My second attempt at reading this author. It is marked Fiction/Suspense. I picked up another Randy Singer book a while ago and was disturbed by the graphic violence. However, I was assured by other readers that Singer is usually very careful to ensure his books are suitable for the Christian market....so I decided to try another. That was a mistake.

The story itself was intriguing with enough twists and turns to keep my attention. It was unpredictable--I could not have worked out the ending.

However, I have a lot of issues with this book

1. Once again, there is a lot of graphic violence--detailed descriptions of people being executed by lethal injection and via the electric chair!? Murders at point blank range. A rape scene.....I won't continue.

2. The main character has supernatural visions that initially lead to her prosecution for a series of murders. In the latter part of the book it is confirmed that they are from God despite the character not being in any way religious. She was apparently given revelations of these graphic crimes, some of which had yet to happen, in order that she might use her knowledge for good. The visions totally terrified her and made her question her own sanity, she even considered suicide. I appreciate that this is fiction but I don't believe the God of the Bible operates like this--scaring someone out of their wits in order to see that justice is served?

3. There is a scene where one character pleads guilty to murder and takes the rap for someone else. The author likens this to Jesus taking the penalty for our sin. This is a big leap--the character lied under oath, he admitted to a crime he didn't commit. The author even quotes the verse "Greater love hath no man than this that he laid down his life for his friends," in connection with this character. But in actual fact, justice was not served in this instance and further sin was committed by the lie and perjury that took place.....The Bible shouldn't be used to support this kind of deception and it definitely shouldn't be compared to Jesus' sacrifice.

4. There are various references to occultic and demonic versions of visions or attempts to communicate with others via the mind--telepathy, ouija boards, fortune tellers etc. Although the author makes it clear that this is not the reason his character is having the visions, there appears to be little difference in the practical outworkings. The character herself questions the source because she is not religious. It is dangerous even in fiction to blur the lines when dealing with the supernatural. The author doesn't make the consequences of dabbling in these things clear enough.

5. The main defence used in the trial is for DID--a personality disorder resulting from a traumatic event in someone's past. The author suggests that the character is then split into multiple personalities due to a rape she experienced at college. One persona commits the murders with the other seemingly completely unaware of what she is doing. Despite the final outcome and the fact it is fiction, I think it is unwise for a Christian author and lawyer to be advocating this type of defence for such a serious crime.

I was disappointed by this book. There is nothing that distinguishes it as a Christian book apart from a few vague references to God towards the end and the seriously flawed attempt to make the comparison to Jesus' death on the cross. Randy Singer would do better to write for the secular market. He is said to be the Christian version of John Grisham, but having recently re-read a John Grisham book, I would suggest that Grisham's book was less offensive and had just as many references to God as Singer's.

I don't recommend this book for Christian readers and I won't be attempting to read any further books by Singer. ( )

This book was so not what i thought it would be! It was fabulous! It was captivating! I had trouble putting it down.. Quinn is great and really gets you going! I would have given it a full 5 stars the the ending was just there, That is dissappointing for me. I still think everyone should read the book though, regardless of how it ended it was fabulous!

When you have the craving for a good legal suspense novel, the author to pick up is Randy Singer. He always delivers a book with twists, turns, and edge of the seat suspense. I found all that and more in By Reason of Insanity. The book opens in a Las Vegas courtroom where hotshot lawyer, Quinn Newberg, is representing his sister for murder of her abusive husband. A top litigator, Quinn has quickly become a must have lawyer in insanity pleas (much to the chagrin of his law partners.) Although there is not very much money in insanity defenses, the notoriety brings business into his firm. What he can’t make in billable hours, he tries to supplement at the high stakes poker tables. A young reporter from Virginia Beach covered this trial and when Catherine finds herself in the middle of a serial kidnapping and killing spree, she insists Quinn second chair her local lawyer’s strategy.

Singer does a great job presenting the ins and outs of the very rare, yet newsworthy insanity defense. He also shows the degrading and dehumanizing system surrounding our jails. Not an apologist for easy treatment, the book does show how quickly the need for survival usurps manners and morals. Singer also looks at how God may speak in visions and dreams, revealing truth. The dreams and visions Catherine experiences are so far out that even she begins to doubt her role in the murders. And if you like for a book to keep you guessing, By Reason of Insanity will have your puzzled up to the very end. A good book to take with you on vacation, I recommend By Reason of Insanity.

Recommended. ( )

Good clean mystery thriller that I could not put down. ( )

almost gave up on the book after 50 pages but plugged through and found that i enjoyed the book. ( )