Strange Gods: A Novel About Faith, Murder, Sin and Redemption

by Peter J. Daly, Dostoevskij

Overview

The Archbishop of New York fell down dead.

Michael Manning was the sixth cardinal among the international Catholic clergy to die under violent and suspicious circumstances. Somebody is killing cardinals. But what is going on and why? With the latest death, the Vatican is forced to act. The Church pulls Nate Condon, a young New York attorney, into the investigation. As the history of the crimes unfolds, we are drawn inside the magnificent city of Rome, her ancient secrets, and the most privileged inner sanctums of the Catholic hierarchy.

In the midst of Nate's investigation, more tragedy befalls the Church: The pope dies, a Vatican cardinal commits suicide, and the Mafia murders Nate's primary contact, a self-loathing gay monsignor who is knee-deep in scandal. Soon after, an American cardinal, determined to change the corruption deep within the Church, is elected as the new pope. Will he be able to narrow the divide that is destroying everything he holds dear, or will the schism that separates the Church win out?

Strange Gods was written by two priests with firsthand knowledge of the degree to which the Church will go to cover up financial corruption, abuse of power, sexual scandal, and evil. With an eye on the holiness and grace of ordinary people who keep the Church alive and want to change her future, Strange Gods promises is an exciting, engaging and thought-provoking read.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940158052828
Publisher:	River Grove Books
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	377,399
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Monsignor John Myslinski was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and was raised in the Boston area where he attended Catholic schools and university. He received his BA from Boston College and then joined and remained a member of the Jesuits (New England Province) for eight years. John served as a federal officer with the Capitol Police in Washington, DC, prior to entering the seminary at Mt. St. Mary’s, where he received his MA in Divinity. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington. As the “TV priest” for the District of Columbia, he was the host of the program Real to Reel for six years and celebrated the television Mass for the Washington metropolitan area for eight years. John served as a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves, and was the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Rockville, Maryland, for over a decade. John spent many years working with and for the homeless community in the DC area. He has the double honor of being named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine in 1993 for his work with the homeless, and being named a Monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 2005. In a letter to John on the occasion of his honor by the magazine, President George H. W. Bush wrote, “I commend you for your selfless commitment to those in need, and I thank you for helping to make our Nation's Capital a better place to live.”

Father Peter Daly grew up on the South Side of Chicago, one of eight children. He attended Catholic schools throughout high school and then the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he received his BA in Religious Studies. For five years after college, he built housing for poor and handicapped people in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia through a small non-profit corporation he established. Peter received his JD from Catholic University and practiced law in the nation’s capital. Feeling the call to the priesthood, he entered the seminary and was sent to the North American College in the Vatican, where he lived for five years. He holds an STB degree from the Gregorian University and an STL degree from the Lateran University, both in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1986. He has served at various parishes, notably St. John Vianney in Prince Frederick, Maryland, where he has been pastor since 1994. He was a syndicated columnist for Catholic News Service for twenty years and has written for the Washington Post and the National Catholic Reporter.