What if they put up a mosque in your sleepy little town? What if there was an honor killing in your sleepy little town? What if the evidence was pointing towards one man being the guilty party because he ordered the killing? What would you do? What if you were the lawyer that was asked to defend him? Would you do it? What if there was a hint that his mosque had connections to Hezbollah? Does he deserve a fair trial?
These are some of the questions that Randy Singer makes you think about in his newest lawyer novel, Fatal Convictions. His main character Alexander Madison finds himself in the middle of a trial that he wasn't really prepared to take on. Alex is a personal injury lawyer, not a criminal lawyer. However, when his client, Kahlid, is accused of calling for the killing of the wife of a member of his congregation, he needs a lawyer and he already trusts Alex. She had turned her back on her Muslim faith and become a Christian. Alex isn't sure he wants the negative publicity his firm will receive.
I like reading Randy's books because they are never easy-answer books. There is a lot of gray area in our world and lives and Randy uses those gray areas to write novels. He asked questions that some of us don't want to answer. The book before this one, Justice Game, made us look at gun control and who is responsible for the selling and even the use of guns. There are no easy answers to that question as there are no easy answers to these questions asked in this book.
Honor killings are a hot topic and one that most people will tell you that they are against. But some Muslims believe that they are okay if the honor of the family is at stake. That to me is a 'wow' thought as I can't imagine killing any one in my family because they disgraced us. I guess if I thought that way I would have to be the first one in line as I have done some embarrassing things myself. The questions we all should ask ourselves is whether we are willing to allow justice to work, and if we will wait for the courts to decide, and if we will hold the lawyers accountable for trying to do their jobs. 
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