Sam Vale: The Sword of Truth
Something is wrong in Coldwater. A hidden presence is twisting the people Sam loves. And it wants the one thing that can tear the world apart: Sam’s drawings.
Get the book on AmazonThe story
Sam Vale has always made sense of the world through his sketchbook. When things get complicated, he draws.
But something is wrong in his hometown of Coldwater.
People aren’t acting like themselves. Authority figures can’t be trusted. The line between what’s real and what isn’t is starting to blur.
And the things Sam sketches?
They’re not staying on the page.
As a hidden presence begins moving through the people around him—twisting words, corrupting choices, reshaping who they are—Sam is pulled into a conflict older and darker than anything he’s learned about. In school. Or in church.
His family is in danger. His faith is fracturing.
And if Sam can’t figure out what’s true… something else will decide for him.
Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Stranger Things, and supernatural thrillers with a spiritual edge, Sam Vale: The Sword of Truth is a story of courage, deception, and the battle for what’s real.
What readers are saying
“When will book 2 be out!? Read the whole book in two days!”
— Charlene P.
“Excellent story about faith, family, and friendship.”
— Jamie C.
“Two of my teens have already finished it. My third is in it right now. No pressure, but they’re all asking when the next one comes out.”
— Nick S.
Reader spotlight
“I haven’t finished a book in many years but I can’t put this one down! Every day is a battle between me and my kids about who gets to continue reading. We’re already excited about what the next book will be like! This hits the right balance between page turning adventure and an important underlying narrative about identity, theology and faith. A must read for anyone!”
— George H.
Get the book on AmazonMeet the characters
Sam Vale
Protagonist
A pastor’s son and gifted artist, Sam wants nothing more than to escape his small town for art school and a life that’s finally his own. He’s about to learn that his sketches don’t always stay on the page, and something ancient has been waiting for him to figure that out.
Jake Holloway
Sam’s Best Friend
Sam’s best friend since middle school: relentlessly funny, fiercely loyal, and hiding more hurt behind the jokes than anyone realizes. When one careless mistake sets something terrible in motion, Jake will do anything to make it right, whatever it costs him.
Cole Morrison
Former Friend, Rival
Once one of Sam and Jake’s closest friends, Cole is now a star athlete and talented artist who’s become everything Sam isn’t — and he’s never forgiven Sam for having what he wants most. Beneath his confidence, resentment has opened a crack that something far darker is only too eager to exploit.
Katie Bennett
Sam’s Friend
Warm, level-headed, and quietly braver than she believes, Katie has a gift for seeing people as they truly are, even when she’d rather believe the best of them. As the town tilts toward something none of them understand, seeing clearly may matter more than anyone realizes.
Soren
Antagonist
An ancient presence waiting somewhere beyond, watchful and calculating, who understands that the surest way to open a door into our world is through a wounded human heart. He has found exactly the crack he was looking for.
Available now in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover — Book One of an ongoing series.
Discussion questions
A few prompts for book clubs, classrooms, or your own reflection after finishing the book. (Contains mild spoilers.)
- Are Jake’s jokes a shield, a gift to the people around him, both, or something else?
- Which relationship changes the most during the story?
- The Vales protect, the Holloways encourage, the Morrisons manage appearances, the Bennetts chase an audience. Whose family dynamic does its child the most good, and whose the most harm?
- What does Katie see that the boys often miss?
- What does each character’s artwork reveal about them?
- What does the novel suggest art is for?
- What role does faith play in the story?
- Why do some people respond to suffering by becoming better while others become bitter?
- Is Cole a villain, a victim, or both? Did Cole ever have a chance at redemption? At what point did that possibility vanish?
- Which character’s arc felt most complete to you by the end of the novel? Which felt most unfinished? What do you hope happens to them in a sequel?
- If you could ask one character a question, who would it be and what would you ask?