Joshua Graham

Beyond Justice is an exceptional legal thriller that will keep you turning pages well past your normal bedtime; it’s intense and gripping - it’s packed with suspense and quite simply hard to put down. It’s also emotionally satisfying. This is in part due to the nature of the plot. The main character, Sam is innocent and sitting on death row for brutally killing his wife and daughter and beating his young son into a coma. The reader feels every emotional bump and turn as Sam tires to show more make sense of his devastation, survive his loss and prove his innocence. Woven into this mix is a story of forgiveness, redemption and spirituality. For me, this religious aspect enhanced the emotional pull of the book, but some may find the Christian component objectionable. In short, a captivating legal thriller that will make you think about our justice system, our prisons, the death penalty, life support, loss and forgiveness. Highly recommend.

Review previously posted at: www.princetonbookreview.com

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Not your typical Christian book. That is how I would first describe Joshua Graham’s novel, Beyond Justice. While it does have may of the elements of recognizable Christian suspense — characters that struggle with God’s plans, good vs. evil working in the characters’ lives, and a few salvation scenes — it is its edginess, its dark violence, adult situations and use of profanity that might turn a Christian audience away. Yet it all seems to work within this author’s framework. If show more you are offended by an R rated book, then please don’t get this one. But if you want a gritty, realistic look at sin and redemption, you just might like Beyond Justice.

Sam Hudson steps into his home thinking a date night is on the agenda with his wife. but what he finds is the stuff of nightmares, not romantic dreams. His wife and daughter brutally murdered and his son bludgeoned into a coma, the nightmare deepens when Sam is arrested for the crimes. Rejected by co-workers and friends, vilified by the press, Sam finds unlikely support from his wife’s church. Although he has long dismissed God and His followers, when faced with a loss of everything, Sam finds comfort from those he just recently dismissed. But the story doesn’t end there. Sam faces deeper and deeper pits of agony and despair.

Beyond Justice is first a suspense-filled mystery. There is courtroom drama, a man falsely accused and convicted and the fight to find true justice. This could be a John Grisham novel. But Graham adds a spiritual dimension that will have you holding your breath and examining what you believe about the nature and power of God. As I said, it is not for the faint of heart. But amidst the darkness, a glimmer of hope continues to shine as God works things out in His way. The characters react realistically when forced to endure adversity and extend forgiveness. There are some really weird and believable spiritual elements. Beyond Justice is definitely real world.

I really enjoyed this book. As I said, there are a few things that might offend. But the novel is a realistic, not whitewashed, depiction of life in this sad and fallen world.

Recommended, with an adults only advisory.

(Thanks to Partners in Crime and the author for my review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Darkroom by Joshua Graham
Published by Howard Books
A Division of Simon & Schuster
Publication date: May 1, 2012
ISBN-10: 1451654693
ISBN-13: 978-1451654691
At the request of Partners In Crime Tours, an ARC TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (from Amazon): After scattering her mother's ashes in Vietnam, photojournalist Xandra Carrick comes home to New York to rebuild her life and career. When she experiences supernatural visions that reveal atrocities perpetrated by show more American soldiers during the Vietnam War, she finds herself entangled in a forty-year-old conspiracy that could bring the nation into political turmoil. Launching headlong into a quest to learn the truth from her father, Peter Carrick, a Pulitzer Prize Laureate who served as an embedded photographer during the war, Xandra confronts him about a dark secret he has kept--one that has devastated their family.
Her investigations lead her to her departed mother's journal, which tell of love, spiritual awakening, and surviving the fall of Saigon.
Pursued across the continent, Xandra comes face-to-face with powerful forces that will stop at nothing to prevent her from revealing the truth. But not before government agencies arrest her for murder, domestic terrorism and an assassination attempt on the newly elected president of the United States.
My Thoughts and Opinion: This book was my first introduction to this author, but I can tell you it won't be my last. Let's start at the beginning. The prologue was 1.5 pages and I was hooked. The author then takes the reader to Viet Nam and introduces us to the main character, Xandra, and her father. The descriptive narrative of the setting, as seen through the eyes of Xandra, was detailed and it was easy to vividly conjure up the location in my mind. His writing style flawless and format was the type of novel I have enjoyed for years. Short chapters that alternate between characters, time and place, which is the type of read where it's a "few more chapters" book to find out what happens from the mini cliff hanger chapters and you find that you have read more than a few more chapters. A 366 page novel that was read in a couple of days due to the suspense and page turning events. A cast of characters that were realistic, even with a psychic like sub plot. The author has a flair to interweave the characters but not letting the reader know the connection until the very end. The book was captivating and engrossing, and held me hostage since it was hard to put down. Also included were questions for a book club read and something that I had never seen before but very much enjoyed, an eleven Q&A interview with the author. A great read!!

My Rating: 4

(2012 Challenges: Mystery/Suspense, In A Name, Off The Shelf, Serial killers, Free Reads, Where Are You, A-Z, Merely Mystery, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+) show less

Author Joshua Graham declares at the outset that his Fuhrer’s Daughter series will be complete in 5 sections, but he offers readers a complete enough and enjoyable tale of revelation and consequences in this first episode. Set in an alternate present-day where Germany conquered America in WWII, the novel follows a teenaged protagonist, daughter of America’s fuhrer, just about to come of age and step into her duties to the fatherland. But all is not as it seems in Gracie’s world, and show more someone seems determined to sow doubts in her mind.

Society’s attitudes to the world’s imperfections are gradually and convincingly revealed as Gracie—a gracious protagonist whose intelligence won’t quite lead her to questions and betrayal until someone pushes her—follows a curiously childish clue through to its life-changing conclusion. While readers will easily guess what’s going on, what’s harder to guess is who’s behind it, how Gracie will escape, and what will she do then. Meanwhile our modern society is mirrored, darkly, giving this novel (and series) depth and meaning beyond the surface fiction.

Fast-paced, intriguing, nicely non-didactic, and offering plenty of food for thought, the Fuhrer’s Daughter is a series worth starting and, I’m sure, worth following through to its finish.

Disclosure: I won a copy and I offer my honest review. show less