The Accidental Exorcist

DAWN TREADER PRESS

Smashwords
Edition

Copyright © 2010 Joshua
Graham

This book is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the
author's imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblance to
actual locales, events or persons living or dead is entirely
coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this
book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or
encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the
author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions

Cover art by Compassionate Eye
Foundation/Kev

Praise for Joshua Graham’s
debut novel BEYOND JUSTICE

Barnes & Noble #1
Bestselling legal thriller (nookbooks)

Barnes & Noble #1
Bestselling Christian Thriller (nookbooks)

Best of 2010 Suspense
Magazine

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

~PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“…
hits the ground
running…handled by a deft hand.”

~Adrian Phoenix, IN THE BLOOD
(Pocket Books)

“This tense, fast-paced story
of outrageous injustice, insidious evil, and looming disaster has
everything the savvy reader should expect, and more. [Graham]
belongs to a new, emerging wave of writers who dare to color
outside conventional lines. And he does so with
style!”

~Glen Scorgie, THE JOURNEY BACK TO
EDEN
(Zondervan)

“…
a genuine page-turner with a
twist that makes it stand out from most thrillers and legal
dramas.”
“…What sets this
thriller apart is the deft handling of
religion.”
“…When Graham turns to courtroom
drama, the writing is tense; when he’s inside Sam’s mind, the
emotions are wringing.”

~Author Magazine

“This book was so much more
than a mystery novel; it was an exercise in faith, understanding,
joy and mercy in their purest forms.”
“…twists, turns and surprises to be found
here.”
“…filled with so much in the way of
emotion.”
“…Take the time to read this book.
You will not be disappointed.”
~Suspense Magazine

…A MASTERFUL LEGAL
THRILLER
…A book worthy of
a feature length Hollywood movie…
…Graham has
intricately woven together these elements of cyberspace and our
criminal justice system in a way that keeps avid mystery readers
spellbound.
…Graham’s BEYOND JUSTICE is the
best mystery novel that I have ever read.
…a
plot worthy of Hollywood, told by a fantastic author with a deft
touch and feel for intrigue!
…a fitting climax
in true John Grisham form.
…a powerful
testament to faith and religion, woven into a masterful murder
mystery.

~East County
Magazine

“This is not a tame Christian
book, it’s full of heart wrenching scenes that will make you
shudder.
There’s one
surprise after another and it’s a “can’t put down” thriller…the
ending was brilliant!
“This is Joshua Graham’s
first book and it is a doozy!!
I can’t wait to
read more from this very talented author.”

~
ReadingAtTheBeach.com

“…
a riveting legal thriller
that has heart and a fabulous message.”
“…really intense
suspense!”
“ I was…balled up with emotions and
intense suspense from start to finish.”
“…a
great legal thriller…”
“… great drama and
romance as well.
“…tied together with a
fabulous message of love and redemption.“

~
A
Life in Review

“…
Superbly
done!”
“…a legal suspense
thriller beyond any other.”
“…Filled with page
turning, edge of your seat twists.”
“…most
definitely a 5 star novel by an incredible
author”
“… this suspense novel will pick you
up in one place, carry you through thrilling turns and emotional
rides, and will set you down at an unexpected place, all the while
leaving you with a powerful message that will set your mind to
thinking. About life. About loss. About justice. About
everything.”
…Joshua Graham has become an
author who I will be collecting books by for a long time to come
and has made me anxious for his next book!

~
Reviews
by Molly D. Edwards

“…
an edge of your seat thrill
ride from beginning to end.”
“…a brilliant thriller filled with
unforeseen plot twists and character behaviour changes unlike any
other.”
“…I quite literally was unable to set
this book down…”
“…Joshua Graham is definitely
a name to keep an eye on, for he is one talented writer…”

~
Rundpinne
“…the Best book I have read and reviewed this
year.”
“…this book isn’t just about law and
criminal justice, it is about faith and realizing that everything
happens for a reason.”
“…I HIGHLY recommend
Beyond Justice as a must read!”

~
The Winfields-7 Book Reviews
“…right up there with the
best.”
“…will tug your heart. Don’t be
surprised if a tear finds its way down your
cheek.”
“…more than just a mystery, more than
just thriller, it’s in a word terrific!”
“If
you love a good thriller then pick up this book, you will not be
disappointed.”

~Reading, Reading &
Life
…fair warning before you pick up Beyond Justice by
Joshua Graham–the next 24 to 48 hours of your life will be utterly
consumed by this book.
…[had] my unconditional
and unwavering attention from page one to the
conclusion.
…draws you in from the first page
and literally does not let go of you or your emotions until the
rollercoaster conclusion.
…a powerfully
gripping legal thriller
…I was absolutely
captivated
…mesmerizing would be a gross
understatement.
…absolutely nothing short of
an act of God or nature would have stopped me from finishing this
book.
…unbelievably powerful and
spellbinding
…the story will stay with you
long after you finish it.
…Do not
hesitate.  Rush to get your own copy of Beyond
Justice.
PsychoticState.net

Connect with Joshua Graham at:

http://
www.joshua-graham.com

http://
www.facebook/J0shuaGraham

http://
www.twitter/J0shuaGraham

THE ACCIDENTAL
EXORCIST

Joshua Graham

I had to do it. They were
my babies. Killing them was the only way to save them.

Throughout her career as a forensic
psychiatrist for the state of California, Abigail Lee had heard
such words more times than she cared for. Usually, they came from
suspects going for a NGRI (not guilty by reason of insanity) but
were, in fact, groping for a Hail Mary.

On the rare occasion, she'd find the
suspect criminally insane. Unless it was so painfully obvious that
San Diego District Attorney Thomas Walden would suddenly find
Abby's services unnecessary. Such were the breaks—she'd still get
paid at her standard rate of three hundred dollars per hour. But
would NOT be asked to testify in court.

Before her, in the tightly
monitored visitation room in Salton Sea Women's Penitentiary, sat
Cheryl Morgan.
The
Cheryl Morgan who had killed all three of her children by
suffocating them with Mylar bags. Her trial was set for next month,
but it didn't seem like she would survive it.

"Cheryl, you need to talk with me. If
there's any chance you might be found—"

"Guilty! I did it. I killed them. How
else should I be found?" From beneath the mussed strands of auburn
hair, Cheryl's eyes—dark as ink—burned with hatred. Had she been
properly groomed and dressed, you could have mistaken her for a
Hollywood starlet, not the psychotic housewife and mother of
three—who in cold blood murdered her own kids.

"This isn't helping you."

Cheryl's entire demeanor morphed
suddenly, like one of those CGI special effects when a person
transforms into a werewolf, or a zombie. A menacing smile faded
into view, baring cruel canines. Her eyebrows sharpened, her gaze
jagged. "And you're here…to help?"

As though on the spindly legs of a
tarantula, a chill crawled up Abby's spine. She'd seen just about
every variety of psychotic over the past seven years, but something
about Cheryl Morgan made her particularly uneasy. Post-partum
psychosis—even with those resulting in infant fatalities never
looked quite like this.

"Cheryl..."

"You have no idea what you're stepping
into, my dear." Her feral eyes gazed straight into Abby's and for a
moment arrested her breathing. A sense of dread coursed through her
blood like Freon.

Abby pushed back slightly on her
chair, as if the extra inch of distance could protect her. "I'm
only interested in knowing the truth."

A snort, mixed with what sounded like
a growl. Cheryl's voice deepened into a hollow, bottomless chasm of
damnation. It was when she began to laugh maniacally that Abby knew
something was different about her. Something that transcended
schizophrenia and psychopathy. Cheryl smiled. But despite her
chains it only made Abby more anxious. "Just what do you know of
truth, sweetie?"

"Something's not right. I know there's
more beneath—"

"More, yes. Legions more."

At that very moment, Abby feared for
her life. She envisioned Cheryl breaking her own chains with her
bare hands and leaping onto her, and tearing her limbs from her
body as a boy might pluck the legs off of a beetle. She stood
abruptly.

The chair scraped the concrete, fell
on its back.

"Guard!"

Hands steepled, her head lowered,
Cheryl stared up with eyes of pure evil. Wild hair hung on her
shoulders which bounced as she laughed. Despite the blaring white
overhead fluorescents, a thick darkness filled the room, smothering
Abby. A darkness not perceived with the eyes.

She pressed the intercom again.
"Guard!"

Slowly, Cheryl rose from her seat, her
gaze focused. Abby had no doubt whatsoever that this murderous
psychopath had every intention of hurting her.

Abby beat her hand against the locked
door repeatedly, the pounding echoing her own racing pulse.
"Please! Somebody open the door!"

Cheryl’s nails scraped
against the worn varnish of the table, the sound reminiscent of
nails on a chalkboard. She rose, her face pointed down and looking
up through dark-ringed eyes, reddened with malice. Her voice
dropped an octave into an eerie
basso
profundo
. "You'd best run...or we'll take
you too." More terrifying than the change in her voice was that it
sounded like a chorus of evil.

"Guard!"

An empty shell of a person, Cheryl's
body moved like a marionette. She bore her teeth, coiled her elbows
back. Crouched slightly.

There could be no doubt,
this hellish...
thing
was about to pounce.

Oh my God...

A wolf-like snarl.

Her eyes rolled back.

Then she lunged.