What if your former girlfriend decides to use her 6-year-old daughter to punish you for breaking up with her? How do you prove that you are innocent of the worst case of sexual perversion against a child? Is it possible to refute the lies of a beautiful, seemingly innocent, little girl?
What if your former girlfriend decides to use her 6-year-old daughter to punish you for breaking up with her? How do you prove that you are innocent of the worst case of sexual perversion against a child? Is it possible to refute the lies of a beautiful, seemingly innocent, little girl?
When Gabe McAllister decorated former Marine and respected Texas State Trooper, walked out of his condo in west Houston on a Tuesday morning to head to a meeting of the newly formed task force of the DEA, Texas State Police, and Border Patrol, he found five Houston cops waiting to collar him for the rape of 6-year-old Annie Bridges.
His next several days and weeks are a blur as he realizes belatedly that he has no chance against his diminutive accuser, his implicit trust in the fairness of the justice system shattered, McAllister lands in the Huntsville prison, sentenced to 3 counts of 20 to life sentences.
Excerpt
August 9, 2013 Huntsville Prison, Huntsville Texas
The more laws, the less justice.
Cicero
CHAPTER ONE
The grin on Dr. Lindsey McCall’s face was so wide that it nearly split her face in two as she
gazed around the Huntsville Prison Emergency Treatment Center with an unusual sense of pride.
She who had taken no satisfaction from her creation of a drug which had revolutionized the
treatment of heart failure felt an irrepressible joy every time she glanced through the huge plate
glass windows of her office at the gleaming technology arrayed in the diagnostic room on her left
and the state of the art eight bed patient care area which dominated the Center. The place had
been completely transformed from the infirmary she had worked in as an inmate. The peeling
and dingy walls, the 1950 style open patient care area and the warren of small and fairly useless
offices had been gutted and in their stead was a level one trauma and emergency treatment center
rivaled only by those of the Texas Medical Center, sixty miles south of the prison.
Seventy miles north of Houston on Interstate 45 is Huntsville, Texas. Also called Prison City,
Huntsville is home to seven prisons boasting about seventy five thousand prisoners. Long known
for its tough stance on crime, the state of Texas proudly boasts of a criminal justice system
second to none. With a total of 122 prisons and accommodations for close to 30,000 prisoners,
Texas ranks first in the United States and second only to Russia in its capacity for prisoners.
Lindsey had only one demand upon assuming the position of Medical Director at the Huntsville
Prison System: A total renovation of the infirmary serving the over ten thousand prisoners in the
seven facilities comprising the system. Governor Greg Bell had laughed as he signed the
executive order granting Dr. Lindsey McCall permission to renovate the infirmary.
“I’d have to be a damn fool to refuse you, Dr. McCall”, dark brown eyes dancing and eyebrow
raised,” I wonder how many other Governors ever had the chance to grant a five million dollar
renovation for which the state would pay nothing.”
Winking at the cameras covering the ceremony, Bell answered his question by circling his thumb
and forefinger, ”Nada, not a one, I can guarantee you that.”
Because of the family inheritance she had received upon the deaths of her mother and sister,
Lindsey McCall had been a wealthy woman but with the proceeds rolling in from the sale of
Digipro, Lindsey had become a millionaire many times over and could easily afford the now five
million dollar renovation from the trust fund she had established with the help of Hank Reardon,
CEO of Andrews, Sacks and Levine, the pharmaceutical company which had funded her
research and now manufactured the drug.
Lindsey had spared no expense during the renovation. She had prevailed on the wisdom of
former colleagues, trauma surgeons at the Houston Medical Center where she had been one of
the leading Cardiologists in the country and had followed their advice, expensive though it had
been; she regretted not one cent.
Taking a huge, shaky breath which caught in her throat and feeling the tell- tale sting in her eyes,
Lindsey whispered, “Thank You, thank You thank You” in awe, wonder and gratitude at the
happiness she had never before known was possible and wondered if her Dad could look down
from the heavens he had once soared in to see his smiling daughter and know the totality of her
joy. She hoped so.
Shaking her head in exasperation at this unfamiliar incarnation of herself, Lindsey laughed
softly, checked her watch and muttered, “Give it up, McCall, you’ve run out of time.” Realizing
that the stacks of forms, paperwork and charts awaiting her review would require a couple of
hours to complete, Lindsey calculated that she’d have just enough time to go home, take Max for
a quick run and then shower and change. Today was her first wedding anniversary and her
husband and boss, Rich Jansen, Chief Warden at the Huntsville Prison, had made reservations at
one of the finer restaurants in Houston, Perry’s, to celebrate; but as Lindsey was packing her
brief case to leave, she heard Monica, the chief emergency center nurse and now one of her best
friends, yelling for her.
Lindsey raced down the hall separating the administrative offices from the main clinic in time to
see Monica and Luke Preston, her favorite guard at the prison transferring a severely injured man
to one of the beds in the monitored section of the clinic. Monica did not stop her systematic
Professional Reviews
Buy the book, read the book,love the book
Brilliant. Literally this could be a one-word review and it would capture my complete thoughts on this work.
Wilder has crafted a work that could resonate through the world of American Suspense Thrillers. From the start I felt I was reading John Grisham. The characters come at you hard and fast but with instant depth.
You are brought into the terrifying world of Gabe McAllister who found himself wrongfully convicted of the most heinous crime. The group that came together to take on his cause and fight for justice for him was inspiring. From his Doctor to his Warden to his lawyer to the journalist…every character you cared for deeply.
I was shocked, horrified, filled with fear, despair and dread. I was given to laughing out loud at the humor. There are romantic scenes that are touching with how true they feel. This author takes you on a journey that is a must read for everyone.
If I can suggest one idea to the author, it would be to spin off a series of books solely about Toni and Harvey as Private Eyes. Those two are incredible and deserve their own book.
Buy the book, read the book, love the book. This is 5+ stars. One of the best books I have ever read.
My Rating: 5+ stars
This book kept me on the edge of my seat
Wow. Just wow. This book kept me on the edge of my seat with every passing page and Im pretty sure Lin Wilder has blown my mind. Do you Solemnly Swear is a book following the tale of Gabe McAllister who is accused of sexually abusing his ex girlfriends five year old daughter. A topic alone that will make your skin crawl, and the author skillfully crafts her words to twist your stomach in knots. Through the entire book she deals with not only this taboo subject, but the topic of how the justice system in America can fail you. So well written and researched, you gain a little more knowledge reading this book and that is always a great bonus to me. Lin Wilder has truly found her calling and this book can stand alone to prove it. Buy it! You will not regret it, trust me. This is one amazing read.
I did receive a free copy of this book, but that in no way changes my opinion.
Powerful Novel on Important Issue
Check out my review on Lin Wilder's debut novel, The Fragrance Shed by a Violet if you have not read it. I highly recommend you read it first since the characters continue into this novel.
Wilder tackles an extremely sensitive subject, sexual abuse of a child...but from the opposite direction... That of the man being accused of the abuse... Yes, it can happen. In fact, I know of a family whose adopted daughter accused her father...It devastated the entire family, even though it was never brought into the court arena...For, of course, it was not true. In that case, it was from a teenger striking out...Not so, in this story...
An update on Dr. Lindsey McCall opens this book, with her happily surveying her new facility--the Huntsville Prison Emergency Treatment Center which she now directs. Lindsey has become very wealthy due to the diabetes medication she developed and has actively worked to begin a new life...
And her first emergency comes rolling in! The man accused of child sexual assault has been critically injured, so that his face is almost unrecognizable...
At the same time, however, her husband, feels he has done as much as he can at Huntsville and believes he's worked himself out of a job, telling the governor they could better use the money they'd paid him... Frankly, it was a perfect segue into this novel, when he becomes the lawyer for the defense! Cool, right?! Of course, it had been years since he'd been in a courtroom, but he got help from a threesome that "almost" takes over as lead characters! I loved all three of them...
It is our Pulitzer prize winner journalist who recognizes the overall situation, once again, before anybody else does... When she hears that a woman has voluntarily given herself up for jury tampering, her instincts exploded... Soon she is talking to the woman...and soon she's on the trail of a story... Was a man, now in Huntsville, incorrectly jailed for child sexual abuse?
Because of the content, especially in relation to the trial, I am not covering any part of how it started or during the trial; however, I must say that it is extremely powerful and surreal. The legal official characters are excellently drawn and the interview process is among the best I've seen in other legal thrillers. I consider this an adult novel. The content is graphic primarily because it involves a young female child.
In addition, Kate, our journalist once again writes insightful articles, including statistics that we need to be aware of--they are not fictional! And, during the investigation, another false accusation case was discovered...and corrected!
In fact, I was so involved that when the case was over, I was still lost in the story and found it somewhat deflating to proceed on--I wanted to rejoice in what happened--even though the novel turned to much happier activities... Say...a wedding! What a celebration as we once again visit the pharmaceutical labs and owner overseas!
This is not an easy book to love, but I'm grateful to Lin Wilder for tackling this important topic... I consider it a must-read... For legal trial novel enthusiasts, you don't want to miss this one!
GABixlerReviews
Want to review or comment on this book?
Need a FREE Reader Membership?
Reviews for "Do You Solemnly Swear? A Nation of Law-The Dark Side"
To be perfectly honest, I was concerned about my ability to read a novel dealing with such a horrible deed, depending on how detailed the material became, but 'Do You Solemnly Swear' by Lin Wilder, is very well written. A topic, such as, child molestation, must be written very diplomatically worded to convey to the reader the horrific act, but not lose the reader in the awfulness of the act. Lin Wilder portrays the characters amazingly The reader understands and can follow the story line completely.
Lin Wilder provides several side plots and twists and turns to engage the reader. The story is well written and covers a multitude of emotions and feelings. Each of the characters are so well described and have a strong story line, that it is difficult to select a main character. In my mind, however, the main character would be Annie, the little girl, who also has her own strong character and amazing personality.
This book, 'Do You Solemnly Swear,' should be required reading for every prosecuting attorney in the country. The subject of child molestation is a real and sickening problem in this country, but so is the problem of false accusations made by a bitter ex-partner. Lin Wilder presents a wonderful view of a few good people trying to do the right thing. An excellent read!
Yolanda Carter dreams of owning her own bakery. Employed at a cat shelter, she stumbles across a scheme that threatens to close it down. Will her delicious brownies save them?
