John Deegan

by Louis Romano, F. Spaaij (Editor)

In the captivating debut novel *Intercession*, author Louis Romano introduces us to the enigmatic John Deegan, a character who both fascinates and horrifies, captivating the hearts of readers despite his dark proclivities as a serial killer. But who, exactly, is John Deegan?



John Joseph Deegan, the second of six children born to Jack Joseph Deegan and Maureen Duffy, carries the weight of his Irish heritage, with a hint of German ancestry woven into his lineage. Raised in the vibrant yet gritty streets of the Bronx, New York, he was burdened with the expectations of his devout mother, who fervently believed he was destined for greatness.



From an early age, Maureen instilled in John the belief that he was chosen for a sacred calling-to become a priest and ascend to the highest echelons of the Catholic Church, perhaps even reaching the Vatican as a cardinal. Yet, deep down, John never shared this ambition. The pressure to fulfill his mother's dreams weighed heavily on him, shaping his identity in ways he could not yet comprehend.



Tragically, his childhood took a dark turn when, in the second grade of Catholic elementary school, he became the target of a predatory priest. This harrowing experience would irrevocably alter the trajectory of his life and the lives of countless others. It marked the beginning of a tumultuous journey that would lead him far from the path his mother envisioned.



As he navigated the halls of high school, John distinguished himself as the most diligent student, a model of compliance. Yet, his molester, seeking to exploit him, passed him on to his superior, the bishop. After graduating as valedictorian, John dutifully followed his mother's wishes and enrolled at Villanova University, eventually entering the seminary. However, the specter of sexual deviance loomed large, forcing him to abandon his clerical aspirations and enlist in the United States Army.



His exceptional intellect and aptitude led him to Special Operations, a euphemism for a life steeped in covert, lethal endeavors. John excelled in the shadows to the extent that the government sought to retain him for further clandestine missions. But instead of continuing down that path, he channeled his genius into the world of finance, amassing not just millions, but billions on Wall Street. With his fortune secured, he retired, liberated to pursue his true revenge.



With no ties to a wife, children, or hobbies, John embarked on a relentless quest for vengeance, starting with the very priest who had shattered his childhood. Armed with a hand-sharpened wooden crucifix, he sent his tormentor to the depths of hell. What began as a singular act of retribution ignited a fervor within him-he discovered not just a taste for killing, but a profound love for it.



Thus began his crusade, a mission to avenge the innocent and vulnerable, propelling him into the ranks of the most wanted serial killers in history. His bloody path led him to the very heart of the Vatican, where infamy awaited him. The more he killed, the deeper he sank into the intoxicating thrill of his dark pursuits...

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2025

Reviews

[Femke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked to read this book, and wow...

The book opens with a shocking memory, but it is where the Story starts.
John Deegan tells you the story of his life, how he became the most wanted man on earth. The choices he made, as well as his struggles and regrets.

Louis Romano brought John Deegan to life in a manner that was not expected. The way he lets John tell the story makes you sit up and want to read it all.

It intrigues from start to finish.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this.

[Eleanorhayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Romano’s John Deegan functions less as a crime novel and more as a longitudinal study of moral corrosion. The book traces how sustained abuse, religious absolutism, and institutional silence converge to produce a personality capable of extreme violence. What makes the novel compelling is not John’s brutality, but the methodical way his intelligence is shaped, redirected, and ultimately weaponized. Romano avoids sensationalism, instead presenting violence as an outcome rather than a spectacle. The result is a disturbing but intellectually grounded examination of how systems fail long before individuals do.

[Rose Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading John Deegan feels like examining a psychological case file rather than consuming a traditional novel. Each phase of John’s life operates as a diagnostic layer, childhood indoctrination, clerical abuse, military conditioning, financial domination, and finally moral collapse. Romano doesn’t rush this evolution. He allows the reader to observe how discipline replaces empathy and how control substitutes for healing. By the time John embraces violence, it feels less like a transformation and more like an inevitable conclusion.

[M. Dutchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read this book already. I was asked to read it, and I loved it. I'm not a fan of the genre, but John Deegan intrigues, fascinates, and his look on the world wants you to be team John Deegan. A serial killer created by abuse, looking for justice.

Louis Romano wrote the book entirely from John's point of view, and this pulls you in, making you want to keep reading. John tells you the story of his life...

[Amy Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At its core, John Deegan is about neglected responsibility. Every institution John encounters the Church, the military, finance benefits from his competence while ignoring his damage. Romano suggests that society often rewards functionality over wellbeing, even when the cost is catastrophic. The novel reads like an indictment of systems that value silence, loyalty, and results more than accountability.

[Tamsin Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Religion in John Deegan is neither hero nor villain; it is a force that magnifies whatever touches it. Romano presents faith as something that can nurture purpose or enable destruction, depending on who controls it. The novel’s use of Catholic imagery crucifixes, vocation, sacrifice is deliberately unsettling, especially as these symbols are reclaimed through violence. This is not an attack on belief, but a condemnation of blind authority and spiritual coercion.

[Marian Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Deegan is written with unnerving clarity. He is intelligent, disciplined, and emotionally sealed off, shaped by expectations that were never his own. What stands out is how little the novel relies on external validation John does not seek approval, forgiveness, or even recognition. His evolution is internal and solitary, which makes him far more frightening than a typical antagonist. Romano understands that the most dangerous characters are the ones who no longer need justification.

[Clara Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a crime fiction standpoint, John Deegan breaks convention. There is no cat and mouse chase, no triumphant investigator, and no moral closure. Instead, the novel follows the criminal’s formation, not his pursuit. This choice strips away procedural comfort and forces readers to confront violence without the reassurance of justice. It’s a risky narrative decision that ultimately strengthens the book’s impact.

[Nehemiah Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of John Deegan: The Chosen One is a compelling exploration of destiny, identity, and inner strength. Louis Romano crafts a protagonist who feels deeply human while navigating extraordinary circumstances. The pacing is steady, the themes are meaningful, and the story leaves a lasting impression.

[Adam Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of John Deegan: The Chosen One is a compelling exploration of faith, destiny, and inner conflict. Louis Romano crafts a dark, atmospheric narrative that steadily builds tension while raising thoughtful spiritual questions. Readers who enjoy symbolic storytelling will find this book especially engaging.

[Michael Chabon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romano’s prose is direct and unsentimental. There’s no lyrical padding, no attempt to beautify violence or trauma. This restraint gives the story credibility, especially when dealing with extreme subject matter. The writing trusts the material enough not to overexplain it, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions which makes the experience more unsettling.

[Joan Didion · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel raises an uncomfortable ethical question. does intent matter when outcomes are monstrous, John believes he is correcting a moral imbalance, yet the narrative consistently shows how that belief erodes any remaining humanity. John Deegan refuses to frame revenge as justice, presenting it instead as a self consuming logic that cannot be contained once unleashed.

[Eleanor Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book for casual entertainment. John Deegan deals with abuse, religious trauma, and extreme violence in a way that is intentionally confrontational. Readers looking for redemption arcs or heroic framing will not find them here. What they will find is a grim, carefully constructed descent that prioritizes honesty over comfort.

[Gail Tsukiyama · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Deegan is a challenging debut that succeeds because it knows exactly what it wants to be. It does not seek to justify its protagonist, nor does it simplify his evil. Instead, Louis Romano delivers a controlled, unsettling narrative about how damage compounds when left unaddressed. This is a novel meant to provoke reflection, not reassurance and it accomplishes that goal with confidence.

[Damien Rousseau · Rating 4 out of 5]

What makes this novel unsettling is how accurately it portrays unresolved trauma. John doesn’t snap, he calcifies. Every system meant to protect him instead trains him to suppress, obey, and outperform. The story shows how trauma doesn’t always produce visible dysfunction sometimes it produces terrifying efficiency. Romano’s refusal to romanticize survival makes this book difficult but honest.

[Camille Girard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn’t ask you to judge John Deegan it asks you to watch him. That distance is intentional and effective. You’re not guided emotionally, you’re positioned as a witness to a long chain of failures. By the end, the horror isn’t just John’s actions, but how many opportunities existed to prevent them. Closing the book feels like leaving a crime scene you were never allowed to intervene in.

[Mark Twain · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Deegan mirrors its subject. controlled, linear, and unyielding. There are no stylistic detours or sentimental pauses. This rigidity works in the novel’s favor, reinforcing the sense that John’s life is a sequence of locked doors rather than choices. Romano’s restraint may frustrate some readers, but it reinforces the thematic core of inevitability.

[James R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Deegan quietly explores inherited expectation as a form of violence. His mother’s certainty about his destiny is portrayed not as love, but as erasure. Romano suggests that when identity is imposed rather than discovered, the result can be catastrophic. This generational pressure becomes the unseen engine driving the story long before blood is spilled.

[Théo Marchand · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing indulgent in this novel. No unnecessary subplots, no gratuitous exposition. Every stage of John’s life serves a purpose. Romano writes with discipline, allowing silence and implication to do much of the work. The effect is a story that feels heavier than it is long a mark of controlled storytelling.

[Leon De · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the final chapters, the novel induces a kind of moral fatigue and that seems intentional. John’s crusade becomes increasingly hollow, stripped of its original justification. The reader feels the same depletion John does, watching purpose dissolve into compulsion. Few novels successfully make emptiness feel this tangible.

[Camden Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not an anti hero story, despite what the premise might suggest. Romano systematically dismantles any temptation to root for John. Intelligence, discipline, and suffering are shown not as redeeming qualities, but as tools that can just as easily serve destruction. The book refuses the fantasy that pain creates nobility.

[F. Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tone of John Deegan is cold without being cruel. Romano maintains emotional distance, which prevents the narrative from tipping into exploitation. The writing trusts the reader to sit with discomfort rather than guiding them toward emotional resolution. This restraint elevates the novel beyond genre conventions.

[Heath Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

What lingers after reading this book is not fear of John, but anger at the systems surrounding him. Romano paints institutions as efficient, self protective, and morally evasive. Each one passes John along once he becomes inconvenient. The novel argues that monsters are often manufactured through negligence rather than born.

[Emmanuel Loveth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delivers a powerful narrative about purpose and transformation. John Deegan’s journey is engaging and emotionally grounded, making it easy to connect with his struggles and growth. Romano’s storytelling keeps the reader invested from beginning to end.

[Davis Viola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Romano blends suspense and introspection beautifully in this story. The idea of being “chosen” is handled with depth rather than cliché, allowing the reader to reflect on fate versus free will. A thoughtful and well-written read.

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel delivers a powerful blend of mystery and spirituality. Romano’s writing is vivid and immersive, pulling the reader into John Deegan’s journey from the very first chapter. The themes of redemption and purpose are handled with depth and sincerity, making this a memorable read.

[Amelia Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and thought-provoking story that doesn’t shy away from darker tones. The author balances action with introspection effectively, allowing the protagonist to feel both human and significant. The symbolism throughout the novel adds layers that reward attentive readers.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Romano demonstrates strong storytelling skills with a clear vision and consistent pacing. The book’s religious undertones are woven naturally into the narrative rather than feeling forced. A solid choice for readers interested in faith-based fiction with a dramatic edge.

[Mary Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotionally charged and meaningful novel. John Deegan’s struggles feel authentic, and the moral dilemmas he faces resonate long after finishing the book. The author’s ability to combine suspense with spiritual reflection is particularly impressive.

[Lydia Bookman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book stayed with me in an uncomfortable way. John Deegan isn’t shocking because of what happens, but because of how inevitable it feels. Watching John move from a frightened child into something unrecognizable is painful, especially knowing how many chances there were to intervene. The story doesn’t ask for sympathy, but it quietly demands acknowledgment of how trauma, when ignored, mutates.