What happens when you give your all to your career? What happens when you sacrifice your spouse, your child, your family for your career? You might become the best you can be in your chosen career, but then what else do you have?
In Defense of Guilt is a legal thriller and a Christian suspense/thriller. Has there ever been a trial like what took place in this book?
Lauren Hill is an attorney. She has an abundant amount of self-confidence, maybe a bit too much. And she has never lost a case.
But when it comes to her daughter Constance, things don’t always go so well. Fourteen-year-old Constance butts heads with her mom just about every chance she gets.
Lauren no longer loves her husband and considers him more of an annoyance than anything. She has truly given all for her career.
When Judge Susan Howell morphs into God, Lauren understandably believes she is losing her mind. And this is only her first vision of God. Seeing God scares her, but at the same time, his presence comforts her. Does Lauren confide in anyone that she has seen God? That she saw the judge morph into the Almighty himself? She already thinks she is losing her mind, and the last thing she wants everyone else to think is that she’s bonkers.
courtroom, wikimedia commons
This is a story unlike any I’ve read before. Maze (a character), under suspicion of killing his wife by throwing her overboard, is on trial in a human court. At the same time, his attorney, Lauren, also appears before God and, in a way, is on trial for the way she has led her life.
Lauren doesn’t realize it, but God is leading her on a journey of self-discovery, true love, and fulfillment. The glue holding her family together is on the verge of completely losing its stickiness. Will these bonds of love be restored before it is too late?
God loves each of us no matter what we’ve done. Does this book preach at you? No, it does not, but it does make you think about your life and the things you’ve done.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to purchase your own copy of In Defense of Guilt, I’ve provided an Amazon link for you below.
reading books, flickr
Amazon Link: In Defense of Guilt
Recommended Article: Benjamin H. Berkley Interview – Court, Inspiration, and Writing
Favorite Sentences:
Having never lost a case, this ruthless titan in the courtroom often compared herself to a shark in a shallow pond filled with wary minnows.
He had known what he was doing; once a jury hears something, they cannot unhear it.
Lauren scanned her foreign environment, trying to decide whether this was an elaborate, twisted hoax or if she had somehow lost her mind.
True, God had tried to assure her she was not going insane, but when your hallucination is the one telling you that you aren’t crazy, maybe you are.
Either she was both legally and legitimately certifiable, or God was truly trying to unravel her.
About the Author:
From as far back as he can remember, Benjamin Berkley has been fascinated by the law. Growing up in Long Beach, New York, his daily schedule revolved around grainy black-and-white reruns of Perry Mason who, with the help of Della Street, solved the most complicated crimes imaginable. It was, therefore, no surprise to his family and friends that Berkley chose law as his career path, now practicing for over forty years.
Website: https://www.benberkley.com/
Thanks for your review, I’m so glad you enjoyed ‘In Defense of Guilt’!