Redemption

by Howard Fast

Howard Fast has written over 40 novels, everything from April Morning , a historical novel about the Revolutionary War, to An Independent Woman , the last book in his series about an immigrant family in California. In Redemption , the author dabbles in the world of suspense fiction. Ike Goldman, the smart and gentle 78-year-old retired law professor who is the heart of the novel, is probably a version of Fast's current self--a veteran of all kinds of political and social wars who has opted for a quieter life of non-involvement. When he spots a woman about to jump from the George Washington Bridge late one night, he stops almost automatically to talk her out of it "because I've opened that door myself a hundred times..." But he knows that you can't really save a life that easily. What he's not prepared for is falling in love with a woman 30 years younger than him. Elizabeth Hopper, the depressed and abused former wife of a crooked Wall Street wheeler dealer, is equally surprised and delighted by her growing love for Ike. They overcome differences in age and religion and plan a wedding. Then, six weeks after they meet, Elizabeth's ex-husband is found shot to death. A note written in lipstick matches her own brand; the gun used in the crime belongs to Ike, missing after a robbery. Goldman recruits one of his former students to defend Elizabeth, but as evidence of her apparent guilt accumulates his own doubts increase. We share those doubts, even though in our hearts we know that Howard Fast the novelist is too shrewd to let Ike Goldman live out his remaining years without the woman he loves. --Dick Adler

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Howard Fast was one of the most prolific American writers of the twentieth century. He was a bestselling author of more than eighty works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays. The son of immigrants, Fast grew up in New York City and published his first novel upon finishing high school in 1933. In 1950, his refusal to provide the United States Congress with a list of possible Communist associates earned him a three-month prison sentence. During his incarceration, Fast wrote one of his best-known novels, Spartacus (1951). Throughout his long career, Fast matched his commitment to championing social justice in his writing with a deft, lively storytelling style.

Pseudonyms: Walter Ericson, E.V. Cunningham

Reviews

[Bodosika Bodosika · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story and plausible but a little too short.

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read somewhere recently that if one wanted good books to read, just read something by Howard Fast. A couple of weeks later, Redemption by Fast turned up in my Little Free Library so I pulled it out and read it. It didn't do much for me. It was a murder mystery of sorts - not the kind of book I usually read. It seemed more like a Harlequin mystery - there wasn't much meat to it. It was kind of a page turner but in a sappy sense. The main woman character was way too "perfect." Some of the details seemed a little far-fetched, like it was a little too convenient that the gun in the crime belonged to the professor who saved Miss Perfect from committing suicide and whose ex-husband was killed by said gun. All this while Professor and MP were living together. It seemed like too simple of a plot. Maybe it's time to read Fast's An Independent Woman, a book of his for which he is quite famous.

[Virginia B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good and suspenseful courtroom drama which, despite a couple of unexplained coincidences, kept me interested to the end. Main character was pretty believable, and his thoughts kept the story running til the end, but the victim, who the story revolves around, was a little too good to be real. Good lawyerly and convincing speechifying, though.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, but I didn't care for this book at all. I found the writing fragmented and the story implausible because of it. He saves her one night and, by the next morning with relatively little conversation or interaction, he's in love with her. Slight exaggeration, but that's the type of jump that occurred frequently in the story. Then, throw in some stereotypes and I didn't need many more reasons to not care for this book. I did finish it (because I always finish books I start) and there were moments of enjoyable reading, but the great majority of it was just a poorly written story.

[Mary Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed several books by Howard Fast, especially his immigrants series. Redemption is a story of a man who falls in love with a much younger woman and then has to decide whether or not to trust her. I would have liked for the plot and characters to have been developed more. I also thought there was too much narration and too little dialogue. I did, however, enjoy the courtroom scenes, and the writing is good.

[Michael Parisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick read—something for while sitting on the beach. I am a fan of Howard Fast’s writing. It’s simple, to the point, but with a few “Ah ha” moments mixed in. Some parts of the plot seemed too “coincidental” (avoiding spoilers, but you’ll see what I mean), but it’s a slight thing I could overcome with the flow of the narrative.

[Anna Shiverdecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining, but not very good. The writing is very bare and curt. Mostly it's dialogue and a few reminisces in the past. There's no setting up the setting or poetic descriptions. It just delivers the story, no frills. Which is fine. It's short and easy to read, but it does lack depth and there are a number of strange aspects. I don't know how I feel about the romance between a 78 year old man and a woman 30 years younger who he saved from jumping off a bridge. It's weird but mainly completely unnecessary. I kept waiting for there to be some reason for it, but there just never was. So by the end it was kind of creepy honestly. The other thing about this is that there is no character development. I thought it might be done with the age thing or maybe the religious thing (his being a non practicing Jew and she a Catholic) but no, at the very end, he has a chance to change his stubbornness and forgive someone, but he just doesn't. Instead he's honest? Which was never like a problem for him the rest of the book. There was this internal struggle about whether Liz killed her ex, but it never really felt it was addressed in a way that mattered. The struggle was just put out there and then you find out who did it in the end completely randomly.

Then there's the trial. Now I'm no lawyer. I'm not even familiar with court proceedings except what you see in the movies, and I know that's rarely all that accurate. Even so, I could tell this was a bad court case. There was never any really good reason this court case should have or would have proceeded. It was obvious who would win and even the process of questioning witnesses on the stand wasn't very well done. Either both lawyers were bad or the author just doesn't know how to write that kind of thing. There was nothing particularly compelling about anything.

All in all, it's easy and quick to read, and entertaining. However, it's not great fiction. I'm sure there are better court books out there. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone or read any more of this author's books. Certainly I won't be re-reading it.

[Jerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The owner of the used book store at which I purchased this book wrote "1st edition" inside the front flap by the reasonable price he was asking. I found two major errors in the volume's text. The crime's victim was once described as the "accused" and the male-female mix of jurors flipped from 7-5 t0 5-7 between trial start and verdict. I have a sense that this high-volume author, his editor, and his publisher are in too much of a rush to meet deadlines or to make a buck. I intend to search the text of later editions to see whether the embarrassing errors were corrected. The story is an easily read, amateurish crime/trial novel with little realistic detail---probably just what most American readers want.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, easy read. I thought I knew how this one would end, but it ended up being a “gotcha”!

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, all loose ends were tied in a bow at the end.

[Melinda Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the writing of Howard Fast.

[Graceann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Redemption because I had been immersed in large, meaty reads and wanted something a bit lighter (not to mention shorter). While Redemption was indeed a very quick read, there was a bit more meat to it than I expected, and I was happy for that.

Isaac Goldman is driving home one night and sees a woman, Elizabeth, standing on a bridge. There would only be one reason for her to be there at that time of night, and he correctly guesses that reason. What stems from that one moment is a story of relationships, healing, trust and the need to be loved.

Within this story is a murder mystery, and a trial that goes much more quickly than any such legal proceeding would in real life. As a former legal assistant, I am regularly amused at the artistic license required to make something as dull as a court case become compelling reading. Readers who aren't familiar with the legal world can be grateful, because Howard Fast turns an event that would take months in the real world into a page-turning, rule-bending adventure that is concluded (tidily) in just about five days and 225 pages.

Given that the book is so short, there is not a lot of room for character development, unfortunately. Sarah, in particular, is a very interesting lady and I would have liked to learn a lot more about her. Also unsatisfying is the way the murder is solved, in a chapter that seems tacked on without the depth of thought that is expended on the story of Isaac and Elizabeth.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was reviewing my shelves, and this is the only one I've labeled 'legal'. But even though I read it just a couple years ago*, I, quite honestly, can't remember a word of it. As I remember specifics of books I read in the fourth grade...that probably sums up why I gave this only two stars.

*I think. As I don't actually remember it, but didn't start using GR consistently until 2010, at least when it came to getting all the info down, and this book is at the local library.

[Marion Pettis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I ever read right through a book in one day. I was in the mood for a good story and having enjoyed reading his series on "The Immigrants" (quite a few years ago) decided to pick up this book. It was enough to entertain and keep me interested to finish it that same evening. Would recommend it as a light read.

[Jennifer Stubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. Ike saved Liz's life by stopping her from committing suicide. They ended up falling in love. Meanwhile, Liz goes on trial for the murder of her abusive ex-husband. It was kind of boring in parts but it could have gone either way and it kept me reading to find out what happened.

[Elizabeth Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a superficial book but it had some lovely moments. There wasn't depth of feeling, and the points of law were hurried over, but the romance between a 78 year old man and a 47 year old woman was very well done and made the book better. Nothing objectionable but also without detail.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me this book is an unsurpassed mystery thriller which I read almost nonstop; beginning to end. The author Howard Fast, popular in the 90's is one that I had missed reading. So far this is the second novel of his that I have recently read enjoying both immensely

[Brett]

Suspense

[Brett]

Suspense

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

quick/easy read
simple writing but keeps me entertained

[Noreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down!Thoroughly enjoyed!

[Holly Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with Ernie

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huh? The ending of this was just plain weird...tacked on? Did I miss something?