Try Fear: a review

Once again I have stumbled across an author I have never read, and really enjoyed his story. Try Fear is the latest suspense novel by James Scott Bell, a former trial lawyer. Although it is the third in the Ty Buchanan series, I was able to easily follow the recurring characters and their relationships, and the hints at past story lines made me want to get the first two books as well as some of his other novels.

Ty, the main character, is a former big-wig Los Angeles lawyer, who is now working out of a local coffee shop and living in a trailer on the grounds of a religious community. His investigator is Sister Mary Veritus, a Benedictine nun, and Father Bob and Pit McNitt, the coffee shop owner, are his philosophically argumentative advisers. This unusual cast of characters would be enough for a suspense story that makes the reader laugh out loud, but Ty's sardonic thoughts and remarks really bring the humor home. At the same time as he is being facetious, Ty is also going through emotional times, still getting over the death of his fiancee, and feeling unacceptable tuggings of attraction towards Sister Mary. Throughout the book, Ty visits many Los Angeles landmarks and waxes poetical on their history, highs and lows. Mr. Bell's love of his city shows a deeper and more layered view than many who have never been there would expect. In many ways the city is another of the key characters.
Try Fear opens on a humorous note when Ty receives a late night call from Father Bob, asking him to help a parishoner's son who has been arrested for Driving Under the Influence, wearing only a Santa hat and a g-string! What should be a simple court appearance becomes a trial when Carl refuses to plead guilty for this first offense. Ty's detailed research actually frees his client on a technicality, but their involvement is not over when Carl turns up dead a few weeks later, a possible suicide that turns out to be murder. Taking on a street preacher, city Councilman, and construction company, Ty vows to find the truth for Carl's mother, who strongly reminds him of his own long-deceased parent.
In addition to being suspenseful, funny, and interesting, Try Fear is great for a variety of audiences due to its lack of strong language and sexual situations.