diff --git a/trie/trie.go b/trie/trie.go
index 55481f4f7868a19c59e16fe49eb5b7010c20de80..55598af980719c48d4ef6a7bca3932d0ac37814d 100644
--- a/trie/trie.go
+++ b/trie/trie.go
@@ -377,6 +377,9 @@ func (t *Trie) delete(n node, prefix, key []byte) (bool, node, error) {
 		// n still contains at least two values and cannot be reduced.
 		return true, n, nil
 
+	case valueNode:
+		return true, nil, nil
+
 	case nil:
 		return false, nil, nil
 
diff --git a/trie/trie_test.go b/trie/trie_test.go
index 5a3ea1be98111b0d4eae0376abb75706ddacdb82..87a7ec258d4d157b81b083480257a309e0ab23d3 100644
--- a/trie/trie_test.go
+++ b/trie/trie_test.go
@@ -21,8 +21,11 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"math/rand"
 	"os"
+	"reflect"
 	"testing"
+	"testing/quick"
 
 	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
@@ -297,41 +300,6 @@ func TestReplication(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func paranoiaCheck(t1 *Trie) (bool, *Trie) {
-	t2 := new(Trie)
-	it := NewIterator(t1)
-	for it.Next() {
-		t2.Update(it.Key, it.Value)
-	}
-	return t2.Hash() == t1.Hash(), t2
-}
-
-func TestParanoia(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Skip()
-	trie := newEmpty()
-
-	vals := []struct{ k, v string }{
-		{"do", "verb"},
-		{"ether", "wookiedoo"},
-		{"horse", "stallion"},
-		{"shaman", "horse"},
-		{"doge", "coin"},
-		{"ether", ""},
-		{"dog", "puppy"},
-		{"shaman", ""},
-		{"somethingveryoddindeedthis is", "myothernodedata"},
-	}
-	for _, val := range vals {
-		updateString(trie, val.k, val.v)
-	}
-	trie.Commit()
-
-	ok, t2 := paranoiaCheck(trie)
-	if !ok {
-		t.Errorf("trie paranoia check failed %x %x", trie.Hash(), t2.Hash())
-	}
-}
-
 // Not an actual test
 func TestOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Skip()
@@ -356,7 +324,128 @@ func TestLargeValue(t *testing.T) {
 	trie.Update([]byte("key1"), []byte{99, 99, 99, 99})
 	trie.Update([]byte("key2"), bytes.Repeat([]byte{1}, 32))
 	trie.Hash()
+}
+
+type randTestStep struct {
+	op    int
+	key   []byte // for opUpdate, opDelete, opGet
+	value []byte // for opUpdate
+}
+
+type randTest []randTestStep
+
+const (
+	opUpdate = iota
+	opDelete
+	opGet
+	opCommit
+	opHash
+	opReset
+	opItercheckhash
+	opMax // boundary value, not an actual op
+)
+
+func (randTest) Generate(r *rand.Rand, size int) reflect.Value {
+	var allKeys [][]byte
+	genKey := func() []byte {
+		if len(allKeys) < 2 || r.Intn(100) < 10 {
+			// new key
+			key := make([]byte, r.Intn(50))
+			randRead(r, key)
+			allKeys = append(allKeys, key)
+			return key
+		}
+		// use existing key
+		return allKeys[r.Intn(len(allKeys))]
+	}
+
+	var steps randTest
+	for i := 0; i < size; i++ {
+		step := randTestStep{op: r.Intn(opMax)}
+		switch step.op {
+		case opUpdate:
+			step.key = genKey()
+			step.value = make([]byte, 8)
+			binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(step.value, uint64(i))
+		case opGet, opDelete:
+			step.key = genKey()
+		}
+		steps = append(steps, step)
+	}
+	return reflect.ValueOf(steps)
+}
+
+// rand.Rand provides a Read method in Go 1.7 and later, but
+// we can't use it yet.
+func randRead(r *rand.Rand, b []byte) {
+	pos := 0
+	val := 0
+	for n := 0; n < len(b); n++ {
+		if pos == 0 {
+			val = r.Int()
+			pos = 7
+		}
+		b[n] = byte(val)
+		val >>= 8
+		pos--
+	}
+}
 
+func runRandTest(rt randTest) bool {
+	db, _ := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
+	tr, _ := New(common.Hash{}, db)
+	values := make(map[string]string) // tracks content of the trie
+
+	for _, step := range rt {
+		switch step.op {
+		case opUpdate:
+			tr.Update(step.key, step.value)
+			values[string(step.key)] = string(step.value)
+		case opDelete:
+			tr.Delete(step.key)
+			delete(values, string(step.key))
+		case opGet:
+			v := tr.Get(step.key)
+			want := values[string(step.key)]
+			if string(v) != want {
+				fmt.Printf("mismatch for key 0x%x, got 0x%x want 0x%x", step.key, v, want)
+				return false
+			}
+		case opCommit:
+			if _, err := tr.Commit(); err != nil {
+				panic(err)
+			}
+		case opHash:
+			tr.Hash()
+		case opReset:
+			hash, err := tr.Commit()
+			if err != nil {
+				panic(err)
+			}
+			newtr, err := New(hash, db)
+			if err != nil {
+				panic(err)
+			}
+			tr = newtr
+		case opItercheckhash:
+			checktr, _ := New(common.Hash{}, nil)
+			it := tr.Iterator()
+			for it.Next() {
+				checktr.Update(it.Key, it.Value)
+			}
+			if tr.Hash() != checktr.Hash() {
+				fmt.Println("hashes not equal")
+				return false
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+func TestRandom(t *testing.T) {
+	if err := quick.Check(runRandTest, nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkGet(b *testing.B)      { benchGet(b, false) }