Life After Death: A Romance Suspense

by T.J. Graham

Devastated by the death of her husband of fifteen years, Mackenzie Hill manages to pull herself up from the depths of despair, dust off her journalism degree, and soldier ahead to raise their three children alone. Three years later, with the achievement of a major journalism award, her well-adjusted children happy, Mackenzie seems to have gotten her life back on track. Inside, she represses the pangs of loneliness and longing for her husband that gnaw at her heart. At the urging of her best friend, Joel Sanders, Mackenzie makes a failed attempt to explore dating. She gives in to the flirting of Keith Wilson, an Atlanta sex crimes detective, whom himself seeks relief from the cruel reality of life and death, intersections that he must battle daily. Enter Doctor Andre Quinton Lang. Following the brutal unsolved murder of his wife and daughter, he moves to Atlanta hoping to lose himself in a new city and his work, while still struggling to conquer the memories that continue to haunt him. Through chance events, Andre and Mackenzie meet, falling head-over-heels for one another. The two of them embark on what has the potential to be the loving, fulfilling relationship that they both need, unaware that in the shadows of their bliss lurks a killer who has followed Andre to Atlanta. A killer intent on rekindling the bloody act of vengeance that had shattered Andre's world three years earlier.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2018

About the author

TJ Graham was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia. From a young age, he was drawn to the power of reading and writing to expand his imagination and transport him anywhere.

His debut novel, Life After Death (2018), a suspense/romance, was well received. His second novel, Songs of the Cicadas (2025), was released to great acclaim. TJ enjoys crafting stories that pull readers in and keep them guessing at every turn.

He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Clark Atlanta University.

Reviews

[Arlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Life After Death
Author: T.J. Graham
Publisher: Prodigy Gold Books; 1 edition
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"Life After Death: A Romance Suspense" by T. J. Graham

My Thoughts....

I found this story to be very interesting in how a death can affect a person. For Mackenzie Hill after the death of her husband she was now raising three children and working as as journalist who had received a award who had been urged by her dear friend Joel Sanders to 'explore dating' and that was just what she did.

So, when Keith Wilson a sex crimes detective asks Mackenzie for a date all seemed to go well on the date until it didn't. Then due to Mackenzie's daughter [Traci] problems she meet Dr. Andre Quinton Lang. Not long after meeting the doctor and after one date all seemed to be going well for these two. However Dr. Lang had been through quite a bite as the 'unsolved murder of his wife and daughter' in Memphis, TN still plagued him since this had not been a solved case. Now we find him trying to move on now living in Atlanta. However, Dr. Lang was unaware that this killer had followed him to Atlanta. Mackenzie had shared all with Andre about her life but for some reason he did share all that had happened to his wife and daughter. Definitely secrets that are not shared as in this situation will definitely come back to bite you! Well, when things start to come out how will all of this vengeance shatter Mackenzie's world?

This author really does a good job at giving the reader quite a suspenseful romantic read that will keep you turning the pages till the end to see just who and why this person was definitely involved with Dr. Lang.

I will say that the epilogue wasn't my favorite ending because I didn't really like the detective as well as I liked the doctor. Yes, I know Andre had problems and definitely should have never stopped going to his therapist. However, I could see that this would definitely be one of those reads that would need a part two in seeing if there could ever be anything ever happening between Mackenzie and Andre as one can see that 'Life After Death' is not a easy road. Hopefully, Andre would seek therapy and get the help that he needed. I did feel that there was love that Andre did have for Mackenzie and her children. Yes, as I said earlier this wasn't my favorite ending, however the story was still interesting that will keep your attention as you are turning the pages to the end.

[Emelle Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of 2018. This page turner had me on the edge of my seat. Fell in love with the main characters so much that I hope there’s a trilogy in the works!

[Carmen Blalock · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you get married you agree to love each other until death do us part.  Then what?  Death is final.  There is no doubt about that, but what about those left behind?  Is death final for them or is it possible to pick back up your life and continue on? Is it going to be you and your new person or is it always going to be three of you in the relationship?

Dr. Andre Lang is a dedicated husband and a father.  He loves his wife and daughter, they are his reason for breathing.  He is a successful OB/GYN and his wife Rene is Professor of African History at the University of Memphis.  They were living a great life in Memphis until one day when his world was shaken apart.  Where did his wife and daughter disappear to?  There is no reason for them to just leave, what has happened to them?  What if they don't come back, what will he do?  How will he survive with his two reasons for living?

Mackenzie Hill is a wife and mother of three.  This is the life she has always dreamed of, it doesn't get any better than this.  Just when you believe that everything is going your way, life throws you a curve ball.  Your life is turned upside down and you have to figure out how to make life work again.  Is it possible to have happiness after such sorrow?  Should you just hide in a corner or get right back up on that horse?

Life After Death:A Romantic Suspense is a very good read for a freshman novel.  This book has everything that you are looking for that the title proclaims that it has.  Your characters are interacting with each other and it seems familiar to you like you know these people or this could possible be your life.  You are reading and then you are laughing at and with some of the characters and talking to others.  Graham did very well in this break out novel and I look forward to reading more of his work.

[Bethany Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly, I would like to thank Library Thing and Prodigy Gold Books for sending me an ebook ARC of this.

Overall, I would recommend this to crime and romance/erotica readers, both of which I'm typically not, but I did enjoy parts of this book. I appreciated how all of the characters and subplots mixed together into an overall plot. However, I did predict the connections quite quickly and though I found the characters diverse, developed and interesting, I couldn't connect to the storyline for some reason. I felt myself rushing parts because I wasn't interested, which may be because I'm not into this genre as much as others, but I did find the plot a bit slow in parts, and the sexual elements didn't interest me. I also didn't love the writing style; I didn't feel the desire to read on due to the writing and language, but instead because of curiosity around the characters and plot. I know that this is personal, but it did affect my overall reading enjoyment, and would've preferred a better structure and prose.

As well as this, I think further editing may help this book, as sometimes I felt the punctuation wasn't quite correct and that the syntax made the sentences odd at times. For example, I would find it easier to read "Mackenzie, Traci came over" in oppose to " Mackenzie Traci came over"- being that these are forenames for two different characters. That being said, it was action packed in parts, creative and descriptive, and I think others could appreciate this book more. The plot is clever and has some important examples of problems in our society, and I would recommend this to readers of this genre, who don't mind a slightly cluttered structure (in my opinion).

Thanks again to the publishers and apologies if my review has some errors. I will proofread it, but I'm typing this on my tablet, therefore it's quite difficult.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.

Three years after the death of her beloved husband of fifteen years Mackenzie Hill is thriving. Her three children are doing well and she just won a journalism award for a piece she wrote. Mackenzie is finally ready to start dating, much to the excitement of her BFF Joel. But after a failed date with Keith, an Atlanta SVU detective, she is second guessing her choice. When a series of unplanned events lead her to Doctor Andre Quinton Lang sparks fly and they find themselves falling for each other. However Lang has some secrets of his own. He recently moved to Atlanta after the brutal murders of his wife and daughter. This might just be Mackenzie and Lang's last chance to find happily ever after. But the killer followed Lang to Atlanta and now he has Mackenzie and her love ones in his sights.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and full of twists and turns. It was a quick and enjoyable read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The storyline was incredibly well thought out. You thought you knew what was coming but you weren’t sure, which kept you guessing and wanting to keep reading chapter after chapter. All the pieces fell neatly in place at the end without 100% knowing what those were going to be.

There is love and loneliness, friendship (everyone should have a friendship like Mackenzie and Joel) and pure hatred, sadness and happiness, comfort and fear - your emotions were all over the place.

Other than a good read through by an editor to fix the grammatical errors I can’t think of anything I would change or that was missing in the story.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance is not my thing, its something I tend to avoid. That being said I actually didn’t mind the romance so much in this. It felt realistic and didn’t feel overly forced. Plus there was so much more happening that the romance felt like only part of the story. The suspense/crime side to it was intriguing enough to hook me in. Making me want to find out who behind it all.

There are sex scenes and the violence is descriptive to a certain degree. It has to be in order to get the true level of response. Disgust and anger, how could someone be so broken.

[Kerry Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andre is starting a new life following the death of his wife and child when he meets Mackenzie. She too knows the pain of loss. A match made in heaven until a murder like his wife's is committed. Could his past be coming back to haunt him?

This was an interesting story with a few dramatic moments but it felt a little rushed to me. The plot was good and the ending though not how I wanted it to end was perfect for the book. I liked the characters especially Joel, he made the story.

[Rachael Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I haven't been able to sit down and read in a while but once j picked this one up and got a chance I didn't put it down. A loving suspense is what I would say this is. Woman loses husband. Man loses wife and child around the same time. They both try to move on but the man's past haunts him and puts everyone in a REALLy bad situation.

[KayBee's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well written tale of suspense, love and the aftermath of death. The characters were developed. The story moved well. The author did a good job of creating suspense and tension. I would have liked smoother transitions, but I read this in one sitting. If you want a little romance with your suspense this book is for you. You won't be disappointed.

[Samantha E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good choice.

It’s not easy to find mystery/suspense books by Black authors but I came up when I found this one. The story has all the components of a good read, and even addressed several relevant social topics, I enjoyed it.

[Madhuri Palaji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life After Death by TJ Graham is a story of a woman named Mackenzie Hill. Inspite of the recent death of her loving husband, she works hard to win a journalism award and raises three kids alone. She continues missing her husband. Sex crimes detective Keith Wilson is attracted towards Mackenzie. Though she rejects his invitations on a dinner date initially, she gives in but they part ways due to some differences. Dr. Andre Lang is a doctor who moves to Atlants to start afresh after the terrible murder of his wife and daughter. Mackenzie falls in love with Andre after few meetings. Little did Andre know that his past has never left him alone and now that the killer of his wife and daughter is after Mackenzie and her daughter.

The story is about the turn of events and if and how Andre saves Mackenzie from the killer. The story is engaging. Mackenzie's character is very well built. I personally didn't like the ending but after all, not all love stories have a happy ending, right?

[Nakul Phulambrikar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life after death is fairly good book. with 'Romantic Suspense' in title, my expectations were bit higher. I was expecting some twists towards the end. Character of a killer is not developed well. there seems no specific motive for his actions. I didn't understood how 'Life after Death' title is relevant to the story. With this title, My first perception was there will be something like near-death experiences or one living in some other dimension after his/her death. But this is in fact simple story with couple of romantic scenes and little bit of suspense in second half. Overall its a good one time read.

[Tawana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Great book! So many twist and turns! Thank you for such an amazing read. Look forward to meeting you and hopefully reading more books from you!