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The Saint Joseph Plot
Minutes before the biggest Notre Dame football game in decades, the Fighting Irish campus is sent into shock. A bloodied and bruised young woman stumbles from the bedroom of a Notre Dame priest, collapsing amidst the game day crowd. Police identify her as the wayward daughter of local congressman Michael O’Riordan.
On the other side of campus, law student George DeMarco encounters the primary suspect, Father Sean Finnegan, fleeing the university grounds. The alcoholic priest insists that he has been framed. George’s Catholic faith is tested when he agrees to harbor the fugitive, who is an old family friend. This decision throws George into a world of violence and corruption as he races to uncover the truth behind the attack on the congressman’s daughter.
The further George digs, the more questions arise. Have the priest’s demons come back to haunt him? Or is he a pawn in a dangerous political game?
Was Father Finnegan framed by the congressman’s opponent, Jimmy King, an ambitious kid who will do anything to win? Or was it the congressman’s mistress, Gabriella Silva, a Venezuelan spy whose life depends on the election? Or was Father Finnegan set up by Congressman O’Riordan, a thirty-year incumbent desperate to win back public support at any price?
The answer is unveiled on the deadliest Election Day in American history.
This thrilling story of faith, family, and how far you would go for a loved one marks the explosive debut for John M. Persinger.
On the other side of campus, law student George DeMarco encounters the primary suspect, Father Sean Finnegan, fleeing the university grounds. The alcoholic priest insists that he has been framed. George’s Catholic faith is tested when he agrees to harbor the fugitive, who is an old family friend. This decision throws George into a world of violence and corruption as he races to uncover the truth behind the attack on the congressman’s daughter.
The further George digs, the more questions arise. Have the priest’s demons come back to haunt him? Or is he a pawn in a dangerous political game?
Was Father Finnegan framed by the congressman’s opponent, Jimmy King, an ambitious kid who will do anything to win? Or was it the congressman’s mistress, Gabriella Silva, a Venezuelan spy whose life depends on the election? Or was Father Finnegan set up by Congressman O’Riordan, a thirty-year incumbent desperate to win back public support at any price?
The answer is unveiled on the deadliest Election Day in American history.
This thrilling story of faith, family, and how far you would go for a loved one marks the explosive debut for John M. Persinger.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2013
5 people are currently reading
684 people want to read
About the author
John M. Persinger
1 book7 followersJohn M. Persinger graduated from Notre Dame Law School and Harvard College. While at Harvard, John co-captained the varsity swimming and diving team and competed at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. In between college and law school, he worked at the White House and at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia. He practices law and lives with his family in Erie, Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 8, 2013
John M. Persinger is the author of The Saint Joseph Plot. It is his first novel with a follow-up, The Saint Francis Revelation, expected sometime in 2014.
George DeMarco is a law student studying at Notre Dame. He is a hardworking student, a born and raised Catholic, and a loving husband to his new wife Lauren. His faith, marriage, and future are all tested when Father Sean Finnegan claims to be framed for the brutal assault of a young woman. George decides he will help Father Finnegan only to find himself quickly caught up in a mystery bigger than both he and the priest could imagine. Lauren gives her support to George but is completely thrown when an enemy from her past turns up right in the small town of South Bend, Indiana. As George dives deeper into the politics surrounding the assault and Lauren goes on her own mission to figure out what the Venezuelan spy is up to, they find themselves caught up in a deadly political game.
This was a very quick and easy read. I enjoyed the descriptions of Notre Dame and, never having been there, I was captivated by the scenery and atmosphere of the campus on the big game day. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and I thought the twists and turns of the mystery were well laid out. I found it somewhat unbelievable that not only did George find himself involved in a dangerous crime but the same day his ex-CIA operative wife meets up with her long time spy nemesis. Not only do they come face to face but we quickly learn that George and Father Finnegan are connected to the same villainous plot. Not bad ideas just a little too much for one family during one weekend perhaps. I also felt that the read was very much “he said, he thought, she thought, she said”. It just didn’t read very smoothly for me. I did enjoy the book though and I did enjoy the ideas and mystery surrounding the plot. The book just lacked a little bit in the delivery. I will look forward to reading the follow-up, The Saint Francis Revelation, and hopefully the mystery will be just as intriguing.
I received the book, The Saint Joseph Plot, for free through Goodreads First Reads.
George DeMarco is a law student studying at Notre Dame. He is a hardworking student, a born and raised Catholic, and a loving husband to his new wife Lauren. His faith, marriage, and future are all tested when Father Sean Finnegan claims to be framed for the brutal assault of a young woman. George decides he will help Father Finnegan only to find himself quickly caught up in a mystery bigger than both he and the priest could imagine. Lauren gives her support to George but is completely thrown when an enemy from her past turns up right in the small town of South Bend, Indiana. As George dives deeper into the politics surrounding the assault and Lauren goes on her own mission to figure out what the Venezuelan spy is up to, they find themselves caught up in a deadly political game.
This was a very quick and easy read. I enjoyed the descriptions of Notre Dame and, never having been there, I was captivated by the scenery and atmosphere of the campus on the big game day. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and I thought the twists and turns of the mystery were well laid out. I found it somewhat unbelievable that not only did George find himself involved in a dangerous crime but the same day his ex-CIA operative wife meets up with her long time spy nemesis. Not only do they come face to face but we quickly learn that George and Father Finnegan are connected to the same villainous plot. Not bad ideas just a little too much for one family during one weekend perhaps. I also felt that the read was very much “he said, he thought, she thought, she said”. It just didn’t read very smoothly for me. I did enjoy the book though and I did enjoy the ideas and mystery surrounding the plot. The book just lacked a little bit in the delivery. I will look forward to reading the follow-up, The Saint Francis Revelation, and hopefully the mystery will be just as intriguing.
I received the book, The Saint Joseph Plot, for free through Goodreads First Reads.
February 1, 2014
Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. The first problems appeared in the first chapter. My biggest complaint was the constant switching between POVs in order to include foreshadowing or other clues about the mystery. It felt so forced when it would suddenly switch from George's POV in order to present some information. Page 12 starts off from George's POV as he encounters Father Finnegan. Suddenly, it changes as a sentance includes the following:
Suddenly we are changing POV just so the author can include the info that Father Finnegan is nervous. Instances like this were common throughout the book.
Poor grammar structure was also an annoyance. Dangling participles seemed to be the worst offenders, often forcing me to pause so that I could figure out who that participial phrase actually referred to.
No matter how good a story is, and the story wasn't actually that bad, problems like inconsistent POV and poor grammar can completely ruin a book for me, and that is what happened here. With a bit of cleaning up, this book could easily become a four-star book. I feel that Mr. Persinger was done a disservice by his editor, who failed to catch these problems.
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
"A girl . . . um . . . what kind of girl?" asked Father Finnegan, with a hint of nervousness that George did not pick up on.
Suddenly we are changing POV just so the author can include the info that Father Finnegan is nervous. Instances like this were common throughout the book.
Poor grammar structure was also an annoyance. Dangling participles seemed to be the worst offenders, often forcing me to pause so that I could figure out who that participial phrase actually referred to.
No matter how good a story is, and the story wasn't actually that bad, problems like inconsistent POV and poor grammar can completely ruin a book for me, and that is what happened here. With a bit of cleaning up, this book could easily become a four-star book. I feel that Mr. Persinger was done a disservice by his editor, who failed to catch these problems.
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
November 1, 2013
I won & received this book through Goodreads.
It was a great book! A bit anticlimactic at the end, but a great book none-the-less. Great storyline, easy to read--- not a lot of lull for you to wander and get bored. The ending was a bit abrupt though... expected a bit more excitement in how it ended. I do look forward to what's next from John M. Persinger!
It was a great book! A bit anticlimactic at the end, but a great book none-the-less. Great storyline, easy to read--- not a lot of lull for you to wander and get bored. The ending was a bit abrupt though... expected a bit more excitement in how it ended. I do look forward to what's next from John M. Persinger!
August 15, 2013
The book has a lot of twists and turns. It keeps you reading to really find out 'who done it' - Two of the last three standing I expected. But the third..... albeit a slimy politician survived. Persinger, pulled the novel together nicely however he didn't neatly package the ending. It was happily ever after, but only sort of..... Made for a great vacation read.
October 2, 2013
Thank you goodreads for the opportunity to read this book. This is a thriller that keeps you turning the page to see how it is all intertwined. The election day is very deadly and answers to who killed 15 years before.
July 11, 2013
great plot. characters need a little work - a little too conveniently related, but I couldn't put it down! great first book and looking forward to more.
September 16, 2013
I enjoyed The Saint Joseph Plot and its fast paced storyline. Kept me guessing until the end. Great first novel by Mr. Persinger and I am looking forward to his next book.
May 11, 2015
I tried to read this book several times, and never could get past the first chapter. The prose felt forced, not something I want to find in a thriller. I eventually abandoned the book.
I received a complementary copy for review.
I received a complementary copy for review.
January 24, 2014
This is not exactly my favorite genre, but it was very well done. It took me a while to get through, but had a pretty good payoff in the end.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews