Out of the blue, with no
previous incidents, reporter Catherine O’Rourke suddenly starts having visions
connected to The Avenger of Blood, a vigilante killer terrorising the community
of Virginia Beach. Hoping to aid the
Police investigation, Catherine shares her visions with the detectives working
the case, but knowing sensitive details the Police wilfully kept from the
public, Catherine’s good intentions turn on her when she becomes the main
suspect.
Catherine staunchly
proclaims her innocence, but then DNA evidence links her to the crimes and
Catherine is arrested. Convinced someone
is framing her, Catherine appoints two of the most lethal attorneys to fight
her case: Marc Boland and Quinn Newberg.
Unable to ignore the
mountain of evidence against Catherine, Quinn cannot believe that Catherine is
as innocent as she claims. He believes
she must have committed the crimes, even if she doesn’t realise it. Quinn starts building a case of not guilty by
reason of insanity, convinced that Catherine suffers from Dissociative
Identity Disorder.
At first unable and
unwilling to believe any side of her could be capable of committing such
heinous crimes, Catherine refuses to plead insanity and admit guilt; but when
prison life starts triggering a side of Catherine she didn’t know she was
capable of, and evidence against her stacks up, she finally starts wondering if
Quinn might be right. Does she have a
split personality? Is she The Avenger of
Blood? Or is the truth something that seems
truly crazy? Could God be using her? Is God giving her these visions in order to
right the wrongs? And if so, how could
she possibly prove it?
Randy Singer’s By Reason of
Insanity follows both Catherine and Quinn as they try to make sense of
Catherine’s visions. Throughout the novel Singer explores the many possible
explanations why people could see visions.
We look at possible religious explanations, scientific explanations and
psychological explanations. The reader
also learns the fundamentals of the insanity plea, and the more mundane issues
lawyers have to deal with from day to day. In
his writing Singer gives the reader a very realistic look at the life of a
lawyer.
As in The Last Plea Bargain,
Singer’s personal legal experience give his courtroom scenes such a level of authenticity,
you almost believe it’s all real.
Surprisingly Singer does a wonderful job portraying female characters;
he manages to go deeper than most male authors who only touch on the
superficial. I actually cried through
several of Catherine’s musings – this woman convinced of her innocence is
believed by no one, and trusted colleagues and lifelong friends turn their
backs on her. Desolate and depressed,
starting to wonder if she might actually be crazy, Catherine’s character is
quite intense and wonderfully believable.
Every time Catherine was betrayed, I took it personally. Great writers make you invested in the
characters, and Singer does this very well.
What makes Singer’s work
special is that he never slips up; he keeps the reader guessing until the very
end. I have only read two of his books
to date, but I have come to appreciate that he is masterful at twists. Having read my fair share of books, I usually
see the “twist” coming (much to my dismay), but Singer manages to surprise me
every time. Reading one of Singer’s
books is a journey - emotionally and intellectually.
By Reason of Insanity is a
very suspenseful read, keeping the reader hooked, invested and guessing until
the very end. Definitely worth the read.
Product information:
Title: By reason of Insanity
Author: Randy Singer
Product information:
Title: By reason of Insanity
Author: Randy Singer
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Tyndale House
Year: 2008
ISBN-10: 1414315473
ISBN-13: 978-1414315478
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