It is Judge Payton's job to abide by the law and carry out the necessary sentence, even when it is a sentence he would rather not approve. Within five years, he has had to send six young men under the age of twenty-five to death row. These harsh punishments are wearing down on the judge's mind as he wishes there was another way to give these condemned men a second chance to redeem themselves. When yet another young man, Charles Williams, is found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder and is heading towards the same fate, Payton desperately searches for a means to save him. His search rewards him with the "Financial Stay of Execution". While uncommon, this law offers a loophole to allow the defendant to be sponsored by an unrelated individual, thus giving them another chance to live. Payton is thrilled at the chance to save Charles's life and potentially more lives in the future; however, there is a reason this law is so uncommon, and the rising hope quickly spirals out of control. The victims' parents are demanding retribution for the deaths of the children who were killed and refuse to go down without a fight in court. The media is relentlessly trying to dig deeper into this unusual case. And Charles's sponsor seems genuinely concerned for the young man's future, yet seems a bit too eager to take him under his wing. Engagingly intense and brutally honest, Financial Stay of Execution by Ryan Patterson is a gripping tale that truly focuses on what it means to be human. This is a story that delves into the human heart and psyche. No matter what someone has done, even when the seemingly best solution is death, everyone ultimately deserves a second chance at redemption.
