James Scott Bell, The Author

I've been an avid reader for 39 years, give or take a year or two, and it's very rarely that I run across a book that can hold my complete attention. You know the kind, that once you start reading it, you fall deeper and deeper into the story?

Well, when I'm not making lenses and working on my web sites, I read or watch television. At the present count, I have over 200 books in my library. They all sit there gathering dust as I go through these books of James Scott Bell's that were recently given to me.

All it took was reading the back of the cover of them to let me know that I wanted to read them. I actually tossed a coin to decide which one I would read first! And I was not disappointed!

In 39 years I can count on one hand books that I have liked enough to read more than once.

The Bible

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter (Asa Earl Carter)

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Now, thanks to Mr. Bell, I have another hand to add! I'm not one for suspense/murder mystery type books, but he has changed my mind on that one! The fact that they are written with a Christian inspiration to them just makes them an A plus in my book.

The books I acquired are "Presumed Guilty," "Sins of the Fathers," and "Breach of Promise." I hope, in making this lense, that your curiosity is piqued enough to find them and read them! You won't be disappointed!

image source - piece of my library - © 2009 Basket of Candles
permission granted by James Scott Bell for back cover inclusions and bio.

PRESUMED GUILTY

Imagine finding out that your husband, who happens to be the pastor at church with 8,000 members, has been arrested for murdering a porn star. While going through all of the trials of that, your son suddenly reappears at your door after having been gone for years, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. On top of all that, your ex boyfriend who happens to be a physically abusive man pops back into your life too! Then you find out that everyone you think is a friend, really isn't!

That's enough to bring anyone to their knees. This book covers everything you can imagine in life; from adultery to pornagraphy, prayers to spiritual warfare, blessings to trials, and twists and turns its way right into your heart as you feel the pain and despair of each character.

It had me turning page after page, hating to put it down because I just had to see what was going to happen next. Believe me when I say there are surprises all through this book. You will think one thing... read a few lines and find out that you were wrong!

Mr. Bell is truly the master when it comes to legal suspense. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery that is filled with Christian inspiration. You will truly be able to relate to the characters with your own trials and tribulations! I hope that a movie comes from it!

Here is the back cover of the book so you can see more into this novel:

Murder, betrayal, and a trial that feeds a media frenzy. Can one woman stand against the forces that threaten to tear her family apart?

Pastor Ron Hamilton's star is rising. His 8,000-strong church is thriving. His good looks and charisma make him an exceptional speaker on family values. And his book on pornography in the church has become an unexpected best sellr. Everything is perfect.

Until a young woman's body is discovered in a seedy motel room. The woman is a porn star. And all the evidence in the murder points to one man. Ron.

With the noose tightening around her husband's neck, Dallas Hamilton faces a choice: believe the seemingly irrefutable facts--or the voice of her heart. The press has already reached its verdict, and the public echoes it. But Dallas is determined to do whatever it takes to find the truth.

But then a dark secret from Dallas's past threatens to take them all down.

As the clock ticks toward Ron's conviction and imprisonment, and an underworld of evil encircles her, Dallas must gather all her trust in God to discover what really happened in that motel room...even if it means losing faith in her husband forever.

BREACH OF PROMISE

In my divorce, my daughter's father wanted nothing to do with her, so it was easy for me to get custody of her. I always thought of him as the loser in the situation. Not because I was awarded custody, but because he would be missing out on watching her grow up. To date, she is 10 years old and he has visited her 5 times in her life and two were because I carried her over to his place. Every visit, except for one, lasted anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. Even the one time at Christmas that he showed up.

To read this story of a man who finds himself suddenly in the midst of a divorce when he thinks everything is okay and to read of his suffering at not being able to see his daughter was truly a heart wrenching thing to read. To read as he turned everything over to prayers and God was uplifting, to say the least.

I've learned a whole new side to divorce reading this and I've also learned that things don't always turn out the way you expect them to in a James Bell Scott
novel. Hence his 'master of suspense' title!

After reading this story from a father's side, I can only wish that my daughter's father had felt the same way about her. This is a really good book to read. Another one, for me, that was hard to put down.

Here is the back cover of this novel:

How far will a father go to get back his only daughter?
And how will he survive in a legal system that crushes those who can't afford to fight back?

Mark Gillen has the storybook life other men dream of, complete with a beautiful wife and an adoring five-year old daughter.

Then his wife announces that she's leaving him. And taking their daughter with her.
The other man is a famous film director with unlimited funds and the keys to stardom and wealth for Paula. How can Mark begin to compete? But the most bitter blow comes when he is kept from seeing his daughter because of the false charges...and a legal system ill-suited for finding the truth.

Forged in the darkest valley Mark has ever walked through, his faith in God may ultimately cost him everything in the eyes of the family-law system. But it is the one thing that can keep him sane--and give him the strength to fight against all odds for what matters most.

'Another great read by James Scott Bell. Breach of Promise is an emotionally gripping story of love, hope, and perseverance as one man faces impossible odds armed only with his emerging faith in God.

SINS OF THE FATHER
It took me at least 4 chapters to get into this book. Maybe I was burnt out from reading the other two! After reading it though, it's a very good book too. So far Mr. Bell hasn't let me down. It's not one that I'll probably read again, like the other two. I'm not really in to the lawyer/judge/courtroom kind of stories, as far as reading material. But the plot and story line were good nonetheless.

A parent's worst nightmare.
A lawyer's biggest challenge.
A young boy's life on the line.

The unimaginable has happened. A thirteen-year-old boy has fired a rifle into a baseball game, killing several of the kids on the field. Parents are devastated. The townspeople are horrified.

When public opinion swells to an enraged cry for justice, an ambitious deputy district attorney sees his opportunity--a sensational trial that will catapult him into the DA's office in the upcoming election. There's just one obstacle: the boy's defense attorney, Lindy Field.

To all appearances, the case is a slam dunk. Convict the killer, make him pay. But it's not that simple. Lindy's young client is unwilling--or unable--to help Lindy defend him. And as the case progresses, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want the truth revealed.

As Lindy delves into the haunted world of her client's torment, she finds a spiritual darkness that dredges up her own troubled past. And when dangerous forces close in around her, Lindy must fight for answers not only in the justice system, but in the very depths of her soul.