Her mother’s recent death, her father’s continuing
estrangement, frightening visions associated with any photos she takes with her
dad’s camera - photographer Xandra Carrick has a lot to deal with. On top of that, she’s wanted by
the FBI for a murder she did not commit, while nefarious forces want her dead.
Having recently arrived back from a trip to her mother’s
birthplace, Vietnam, Xandra is
troubled by her father’s reticence.
And to make her life even more complicated, after taking several photos
during her trip, she discovers images in her pictures that she did not see with
her natural eyes. She’s having
visions of a supernatural nature – visions that will blow the lid off a major
conspiracy – if she lives long enough to have anyone believe her.
Arrested for the murder of a local Julliard student, Xandra
flees New York and heads to see her father in California, seeking answers to
her visions concerning Vietnam.
FBI agent Kyle Matthews teams up with her to find some answers of his
own.
Darkroom, by Joshua Graham, is a political thriller with a
spiritual undercurrent, driven mostly by Xandra’s mother, Grace, a Vietnamese
immigrant who married Xandra’s father, Peter Carrick, after a harrowing escape
from Saigon when the US troops pulled out. We hear her voice through several journal entries -
beginning when she first met Peter, a photojournalist embedded with a platoon
in Vietnam; through the birth of Xandra, until her death. Her voice brought a depth to the story
that certainly tied the themes of purpose, God-given gifts, and the freeing
power of truth, together.
Darkroom rips along rapidly, jumping from multiple points of
view, from Xandra, her father, her mother, a presidential candidate, an FBI
agent, and a hit man.
And because of this, Darkroom’s pace is set at a very high
shutter speed, swiftly shifting character Point of Views from chapter to
chapter. Initially, I found this style somewhat ADHD – jumping from POV to POV in only a couple
pages. Soon, however, I settled
into Graham’s rapid rhythm, which kept me interested in what was going to
develop next.
Graham’s intricate weaving of truth and deceit keeps the
pages turning, and with a wide-open ending hinting at the return of feisty and
insightful heroine, Xandra Carrick,
Darkroom is a novel you won’t regret being exposed to.
I have given an honest review of this courtesy copy of Darkroom received from Howard Books.
I have given an honest review of this courtesy copy of Darkroom received from Howard Books.
Thank you for reading my review and posting, Mr. Graham. Looking forward to your next book.
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