Try Dying
by James Scott Bell
Try Dying is only the second book I’ve read by James Scott Bell, but I can officially say I’m a fan. The character Ty Buchanan is a lawyer like many of the characters in Bell’s books. Readers meet Ty just as he loses his fiancee in a freak accident. Or was it? Someone throws not so subtle hints to Ty that his fiancee might have been murdered.
In hot pursuit of the truth, Ty finds himself meeting up with some shady individuals and often receive a "beat down" for his efforts. When a reporter butts into his investigation, and then later turn up dead this lands Ty in a whole heap of trouble. No longer simply looking for justice, Ty is on the run for his own life.
From first chapter, readers will be drawn into Ty’s world, experiencing his range of emotion from grief to maddening anger. This character is bold and impulsive, winding up in one predicament after another. I was pulling for him to find the truth and in some cases I wanted to smack him. Despite his troubles, he manages to pull humor out of everything.
James Scott Bell has a writing style that reminds me of an action movie. He must be a fan of movies as his character Ty seemed to like to pull movie titles out all the time. At times I felt like I was inside an old black and white with a contemporary wrapping on it. It’s a style or maybe what the writer’s world call "voice" that I picked up on from the other book I read No Legal Grounds. Whatever it is, it drew me into the Ty Buchanan character. I’m sure this legal suspense will appeal to both male and female readers alike.
Try Dying is the first book in the Ty Buchanan series. I imagine in later series, readers will see Ty’s faith mature. There’s a brief glimpse into his psyche in Try Dying where he’s curious about the God his fiancee loved so much. The next book, Try Darkness, will be released July 2008.
Reviewed by Tyora Moody
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