http://docsdoins.blogspot.com/2017/09/where-does-one-find-justice-in-rule-of.html

Political thrillers are not my go to genre, but politics is something I have become more and more interested in, so I decided to give Rule of Law by Randy Singer a try.

In all honesty, I struggled with this book. The book started off with a ton of action as the SEAL Team Six is on a rare mission ordered by the president. Houthi rebels in Yemen captured an American journalist and a member of the Saudi royal family. The SEAL Team Six are supposed to be rescuing them.

The first few chapters were high adrenalin that kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages as I followed the team on their mission. Then on a huge cliff hanger, it stopped and took me to a girl and her romance with one of the team members.

Unfortunately, this is where the story took a nose dive for me. I was hanging onto the pages of the book and then it switched gears to this romance. I honestly wasn’t that interested in it, especially the way it was told. On top of that, the romance became predictable.

While I felt for the characters, there were a lot of extra details that detracted from the story. I found myself skimming a lot of this book because I became disinterested at times.

This book ended up being an okay read. There were parts of the story that were engaging and kept me turning the pages, but there were also many times I just wanted to skip sections of the story and all the extra details.

Why, oh why has it taken me so long to pick up a novel by Randy Singer?!  I love a good legal thriller, and nothing says legal thriller quite like a military widow suing the president of the United States! From the use of drones to target and neutralize individual threats, to governmental accountability in matters of security, all the way through to honouring those who have given their lives in service for their country and the loved ones they have left behind, it was a gripping, intellectually stimulating, and in a few instances, emotional read.

Plot aside, the thing that gave this novel an extra edge, as far as I was concerned, was the teaming of lawyers Paige Chambers and Wyatt Jackson. Paige is a cautious and serious prosecuting attorney in the Virginia Court of Appeals, only four years out of law school. And when I say serious, I mean she gets so nervous before a big hearing that she literally makes herself sick. (Yes, I mean literally, not figuratively!)

Wyatt Jackson is her antithesis—a sixty-five-year-old veteran defence attorney who ‘hated the government and turned every case into World War III.’ He ‘combined the charm of a Southern gentleman with the hide of a mountaineer’ and ‘was the kind of lawyer everyone loved to hate until they needed one.’ And yet, as the novel goes on the reader discovers there are some surprising qualities buried below the bluster and showmanship. And I have to admit, he’s a wiley lawyer, even if I tended to share Paige’s caution and doubts more often than not. He was also responsible for one of the best scenes in the whole book—a courtroom scene that involved an absolutely brilliant tactic for defending his team’s innocence over the leaking of evidence given in confidence! Man, did that get my blood pumping! I think I actually pumped the air and yelled ‘BAM!’

Courtroom drama, political conspiracy, military/CIA action, and a personal and heartfelt need to know the truth makes for a gripping legal thriller!

If Designated Survivor met Joel Rosenberg, Rule of Law would be the outcome. Buckle up, folks -- the book starts with a bang (literally) and grips you with non-stop action from page 1.

While some of the legal terms went over my head, the nuanced details lent significant credibility to the plot. I appreciated Singer's own background in law and felt that came across well without being pretentious.

Prescient and gripping, the book proves that action and emotion can be expressed without compromising morality.

This is the first Randy Singer novel I've read and I'm certain it won't be the last. The combination of the legal, military, political and intrigue is compelling. Yes, some of the legal mumbo-jumbo and Supreme Court protocols were at times a bit tiresome but it wasn't long before Singer brought us back to the human element. Special forces soldiers who were fighting for their country were killed in a bungled raid in Yemen. And now their loved ones had no father, no husband, no son, no brother and no explanation as to what really happened to their men.

Paige Chambers and Wyatt Jackson are two excellent creations. So different in style, mannerism and attitude but a terrific combination of youthful innocence and seasoned cynicism. And Amanda Hamilton, the President, was a leader with heart and courage to do what is best for the people of the nation not just make the right political move.

I suspect the story line borders on the truth - are the CIA effectively a rogue unit when operating outside the US without appropriate Congressional authority to act? When acts of war occur without appropriate authority are the executive branch protected by the "state secrets" provisions allowing such acts to not be properly brought to account and the perpetrators brought to trial?

Like many novels the novel is set up well and the first 200 pages are compelling. The story sagged a little in the middle as our lawyers went through their processes to testify in multiple court situations. But the last 50 pages or so are brilliant. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and I was kinda sad when it all came to an end.

I do hope Randy Singer has found himself a new hero that he can use in a series of JAG-style novels: Paige Chambers. I know I'll certainly be reading that series.

If you enjoy watching TV shows like JAG and Madam Secretary you going to enjoy Rule of Law (without the soap opera that sometimes comes with TV shows).

I received a Net Galley copy of Rule of Law as part of the Litfuse Blog Tour with no expectations of a favourable review.

I managed a third of this before I gave up. It was bad enough when Patrick died—about the only character I liked. But then Paige’s friend hires slimy lawyer Wyatt Jackson who charges $1500 an hour, I’m left wondering how much the US military pays that her dead husband could afford to hire Jackson over a simple bar dispute (or whatever it was).

I didn’t like the writing style. It seemed more 1980s Michael Phillips than contemporary. Lots of telling, too many characters, and not enough action (in fact, the only decent action sequence killed Patrick and his entire team).

An extraction operation in Yemen by SEAL Team Six goes terribly wrong. Lives are lost. Some suspect the president knew the operation was compromised. A case is filed and Paige Chambers, a young attorney, tries to find out the truth.

I enjoyed this novel, a combination of character development and legal procedure. Singer has done a good job with Chambers and the other characters involved. There is quite a bit of character rumination and scene description. I have to admit I skipped some of the description of Chambers on her morning run, for example, until she met someone on the path and dialog started.

While there is much about the characters, of the most interest to me was the legal aspect of the novel. Is the president subject to the rule of law or above the law? Should the U.S. be sending military personnel on clandestine missions to nations with which we are not at war, if not action against al Qaeda under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force Act? What about the use of drones to take out people in those countries? Should the CIA make military personnel temporary agents so they can be sent out on assignments the military is otherwise forbidden to do? What role should the courts play in reviewing foreign policy actions?

The novel is not all legal procedure. There are some desperate government agents determined to cover up their illegal action so there is some suspense too.

Singer writes in the Author's Note that he wrote this book in 2016 to address important issues. Is the president above the rule of law in matters of foreign policy? Should the U.S. be involved, through the CIA, in shadow wars in countries where we have not declared war? Should U.S. troops ever be used for political gain? He created a fictitious president, cabinet and Supreme Court but, nonetheless, the issues remain very real.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a timely story about legal procedure and the secrecy the government claims as national security. You'll be faced with wondering, as I did, just how much secrecy the government needs to operate effectively.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Litfuse. My comments are an independent and honest review.