Joy and Carnage introduces us to a world we are all familiar with. School bullying. School violence. Following a car crash in which Mercedes Payne is disfigured and her friend Becca is killed, Mercedes finds herself ostracized and bullied. Ostracized because she is blamed for Becca's death. Bullied because of the large scar that now runs down her face.
She finds solace and acceptance in only Eli and Damien - the social outcasts, those that Mercedes prior to the accident had given the name Suicide Kids. She finds compassion in a group to whom she had given none. But Eli and Damien aren't interesting in compassion for all. They are driven by a desire for vengeance against those who'd made their high school a living hell. Together, the three devise a plan to pay them all back. To kill them. To kill them all. And had Eli not betrayed them, they might have succeeded.
Fast forward ten years to Shadow Valley High's tenth year reunion. Once again, all of those that had destroyed their souls would be together in one place. A second chance for vengeance. Mercedes and Damien have had ten years to plot. And this time they will not be stopped. The only man who stands in their way is Pastor Eli Shepherd, the same Eli who betrayed them ten years ago.
Joy and Carnage is the story of three social outcasts and how they responded to the bullying heaped upon them. Damien, who sold his life and soul at the chance for vengeance; Eli who rose up out of his pain to use his experiences for good as a pastor; then in between, lies the embattled soul of Mercedes Payne. Told in alternating chapters, the story of both attempts at vengeance are told concurrently. Together, the two stories complement and parallel the other converging and climaxing in a single chapter that tells both stories. From this point, the stories diverge showing how each one is settled in a vastly different way, and how Eli plays two different roles when the forces of good and evil play out in Shadow Valley.
I'm not sure I can say enough good things about this book. It's not afraid to look into the darkest recesses of the human soul to see what can be created when that soul is shunned and left alone and desolate. But it's also not afraid to reach down into that darkness and show that even a soul at its lowest can crawl back into the light. It concerns itself with the nature of vengeance and concludes that God has made a better way. All in all, I believe that readers will find it exciting, page-turning, and compelling.
If you haven't already picked up your copy, you can do so now by clicking here. For $17, which includes shipping, you can be a part of the unique opportunity to read this excellent novel. And for those of you that have a Kindle or Kindle app for iPhone/iPod Touch even better! You can order the Kindle version here for only $8.99. In short, don't miss out on this opportunity!
Before I close though I should mention to you this book's one major flaw. It's quite a horrible error really, something I can barely believe was overlooked. I mean, just to look at it and read it, you'd think somebody would have noticed it was missing. I thought it was obvious anyway. The one major flaw with Joy and Carnage? -- It ain't published yet.
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