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Fast paced and filled with twists and turns this book keeps the reader's attention from page one!

This was my first legal-thriller to read - and I think I am hooked. If Randy Singer writes like this all the time - I want to read all of his books!

Clark Shealy, a bail bondsman, finds himself looking for a criminal in exchange for his wife's life. Up against the Chinese Mafia, The Manchurian Triad, Clark is in a race for his wife's life. During this time he develops a rap sheet a mile long and is pushed to the edge of his honor.

At every turn of the page there is a new twist. For the first time I seriously began to wonder if such things truly occur in the justice system of our country. If it could happen it did in this book - murder, kidnapping, intent to maim, auto theft, double-crossing, set ups and stings, witnesses in the protection program found out - it was all there.

In fact every time I thought I got the plot figured out - I was led down another twisty road that made everything look grey and made me doubt even those I thought were "good guys".

Absolutely worth the read - you will be kept on the edge of your seat the entire time!

Thank you B&B Communications for this review copy.


Singer was moved by the plight of the Dalit children, struggling to throw off the yoke of oppression and
replace it with real freedom and dignity, so he committed to do his part because he believes that "no
child should be untouchable." So he is donating every penny from the sale of False Witness to the Dalit
Freedom Network. His novel will take readers from the streets of Las Vegas to the halls of the American
justice system and the inner sanctum of the growing church in India with all the trademark twists, turns,
and legal intrigue his fans have come to expect. ( )

It took me a while to figure out this book. The first part seemed to have nothing to do with the back cover blurb--it actually ended up being set up for the rest of the book, but the reader didn't know that until partway through the second part of the book.

Once we met the law students, I started to enjoy the book more. I liked the characters of Jamie Brock and Wellington Farnsworth. (The other student lawyer not so much, though I do have to say he was very loyal to the other two.) The idea of an algorithm that can easily factor the prime numbers making up security codes worldwide is intriguing. I can see where many groups (some legal and some not so legal) would want something like that.

There's a lot of deception in this book. Shealy/Hoffman didn't really lie when they said they didn't have the algorithm but they omitted that Dagan had told Mr. Shealy that he would send the coded algorithm by email and then send someone with the code key later. Snead seems to be playing everyone to get immunity and a new life for himself. Jacobsen and other law enforcement are willing to let Brock think the bad guys have kidnapped her to further their agenda, as well as killing Brock's dog.

Brock is motivated by wanting justice for her mother (and later for her dog), but in the end she chooses not to lie under oath in order to get what she wants. She also seems to be trying to keep herself from considering crossing ethical lines when she does become a lawyer.

Farnsworth also chooses the higher path when he has ethical dilemmas. He chooses to keep his knowledge of the algorithm secret and regards it as a gift from God as well as a charge from God. He struggles with whether to lie under oath (though in the end, he is not faced with that dilemma thanks to the loyalty of one of his new friends). He's one of the few who didn't seem to be in it for the money.

By the end, I was turning pages wanting to see how the book ended up--though I suspected some of the plot twists before they were confirmed by the author. ( )

I received this book free as it was damaged. I was interested in the plot after reading the back cover although I wouldn't usually choose the action/suspense genre. I only managed to read about a quarter of it and had to give up due to the graphic torture scenes and constant violence which actually made me feel ill at one point. The main character turns virtually into a madman within the first few chapters and his behaviour spirals into uncontrollable violence which he himself cannot believe....nor could I!

What was especially troubling was the Bible verse references in various places as if this is a Christian book. I noticed that other readers have been irritated by the Scripture references and the way the author seems to be trying to convert them. I find it bizarre that a Christian author would write a book with so much graphic violence and then insert Bible quotations as if this somehow makes it okay....why not leave God out of it altogether and openly write for the secular market rather than mingling Christianity with worldliness?

I do not recommend this book for Christian readers. ( )

When Clarke Shealy's wife is taken hostage by the Chinese mafia, he must use all of his bounty hunter skills to find an Indian scientist with a powerful algorithm. An experience such as that is not easily forgotten. Four years later, Shealy's witness protection identity and location have been compromised and the enemy is ruthlessly pursuing the algorithm. Complicating matters is the question of who can be trusted and who cannot. When local law students become involved, the stakes increase. Is there a traitor inside the FBI? Will the Chinese mafia exact revenge and take the algorithm? Will justice triumph?

False Witness by Randy Singer is an adrenaline-laced tale that gripped me from chapter one. There is so much action that the story moves fast, but in order to understand everything that happens, it must be read at a moderate pace. This unlikely combination actually contributed to the book's ability to keep drawing me back to it. I loved the character of Kumari. He was wonderfully unique and intellectually stimulating – much like the entire book. Clearly, Singer did his homework while writing this book. His portrayals of the mafia, the job of a bounty hunter, and the life of fledging law students seemed spot-on, though I know little about any of those lifestyles. I read the 2011 version of False Witness which is a rewritten version of Singer's older book by the same name.

I recommend this book to fans of suspense/mystery fiction.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The B & B Media Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." ( )