Blog Tour: Dark Room by Joshua Graham

Author: Joshua Graham

Publisher: Howard Books (a division of Simon and Schuster)
Date of publication: May 2012


When Xandra Carrick experiences supernatural visions that reveal atrocities perpetrated by 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.

Darkroom is an intriguing and fast paced book.  It was pretty straight forward but had a couple of twists in the end.  After finishing the book I walked away with mixed feelings.  The thing I liked about  this book was the way it was written.  The story is told through the points of view of several characters in the book.  This was a nice way to get a well rounded view of what was happening.  The reader gets to look into the minds of each character.  They tell us their own thoughts instead of the writer telling us what they are feeling.  I also liked the idea for the story.  Government cover-ups and conspiracies always make for a great book. The parts of Grace's journal concerning the Vietnam war and the fall of Saigon give the reader an real insight into the time period. I wouldn't really classify  this as a Christian book.  There are some religious themes running through it and they fit the story nicely.

There were a few things that I didn't like in the book.  I felt like for the most part, the book was well written.  But, there were a few times when I thought the book could have used some better editing.  Some of the conversations and reactions of the characters felt forced and blown out of proportion.  I also thought the "romance" between Xandra and Kyle was an unneeded element in the book. It just felt like an afterthought.  

For the most part I did enjoy Darkroom.  I think lovers of conspiracy novels will enjoy it. Try it out and let us know what you think!

About the Author:

Joshua Graham grew up in Brooklyn, NY where he lived for the better part of 30 years. He holds a Bachelor and Master’s Degree and went on to earn his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. During his time in Maryland, he taught as a professor at Shepherd College (WV), Western Maryland College, and Columbia Union College (MD).

Today he lives with his beautiful wife and children in Southern California. Several of Graham’s short fiction works have been published by Pocket Books and Dawn Treader Press.

Visit him at www.joshua-graham.com.

Beyond Justice

By:  Joshua Graham

From Goodreads: THE DESCENT INTO HELL IS NOT ALWAYS VERTICAL…Sam Hudson, a reputable San Diego attorney, learns this when the authorities wrongfully convict him of the brutal rape and murder of his wife and daughter, and sends him to death row. There he awaits execution by lethal injection.If he survives that long.In prison, Sam fights for his life while his attorney works frantically on his appeal. It is then that he embraces the faith of his departed wife and begins to manifest supernatural abilities. Abilities which help him save lives– his own, those of his unlikely allies–and uncover the true killer’s identity, unlocking the door to his exoneration.Now a free man, Sam’s newfound faith confronts him with the most insurmountable challenge yet. A challenge beyond vengeance, beyond rage, beyond anything Sam believes himself capable of: to forgive the very man who murdered his family, according to his faith. But this endeavor reveals darker secrets than either Sam or the killer could ever have imagined. Secrets that hurtle them into a fateful collision course.BEYOND JUSTICE, a tale of loss, redemption, and the power of faith.

This blog is part of the Blog Tour for this book hosted by Pump Up Your Book Promotions.  I was pretty excited to read this book because I love a good legal thriller.  However, you might notice a little word up there in the summary that gave me a bit of pause...FAITH.  I was worried that this was going to be an overly religious preachy book.  No worries though, while religion was talk about a lot, I didn't feel like it was being forced on me as the reader and I don't think a religion of preference was ever specified now that I think about it.

I'm sure writers don't particularly like being compared to another, but this book felt like John Grisham had spent the afternoon at a tent revival and this was the story he came home and wrote.  It was mostly a great legal thriller with a drive-you-crazy mystery and a little Christian fiction sprinkled over it.  Mr. Graham has a wonderful, easy to read writing style.  This was a big book and I sat down and found myself halfway through it in one sitting.

I'll admit that I read a lot and most books are somewhat predictable.  Whodunit is usually fairly obvious about halfway through.  In this case, not so AT ALL.  I was completely surprised and I love that!  Gold Star for the ending on this one!