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The Trouble With Faith and Other Stories
Faith is a curious thing. It can be a tool or a weapon. A carrot or a stick. It can open our eyes or close them. Make us do things we never thought possible, for better or worse. For Mason Cole, it is the most frightening creature of all. More than vampires, more than ghosts, more than any other to cross his path. It keeps him somewhere he’s not sure he belongs, with a gift he’s not sure he deserves. Wondering whether his faith is more trouble than it's worth. Follow him and the rest of Militia Dei in the aftermath of the gripping final scene from The Miracle Sin in this next chapter as they search for Novak, the blood-sucking fiend that took everything from him. Encountering all manner of vile beings, dark secrets, and many horrors of the so-called “real” world along the way.
478 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2025
3 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Hawke
16 books121 followersMarcus Hawke is a writer primarily of horror and dark fiction, some fantasy and sci-fi, and a few things that defy categorization. He was born in Toronto, moved around quite a bit during the dreaded formative years, and finally settled in Calgary where he studied at the Alberta College of Art and Design.
Many moons before that, he had aspirations of becoming a filmmaker and......well......a long story short, that didn't happen. But one thing that wasn't curtailed in that time was his love for stories and the written word. Starting with the likes of R.L. Stein in childhood, it grew into a full-fledged possession thanks to the works of Stephen King, Anne Rice, Ray Bradbury, and JRR Tolkien.
After years worth of rejections, he finally had a short story called Bump in the Night published in Jitter magazine in 2016. Since then his work has appeared in a number of publications from Dark Pine Publishing, Jitter Press, Lunatics Magazine, Strange Elf Press as well as his first full-length novel, The Miracle Sin, the award-winning collection, Acts of Violence: Twelve Tales of Terror, Grey Noise, The Axe Remembers, You Can't Take It With You, and most recently the follow up to The Miracle Sin: The Trouble With Faith and Other Stories. He also edited the October Blood and Dead of Night anthologies under his imprint, Hawke Haus Books. He lives with his feline overlord in an apartment building haunted by the type of neighbors that make a person wish a ghost would come to visit in the cold, often gloomy great white North.
In his spare time he reads, draws, paints, plays Dungeons & Dragons, and rambles in third person while writing website bios.
Many moons before that, he had aspirations of becoming a filmmaker and......well......a long story short, that didn't happen. But one thing that wasn't curtailed in that time was his love for stories and the written word. Starting with the likes of R.L. Stein in childhood, it grew into a full-fledged possession thanks to the works of Stephen King, Anne Rice, Ray Bradbury, and JRR Tolkien.
After years worth of rejections, he finally had a short story called Bump in the Night published in Jitter magazine in 2016. Since then his work has appeared in a number of publications from Dark Pine Publishing, Jitter Press, Lunatics Magazine, Strange Elf Press as well as his first full-length novel, The Miracle Sin, the award-winning collection, Acts of Violence: Twelve Tales of Terror, Grey Noise, The Axe Remembers, You Can't Take It With You, and most recently the follow up to The Miracle Sin: The Trouble With Faith and Other Stories. He also edited the October Blood and Dead of Night anthologies under his imprint, Hawke Haus Books. He lives with his feline overlord in an apartment building haunted by the type of neighbors that make a person wish a ghost would come to visit in the cold, often gloomy great white North.
In his spare time he reads, draws, paints, plays Dungeons & Dragons, and rambles in third person while writing website bios.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 19, 2025
Eleven stories from The Miracle Sin world. Here we continue to follow Mason, Grim and Militia Dei as they investigate strange and deadly supernatural mysteries around the country all the time looking for clues to the location of their deadliest enemy.
Other Stories
Mason tries therapy and with Grim obtains eye opening information from an old member of Militia Dei.
The Winter Rush
A day in the life of Militia Dei as Mason and Grim are called to investigate the mystery of the tattooed victims.
The Silver Ranch Menace
A mythological creature preying on an isolated ranch needs to be dealt with which leads to an unexpected and unusual family living nearby.
Murder in the Zoo Morgue
How different places are at nighttime, how haunting and surreal, they hide the terrors and the victims.
Burn
Mason lets his hair down in Las Vegas whilst investigating a mysterious blaze and a fiery priest.
Home is Where the Dark is
A classic possession stories with exquisite old school exorcist vibes. The horror is Eldritch with a side of Dante and a spicy witch reveal.
When the Night is Long
Mason’s journal entries as he completes his punishment, detail what has happened as he contemplates his life.
The Inaccurate Conception
A story worthy of The National Enquirer and a warning on appropriate clothing when swimming!
Curse of the Redwood Ripper
He’s back and the axe still remembers. An in depth look at the Ripper’s story and why he protects the forest whilst he runs rampage again.
The Trouble With Faith
A damaged soul does the unthinkable when the line between justice and revenge becomes blurred. Mason suffers a crisis of faith that is raw and emotionally devastating.
The Vampire Strikes Back
Guess who is back and with another twisted game of cat and mouse as Mason and Grim try to put an end to his reign of terror. For fans of this world this story is a revelation!
To fully appreciate these stories I would recommend you read The Miracle Sin, it is incredible and one of my favourite reads of all time. These stories can be read separately but they will make you want to know what happened before, I guarantee it!
The Easter eggs here linking back to previous stories by Marcus, as well as films, TV and books are an utter joy for us sinners 🥰
Other Stories
Mason tries therapy and with Grim obtains eye opening information from an old member of Militia Dei.
The Winter Rush
A day in the life of Militia Dei as Mason and Grim are called to investigate the mystery of the tattooed victims.
The Silver Ranch Menace
A mythological creature preying on an isolated ranch needs to be dealt with which leads to an unexpected and unusual family living nearby.
Murder in the Zoo Morgue
How different places are at nighttime, how haunting and surreal, they hide the terrors and the victims.
Burn
Mason lets his hair down in Las Vegas whilst investigating a mysterious blaze and a fiery priest.
Home is Where the Dark is
A classic possession stories with exquisite old school exorcist vibes. The horror is Eldritch with a side of Dante and a spicy witch reveal.
When the Night is Long
Mason’s journal entries as he completes his punishment, detail what has happened as he contemplates his life.
The Inaccurate Conception
A story worthy of The National Enquirer and a warning on appropriate clothing when swimming!
Curse of the Redwood Ripper
He’s back and the axe still remembers. An in depth look at the Ripper’s story and why he protects the forest whilst he runs rampage again.
The Trouble With Faith
A damaged soul does the unthinkable when the line between justice and revenge becomes blurred. Mason suffers a crisis of faith that is raw and emotionally devastating.
The Vampire Strikes Back
Guess who is back and with another twisted game of cat and mouse as Mason and Grim try to put an end to his reign of terror. For fans of this world this story is a revelation!
To fully appreciate these stories I would recommend you read The Miracle Sin, it is incredible and one of my favourite reads of all time. These stories can be read separately but they will make you want to know what happened before, I guarantee it!
The Easter eggs here linking back to previous stories by Marcus, as well as films, TV and books are an utter joy for us sinners 🥰
September 27, 2025
"That's when I realized that everywhere is haunted."
The Trouble with Faith and Other Stories by Marcus Hawke is the much anticipated sequel to The Miracle Sin. However, those who have read The Miracle Sin will notice something different about this book in the series. It reads more of a montage, with a collection of stories, event, occurrences, and ordeals that Mason has to deal with throughout his journey with the Militia Dei. In a way, it reminded me of the section of a film where there is a training montage, except instead of it zipping by, we get to go in deep with each story.
Within each story there are fragments of Mason and his development, whether for better or for worse. This is, very much, the middle of his development, leading him into dark places within his own mind. I worry for this character and how he might find light after the events of both books. And with Hawke's promise in the author's note "it's going to get worse", I can't see much light for Mason at this time.
The caliber of writing that Hawke puts to paper is astounding. A book of this size is normally quite daunting, and with large chapters too, and yet, I read through this faster than most books I've read this year. Thoroughly engaged, feeling deep for the characters, both new and old, and the tension of "when will Novak show up?" building the entire time...
I urge readers to go into this one with an open mind, because it is a different way of story telling, but the development, emotion, tension, action, everything you're looking for in a book like this, is all there. It's very different from The Miracle Sin, but holds the same heart (albeit a darkened one). It's a bleak look at very real things , shrouded by a supernatural that allows these horrors to be somewhat more digestible. After all, that's what fiction is for, isn't it?
And somehow, my favourite scene was when someone was lying in the mud. I'll say no more, just read it.
"Nobody will care. Nobody ever cares. Everyone's so constantly bombarded by sorrows and misfortunes that it shocks them into apathy."
The Trouble with Faith and Other Stories by Marcus Hawke is the much anticipated sequel to The Miracle Sin. However, those who have read The Miracle Sin will notice something different about this book in the series. It reads more of a montage, with a collection of stories, event, occurrences, and ordeals that Mason has to deal with throughout his journey with the Militia Dei. In a way, it reminded me of the section of a film where there is a training montage, except instead of it zipping by, we get to go in deep with each story.
Within each story there are fragments of Mason and his development, whether for better or for worse. This is, very much, the middle of his development, leading him into dark places within his own mind. I worry for this character and how he might find light after the events of both books. And with Hawke's promise in the author's note "it's going to get worse", I can't see much light for Mason at this time.
The caliber of writing that Hawke puts to paper is astounding. A book of this size is normally quite daunting, and with large chapters too, and yet, I read through this faster than most books I've read this year. Thoroughly engaged, feeling deep for the characters, both new and old, and the tension of "when will Novak show up?" building the entire time...
I urge readers to go into this one with an open mind, because it is a different way of story telling, but the development, emotion, tension, action, everything you're looking for in a book like this, is all there. It's very different from The Miracle Sin, but holds the same heart (albeit a darkened one). It's a bleak look at very real things , shrouded by a supernatural that allows these horrors to be somewhat more digestible. After all, that's what fiction is for, isn't it?
And somehow, my favourite scene was when someone was lying in the mud. I'll say no more, just read it.
"Nobody will care. Nobody ever cares. Everyone's so constantly bombarded by sorrows and misfortunes that it shocks them into apathy."
October 5, 2025
“We are all two things. Saint and sinner. Heroes to some, villains to others. In striving for good we can become wicked. And as we live, we die. Wherever we are, whatever our place in the universe, we are all somewhere in the middle.”
I first discovered Marcus’ work through The Miracle Sin, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and each piece he’s written since then has been a new favorite (Grey Noise in particular holds a special place on my shelf). So imagine my delight/horror when I heard there was to be a followup to the original - a full circle moment as a fan. And it doesn’t disappoint. Revisiting Mason in the aftermath of his journey is just as heart pounding and emotional as the first time. Each chapter is a story within a story. The characters are skillfully portrayed and leave lasting impressions with each scene. (Sarah is one of my personal faves, just fyi!) There are mysteries to be solved and plenty of vampires, ghosts, ghouls, and supernatural phenomena to keep you creeped for days.
I was gifted an ARC but purchased a physical copy for my collection, as I usually do with my favorites. I highly suggest you check it out for yourself… if you dare…
I first discovered Marcus’ work through The Miracle Sin, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and each piece he’s written since then has been a new favorite (Grey Noise in particular holds a special place on my shelf). So imagine my delight/horror when I heard there was to be a followup to the original - a full circle moment as a fan. And it doesn’t disappoint. Revisiting Mason in the aftermath of his journey is just as heart pounding and emotional as the first time. Each chapter is a story within a story. The characters are skillfully portrayed and leave lasting impressions with each scene. (Sarah is one of my personal faves, just fyi!) There are mysteries to be solved and plenty of vampires, ghosts, ghouls, and supernatural phenomena to keep you creeped for days.
I was gifted an ARC but purchased a physical copy for my collection, as I usually do with my favorites. I highly suggest you check it out for yourself… if you dare…
November 11, 2025
This book hit me like a ton of bricks. I was full-on sobbing by the end. Runny nose, tears, the inevitable headache that follows a good cry.
You should read it. 😈
Marcus Hawke is a wizard with words. The balance of humor and heaviness is absolute perfection. It’s rare that I feel so seen in any particular character, but Mason Cole is relatable as heck. Not in his experiences or personality, per say, but in his internal struggle to make sense of it all. The whole of the Miracle Sin series (so far… more to come) is absolutely what this twisted reader needed.
I struggled with the fact that it took me so long to finish what I started here, but I now understand that the Emily of one month… heck… one week ago could not have handled the depths of this story. So there’s your warning: Read this particular book when you’re feeling strong of mind and ready to address the slew of questions you’ve been keeping locked away for a rainy day.
The Trouble With Faith was well worth the wait. I can’t wait to see what Marcus comes up with next.
You should read it. 😈
Marcus Hawke is a wizard with words. The balance of humor and heaviness is absolute perfection. It’s rare that I feel so seen in any particular character, but Mason Cole is relatable as heck. Not in his experiences or personality, per say, but in his internal struggle to make sense of it all. The whole of the Miracle Sin series (so far… more to come) is absolutely what this twisted reader needed.
I struggled with the fact that it took me so long to finish what I started here, but I now understand that the Emily of one month… heck… one week ago could not have handled the depths of this story. So there’s your warning: Read this particular book when you’re feeling strong of mind and ready to address the slew of questions you’ve been keeping locked away for a rainy day.
The Trouble With Faith was well worth the wait. I can’t wait to see what Marcus comes up with next.
November 12, 2025
absolutely loved the concept of short stories! just like the miracle sin and all of hawkes work before this I was completely gripped from the first sentence!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews