Customer Reviews

Dark Recesses

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dark Recesses is a strong debut novel by M.C. Beamon. When David Jackson receives a family reunion invitation ... there's something strange... these people were strangers to him. After a life-altering announcement from his wife, David decides to attend the renunion in hopes of connecting with a large family he has never met. Upon arrival in Virginia, he comes face to face with a wall of animosity built many, many years ago. As he chips at the wall, the pieces begin to randomly fall revealing family lies, secrets and betrayal.

Readers will be able to identify with David's struggles. At some point in life, many individuals participate in a search for his/her identity. This search often leads to the past ... after all knowledge of the past helps one to understand the future. Unfortunately, the past may include skeletons in the closet, which of course, no one wants to discover.

Beamon does a wonderful job as she slowly reveals the skeletons in this family's closet through David's determined search for the truth. She also touches on some topics that have haunted the black community and cleverly intertwines them into the story.

Upon his arrival home, after a quite stressful day of law school finals, David Jackson is puzzled to find an invitation to a family reunion in Suffolk, VA. David's parents are both deceased...and as far as he knows...both of them were only children and he doesn't have any other surviving relatives. David decides to put the issue on-hold, but it keeps haunting him as to why . After talking to his surrogate father/mentor, he decides to accept the invite and a clerkship with his father's friend, Judge John O'Brien, who coincidentally also resides in Suffolk, Va.

David and his wife are surprised at what they find in Suffolk, VA. It seems that integration and the 21st century forgot about the AA in that area. "Colored" Folks still live on the other side of the tracks in primitive shacks or trailer homes and the two races(blacks & whites) don't mingle or fraternize with one another. Of particular concern to Lisa, David's pregnant wife, is that the Jackson's in Virginia are all dark skin. David's parents, as well as David, are fair-skinned. Lisa wonders just what exactly will her child look like and why do David and his folks look so different from their other relatives. What David and Lisa found out will rock both of their worlds!

M. C. Beamon has penned a suspenseful and intriguing debut novel! Dark Recesses is a compelling and riveting read which captures the reader from Chapter One. Beamon vividly and descriptively takes us through a past filled with secrets, lies, deceit, murder and cover-up. If I could change anything about the book, I would request that the author investigate another cover. I had Dark Recesses for more than six months but everytime I looked at the cover I kept putting the book back on the bookshelf. Only after a girlfriend told me that she read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it did I decide to pick it and read it once and for all. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I really enjoyed this book! The storyline was excellent with shocking plot twists and turns, colorful characters, vivid imagery, and good dialogue. I ended up reading the book in one sitting...I was just disappointed that I had taken so long to get around to reading it. I highly recommend this book...overlook the cover...because what's inside is definitely a page-turner.

"Dark Recesses" basically examines the division among African Americans based on being "light" or "dark" skinned. These prejudices caused division within the Jackson family and even lead to the death of a father and daughter. Unfortunately, the color issue is still prevalent within the African American community. The plot was very suspenseful, but the ending leaves something to be desired. I also agree with one of the other reviewers that a new cover is needed. Overall, I enjoyed reading "Dark Recesses" and will read future material by Ms. Beaman.

The story is one of intrigue and suspense. David receives an invitation to a Family Reunion, which he believes is a mistake. He has always been told he has no family other than his parents. He decides to attend the reunion and finds the family he never knew. David seeks to uncover why his father would lie about the family he left behind. What David finds is years of deceipt all to cover up an unthinkable crime.

Although I enjoyed the book. I felt the ending left you hanging. Maybe I was looking for more (i.e, locating Paul and/or Christian; how was Matthew related? I have my own ideas, but I won't spoil your read. Otherwise, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

This book deals with one man's quest to find out why his father never acknowledged the family he left behind. After being invited to a Family Reunion, David believes that he was invited by mistake. After deciding to attend, what David finds is the racial division within his own family and years of deceipt to cover up an unthinkable crime.

The story grabbed you right from the beginning. You won't be able to put it down.

I was disappointed with the ending. I felt that there were several issues left unresolved, i.e., why didn't he try to locate Paul and/or Christian; how was Matthew related to him? (I have my own thoughts on how, but I won't spoil your read). It seems as though the reader is left to draw their own conclusions.

M. C. Beamon's debut novel is truly a page-turner! This book was highly recommended by a book club member and I was not disappointed. Beamon's description through David's quest to find the truth vividly takes us back in time to another place. The suspense behind finding the truth (i.e. David's quest leads to a shocking awakening hidden behind family secrets, lies, cover-up, and deception) is intense-so much so, it keeps you reading until the end. I finished this novel in two nights-interrupted only because I had to go to work. Hats off to Ms. Beamon for a great debut novel. I'm looking forward to reading other works from her.

Imagine receiving an invitation to a family reunion, when you believe everyone else in your family is dead. This is what happens to David Jackson.

David, a recent law school graduate has a lot of good things going on in his life. He has just finished law school and he will have his choice of law firms. One major thing is missing from his life, family. His parents are deceased and he doesn't have any siblings. He is married to Lisa and has no children. One day David comes home from work and finds this mysterious invitation. At first he doesn't know what to make of it and he will not discuss it with Lisa, but after some prodding he tells Lisa about the invitation and the curiosity of how he could be related to these people and wondering how in the world they found him.

With his curiosity piqued David calls the phone number on the invitation and speaks to one of his cousins and finds out that his father has left a very large extended family in Suffolk, Virginia. David is shocked because this information has been hiddden from him his whole life.

David and Lisa decide to go to the reunion. he secures a clerkship with an old friend of his father's , Judge John O' Brien while he is there. They arrive in Suffolk and he meets his cousin Joseph(JoJo) Jackson and his wife Peaches. David is shocked when he meets them, they are dark-skinned, dark eyed, and have nappy hair. It is at this point David believes that he is not related to these people. David and his parents were light-skinned, light eyed people with good hair. David is determined to find out exactly what is going on with his family. He doesn't realize it at the time, but David's life is about to change.

This book is a page turner it deals with family, lies, murder, and deceit. Also it shows that African-Americans still divide themselves along color lines. This book is a 4 on the RAW scale.

Simone

How could such a great story line go so wrong?

It has to be the person who wrote it. I could not find one interesting person in the whole story, I could find plenty who annoyed the life out of me. I only wish I could have given it less than one star.

Dark Recesses is a novel about recovering your past family's history.
David Jackson is intent on discovering his family history before an upcoming family reunion. But, what he finds is more disturbing than he anticipated. He always wondered where his fair complexion came from and upon arrival in rural Virginia; he notices that his southern cousins are darker-skinned, making him more curious. The more he pondered questions towards distant relatives, the more he was confused by the anger and silence told by them to conceal the truth.

The book had a lot of boring moments and too much drama! I felt that the author was over doing it with excessively trying to create why the family chooses to subdue in the "dark recesses" of their minds the family secrets. But, at the same time, before getting to the crux of the book, Beamon's dialogue was drawn out too much. -NM

I love the concept of a deep dark family secret as the driving force behind David's quest to find out his true lineage. I really wish there had been more punch. There were these myterious relatives but not enough about how they were tied to David's father's secret. He was so driven that I was disappointed that he was willing to discard his efforts at the end. The dialogue was dull and lifeless throughout. I would read the next effort by this author because I do see much talent there.
CM Miller---Author, What She Left Behind