Try Fear by James Scott Bell

In Try Fear, Ty Buchanan defends Carl Richess on the charge of DUI. It's all routine, until Carl is murdered and his brother, Eric, is charged with the murder. Along with his assistant, Sister Mary Veritas, Ty defends Eric, who he thinks is innocent, and uncovers various levels of corruption through the city ranks. Ty promises Kate, Carl and Eric's mother, that he'll do everything he can to insure she doesn't lose another son.

This book is the third in the Ty Buchanan series and once I got used to Bell's writing style, I quite enjoyed this book. It's well written with a pretty good storyline and fun characters. Since I'm an avid watcher of CSI type shows on TV, I really liked the multiple references to them in which Bell explains that real life isn't like CSI. A few of Buchanan's "stunts" in the courtroom smelled a little like Hollywood. Sure they were cute, entertaining and made great reading, but Bell didn't convince me they were realistic. I know he's a lawyer, but perhaps he embellished a little to make the story more appealing and give Buchanan some character. Enjoyable book nonetheless.

I loved Ty Buchanan. He's a great character. His wit, double talk and circuitous questioning at the trial had me sold from the beginning. I didn't quite understand why he lives on the religious compound in a trailer, but maybe that's explained more fully in previous novels in the series.

James Scott Bell is a former trial lawyer who really knows his stuff. Not only does he write fiction, but he also has written books about the law and writing. More information regarding this can be found on his website.

While I mostly enjoyed this book, I don't think I'll be seeking out any more of Bell's books. Most of his books are billed as "inspirational fiction" and that just doesn't interest me. Also, his book are set in Los Angeles and while I can appreciate that Bell is from LA and loves it, for some reason, novels set in large American cities don't appeal to me that much. At least, not when the city plays a prominent role in the novel.

Recommended.

For more information about this book, please visit the Hachette Book Group website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit James Scott Bell's website.