With a Higher Court, John Betcher has written a very original book. At first glance one might think it will be a dry, dusty tome extolling the virtues of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. The central character of William Kensey is a man who thinks he knows where he is going, until the death of his father forces him to examine himself and his relationship (or rather lack of) with God. To help him, he uses his skills as a trial attorney. Whilst this book takes some concentration (it is not an easy bedtime read) it is interesting, informative and holds your interest - at least it certainly did mine. The only negative point for me is that I didn't like the ending, which I felt let the novel down, although this is a very subjective view and individual readers will make up their own minds about this, indeed several reviewers have already pointed out that they particularly liked it. I certainly look forward to reading more of Mr Betcher's work and have already downloaded a copy of The 19th Element. Recommended read. ( )

William Kensey is a successful trial attorney whose father was just killed in a traffic accident. Shortly after the funeral, he receives a jury summons. When he reports for service, he finds himself a part of a very unique trial to determine whether God exists. Based on the setting and structure of the trial as well as the central JC character, it doesn't take long to realize where the storyline stands on the basic question; however, the presentation of the arguments for the philosophical question is well balanced, fully summarized and entertainingly written. Regardless what one believes regarding God's existence, the story provides a good understanding of all sides of the relationship between man and the concept of God. ( )

A HIGHER COURT raises the qusestion DOES GOD EXIST?The trial of course takes place in a court of law amongest jurors,and counsels representing repudiation,and existence.The jury is made up of different races,backgorund,and religious believe.The counsels from both parties has the duties in trying to prove to the jurors of whether or not GOD exist. The repudiation,and existence both produces expert testmonies,as well as individual testmonies of people in different circumstances.When I read the excerpt,and the title I figuire I knew what the book was going to be about.Wrong!I read on to the part of " DOES GOD EXIST"and that's what peek my interest in reading on,also I wanted to know what the verdict would be.Well,I found out the verdict,and NOW you (the reader) have to read the book for your self to see what the verdict is,and to truly see if GOD does exist.A MUST READ ( )

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

I recently received not just one but two new books from author John L. Betcher, so thought I would do a review of both of them at once too; and this is unfortunately easier to do with A Higher Court, a wispy, extra-silly examination of basic theological questions (and by "basic" I mean "teenage") couched as a literal court trial to determine whether or not God actually exists, the kind of eye-rolling exercise that one would normally expect to find as filler at the end of a church newsletter or an issue of Reader's Digest, a waste of time for most that does not come recommended. But this is a tougher call when it comes to the other book, aptly named The Covert Element: A James Becker Thriller because of it being the third book in the series; for while these kinds of tech-heavy military thrillers featuring a former-military bureaucrat-badass as its reluctant central hero are far from my usual cup of tea, I have to admit that I found this to be no better and no worse than the various Tom Clancy novels I've randomly read over the years as well. And so that means either that this really is as good as Tom Clancy, or that I find both it and Tom Clancy to be not very good at all; so as a compromise I'm giving it a middle-of-the-road score, and encouraging you to instead consult online reviewers with a lot more experience with this genre, if you want a better objective idea of how this stacks up against other military technothrillers.

Out of 10, A Higher Court: 4.9
Out of 10, The Covert Element: 7.5 ( )

A Higher Court – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

"God vs. Science at it's Best"

“Thank you for coming today. My first announcement may be a surprise to some of you who are familiar with typical jury selection procedures. But there will be no voir dire – no questioning of Jurors for today’s trial.” The Judge seemed to be looking directly at me as he continued to speak. “All of you have been chosen to serve as Jurors in this matter. There will be no further selection process. There will be no alternates. No one will be excused. To be perfectly clear…every one of you will serve.” So much for my day of contemplation and reflection. But what in the hell was this Judge thinking? Maybe he was a more pitiable specimen than I had first surmised. There were more than thirty of us prospective jurors here. The Judge’s statement was absurd. The court couldn’t empanel more than twelve jurors, plus a couple alternates. The law didn’t allow for it. Before I had finished considering the Judge’s bizarre statement, he interrupted my thoughts with another declaration…a statement I could never have anticipated…and words I will never forget. “Today you will determine if God exists.”

William Kensey has been summoned for jury duty. Being an attorney himself, he knows what goes on during a trial. He knows what questions and answers are important, needing to be listened to carefully and which are fluff. He is expecting to spend the “fluff” time thinking about his lack of feelings after the passing of his father. But nothing could have prepared him for the trial he will be acting as a juror for.

As the trial proceeds the Counsel for Repudiation and the Counsel for Existence will both present witnesses who deliver rather strong testimonies to their beliefs. As I read each argument, I found them to be a test for my own faith. I read about the Big Bang Theory presented by the professor dealing in the area of cosmology. What he said could make sense when he explained that earth was a lot older than the Bible tells us. My personal answer to this is “how long was a day in God’s time?” The question arose that man couldn’t have been made from “dirt.” “What was God’s dirt?”

“From the beginning, when the Almighty first gave man a soul, man has been stubborn and disobedient. Man has never been satisfied being man. He lusts to be God – an aspiration he can never achieve. So for the most part, man has chosen to separate himself from God…to make his own way in the world.” Looking at the world both past and present, I find this statement to be 100% true. Another statement made that I feel is so true with the world and man was the Author’s conclusion that there are five obstacles that prevent mankind from attaining faith. They are – Anger, Fear, Ego, Idolatry and Comfort. Again, as I read the reasons behind these five obstacles I have to say that I agree.

After reading The Shack, many asked what I thought and should they read it. My answer to them was that I felt it should be read with an open mind. If read with an open mind, I feel you will receive the message intended for you. That is exactly how I feel about A Higher Court. By reading with an open mind, you become one of the jurors and will be able to make up your own mind as to whether God does or doesn’t exist.

I could spend all day expressing my feelings for A Higher Court but will leave it at this. While reading A Higher Court, I actually emailed, called and talked to several friends with my recommendations for the book. And this was done before I had even finished.

In my opinion, A Higher Court is right up there with The Shack. A must read no matter what you believe.

225 pages
2010
ISBN# 1453833250

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat ( )