Conclusion of the Life Support Story

In this sequel to Robert Whitlow's Life Support, Alexia Lindale is again trying to represent a client who is becoming more and more psychotic. Rena Richardson sees, Baxter, the husband she pushed off the cliff, with increasing regularity in her house, although Baxter is confined to a hospital bed. As Rena's mental state deteriorates, Alexia finds excuses for her and tries to act as confident as well as defense attorney. At the same time, Alexia's romance with the Ted, the music minister, is becoming more important to her. In spite of being Rena's attorney, she can't help but be impressed by the way Ted is able to help the paralyzed Baxter.

I love the setting of Whitlow's novels. He makes you see the Southern areas he's writing about. His premise is interesting, and he does an excellent job portraying the increasingly paranoid Rena Richardson. I was less impressed with his portrayal of Alexia Lindale. She still seems incredibly naïve for an attorney. There are numerous places where you want to shake her and say, 'How can you be so blind?'

Two major delights in the novel are the discussion of the music therapy, truly a marvelous treatment of a controversial therapy, and the presentation of Alexia's continuing response to Christ's teachings. These are, in my estimation. two of the best aspects of the novel.

I highly recommend reading Life Support before tackling Life Everlasing. The story really is one long book. I give Whitlow high marks for Christian fiction, but I wish his character development of Alexia had been more realistic.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.