Wild Tales: Book Review: Beyond Justice by Joshua Graham

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

Winner of the 2011 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS, and Amazon.com #1 bestselling author Joshua Graham's Barnes & Noble #1 bestselling novel BEYOND JUSTICE is taking the world by storm, one reader at a time. Many of his readers blame him for sleepless nights, arriving to work late, neglected dishes and family members, and not allowing them to put the book down.

BEYOND JUSTICE, THE ACCIDENTAL EXORCIST, THE ACCIDENTAL HERO, THE ACCIDENTAL HEALER, and DEATH AND TAXES, have reached the top of multiple bestseller list on Barnes & Noble topping titles by John Grisham, Linda Fairstein, Scott Turrow and James Lee Burke, Ted Dekker and Steven James. Soaring to the top of the Barnes & Noble lists, BEYOND JUSTICE recently hit #1 in the Legal Thriller and Christian Thriller categories, topping by John Grisham, Joel C. Rosenberg, and Michael Connelly. It has also remained on the Amazon.com top 100 bestselling Kindle bestseller list months after its release.

Suspense Magazine listed BEYOND JUSTICE in its BEST OF 2010, alongside titles by Scott Turrow, Ted Dekker, Steven James and Brad Thor.

His short story THE DOOR'S OPEN won the HarperCollins Authonomy Competition (Christmas 2010.)

Publishers Weekly described BEYOND JUSTICE as:

"...A riveting legal thriller.... breaking new ground with a vengeance... demonically entertaining and surprisingly inspiring."

My Review

This was an interesting book to review. Having read the blurb, I was really looking forward to reading it.

The plot was incredible. It was extremely well planned; a couple of times I thought I had it worked out, but it surprised me. I like not having something predictable to read, where you can guess the ending or how it is going to work out long before you get there, and Beyond Justice was certainly able to keep the suspense going right the way through, and still have a couple of surprises left for the end.

The characters were very believable, you could feel the emotions of Sam, as he went through each obstacle that was put in his journey, and almost ending up wanting to shout about his innocence when the justice system was blind to the truth. I could feel my own frustration rising with what was going on, the ability of Joshua Graham to drive that in the reader, should be particularly praised. I especially liked some of the prison characters, the way the various factions were portrayed felt very real (not that I have any experience to base that on, you understand!) Pastor Dave was also a favourite; it was nice that despite everything he had been through he was still prepared to stand by Sam throughout.

Overall I wasn’t disappointed by Beyond Justice, the pace was a little slow for me, but it fitted the story well, so this was really a personal thing. I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes legal thrillers, and anyone who wants a book that doesn’t pull it’s punches, and keeps the reader guessing as to how things will play out.