Fiction Addict

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Center Street

Publication Date: July 2008

Reviewed by Josh Olds

When a novel begins with a nun playing a game of basketball with an ex-trail lawyer, you know you’re in for an interesting story. After his fiancée’s death and his being falsely accused of the murder, Ty is laying low and offering legal aid to those who can’t afford it. In Try Darkness, James Scott Bell weaves a legal thriller in with a suspenseful whodunit to create a masterful novel filled with suspense and intrigue.

What first seems to be a simple case involving tenant laws and who can live where how long quickly escalates when Ty’s client ends up end, leaving her six-year-old daughter an orphan. Determined to bring the killer to justice, Ty throws himself headlong into a tangled web of corporate corruption and greed that draws a trail all the way back to the law firm he used to work at.

It wasn’t until after I finished Try Darkness that I realized that this is actually Ty Buchanan’s second adventure as penned by James Scott Bell. In retrospect, the reader can see where the keys fit in to Ty’s past exploits, but in no way does it detract from the story the Bell gives us here. In fact, the previous novel answers the one main unanswered question I had. Why had he been charged with his fiancée’s murder (Try Dying)?

Tightly written and with a great storyline, Bell has created a novel that keeps you compulsively turning the page and trying guess who, what, when, and where. Suspense and tension is lightened with some more humorous moments – such as the wonderful character called Disco Freddy – created a well-rounded novel that will engage you on all fronts.

One last thing that impressed me was that although Bell is writing in the mainstream ABA market, he did not feel compelled to lace his novel with profanity or suggestive material, despite treating some sensitive subjects. While I am personally not bothered by a moderate use of these things, it is a testament to Bell’s writing that he is able to convey his point fully without it. James Scott Bell has written an enjoyable novel here. This may have been the first novel of his that I have read, but it will not be the last.

Review copy provided by Center Street.