequently contributes, and has written four craft books for Writer’s Digest Books: Plot & Structure, Revision & Self-Editing, The Art of War for Writers and Conflict & Suspense.
A former trial lawyer, Jim now writes and speaks full time. He lives in Los Angeles. He blogs every Sunday at The Kill Zone.
My Impressions:
I chose James Scott Bell’s book, Presumed Guilty, for my daily walk because I like fast-paced legal suspense novels to accompany me for my workout. I got what I was looking for with this look at how dangerous it is to assume your Christian faith puts you above the spiritual fray that surrounds our fallen world. I liked the mystery involved and the growth that mega-church leader Ron Hamilton undergoes following his fall.
Dallas Hamilton is a dedicated wife and mother with a past she has overcome and a ministry that means the world to her. But her life is far from perfect. Her son suffers from PTSD, alcoholism and drug abuse and her husband, a vocal pastor with a large platform, has grown distant and cold. When Ron is arrested for the murder of a porn star, Dallas’ fragile world crumbles. But she never gives up despite the mounting evidence against her deceitful husband. Not knowing whom to trust, Dallas increasingly turns to God for protection and the discovery of truth.
Spiritual warfare is a continuing theme throughout Presumed Guilty. But it is not of the typical kind found in some popular Christian novels. Rather it is a warfare fought in secret, coming at believers who are unaware of the dangers surrounding them. I liked this aspect because it really does describe the average Christian’s understanding of the unseen realms around them. Evil uses every opportunity to its advantage — pride and smug attitudes, gang activity, drugs and alcohol and the sex industry. Yes we have free will, but evil is determined to find a hold wherever it can. The humbling of Ron Hamilton is also a highlight. His first person story is told between the third person action of the novel. The detailing of his failures and redemption was a definite asset in rounding out the impact of the book.
While I liked the book — its plot and characterization — I was less than satisfied with the narrator of the audiobook. I did not care for the voices he used, especially for the female characters. I found their voices simpering. So, I say skip the audiobook and get the print version either in paper or ebook version.
Recommended.
(I purchased the audiobook version of Presumed Guilty from Audible. All opinions are mine alone.)
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