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The Acolyte: A Novel
Faith moves mountains, but trembles before the face of evil.
Hank is thirteen, head altar boy at a traditional Catholic parish, and devoted to three things: the Church, his brotherhood of altar boys, and Nora, whose father is the archbishop's lawyer. When the FBI raids the cathedral and seizes evidence, they need Hank. So does the Church, for opposite reasons.
Caught between Adrienne, a young federal prosecutor building a case against a cybercrime network, and an institution that demands his silence, Hank goes looking for the truth in the catacombs beneath the cathedral. What he finds shakes his faith in everything but his true love.
In The Acolyte, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Richard Dooling tells a dark, funny, and fearless story about innocence, holiness, romantic love, and the nature of evil.
Hank is thirteen, head altar boy at a traditional Catholic parish, and devoted to three things: the Church, his brotherhood of altar boys, and Nora, whose father is the archbishop's lawyer. When the FBI raids the cathedral and seizes evidence, they need Hank. So does the Church, for opposite reasons.
Caught between Adrienne, a young federal prosecutor building a case against a cybercrime network, and an institution that demands his silence, Hank goes looking for the truth in the catacombs beneath the cathedral. What he finds shakes his faith in everything but his true love.
In The Acolyte, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Richard Dooling tells a dark, funny, and fearless story about innocence, holiness, romantic love, and the nature of evil.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2026
About the author
Richard Dooling
26 books51 followersRichard Dooling's first novel, Critical Care, became a film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring James Spader and Helen Mirren. His second novel, White Man's Grave, was a finalist for the 1994 National Book Award. Brain Storm and Bet Your Life were both New York Times Notable Books of the Year.
His nonfiction includes Blue Streak, on swearing and free speech, and Rapture for the Geeks: When AI Outsmarts IQ.
His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. In 2003–2004, he helped write and produce Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital for ABC.
His latest books are Send the Dead, a novella and four stories, and The Acolyte, a novel (June 2026).
After college, Dooling worked as a respiratory therapist in intensive care units and spent a year traveling in West Africa — experiences that informed his first two novels. He practiced law in St. Louis and now lives in Montana with his wife, Kristy.
Subscribe to "I Would Prefer Not To," a quarterly newsletter by Richard Dooling, with links to his recent published essays, news about upcoming books, and new Kindle Unlimited editions of his old books. Sign up at dooling.com or at https://newsletter.dooling.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 17, 2026
3☆
Full of religious, Catholic, pomp The Acolyte is a book written for readers who enjoy detailed description of the accouterments of Catholic services. It was a bit too much for me. The book is also a mystery.
Hank is a 13 year old devout altar boy. In fact he is made the head altar boy. He and his brother altar boys are drawn into the seedy investigation of child pornography the FBI has launched into the church.
Be prepared to read about the darkweb and all things connected to it, as well as a lot of computer lingo. Again, this was a bit too much for me.
I received a copy of The Acolyte for free, and I am voluntarily leaving my opinions of this novel. Thank you to the author, publisher and Goodreads for this opportunity.
Favorite Quote:
"The secrets of the trade stay secret. And the brothers protect the Brotherhood."
Full of religious, Catholic, pomp The Acolyte is a book written for readers who enjoy detailed description of the accouterments of Catholic services. It was a bit too much for me. The book is also a mystery.
Hank is a 13 year old devout altar boy. In fact he is made the head altar boy. He and his brother altar boys are drawn into the seedy investigation of child pornography the FBI has launched into the church.
Be prepared to read about the darkweb and all things connected to it, as well as a lot of computer lingo. Again, this was a bit too much for me.
I received a copy of The Acolyte for free, and I am voluntarily leaving my opinions of this novel. Thank you to the author, publisher and Goodreads for this opportunity.
Favorite Quote:
"The secrets of the trade stay secret. And the brothers protect the Brotherhood."
June 23, 2026
Such mixed feelings - spoiler alert
On one hand the book held my interest, leaving me wanting to turn pages quickly. I learned a great deal about child exploitation rings and the process of apprehending offenders. As a Catholic I understood and appreciated the use of the church, priests, and those who protect them, though of course the author could have pointed out that people of many different backgrounds are involved. I also found the descriptions of the people working to identify offenders quite interesting as this has to be grueling, nightmarish work.
On the other hand, there were numerous unexplored themes such as an altar boy deeply dedicated to the church but seemingly without issues about smoking pot at 13 and the parental abuse he suffered.
Most of all the ending was abrupt. I found myself saying WHAAATT? This seems to be more common in books these days and I am not a fan.
On one hand the book held my interest, leaving me wanting to turn pages quickly. I learned a great deal about child exploitation rings and the process of apprehending offenders. As a Catholic I understood and appreciated the use of the church, priests, and those who protect them, though of course the author could have pointed out that people of many different backgrounds are involved. I also found the descriptions of the people working to identify offenders quite interesting as this has to be grueling, nightmarish work.
On the other hand, there were numerous unexplored themes such as an altar boy deeply dedicated to the church but seemingly without issues about smoking pot at 13 and the parental abuse he suffered.
Most of all the ending was abrupt. I found myself saying WHAAATT? This seems to be more common in books these days and I am not a fan.
July 25, 2026
This story grabs and holds to the end. The main character is a gifted eighth grader in a private Catholic school. He thinks he knows everything but he is naive in many ways. Hank and his friends are altar boys, mainly because it enables them to run a successful anonymous business on the dark web. The pocket cash is not worth it when they become embroiled in a more sinister dark web plot. The legal jargon and computer jargon are spot on. I thought it was great!
August 13, 2026
Balanced
Great job Rich you did a great job of balancing the life of a grade school alter boy with a love story. You brought boyhood growing pains, the legal system, the Catholic church and an accidental righteous death together. The details of Omaha was a good touch.
Great job Rich you did a great job of balancing the life of a grade school alter boy with a love story. You brought boyhood growing pains, the legal system, the Catholic church and an accidental righteous death together. The details of Omaha was a good touch.
August 31, 2026
page turner
Such an interesting read so it got 5 stars - only because you cannot give 6 or 7 stars .
Such an interesting read so it got 5 stars - only because you cannot give 6 or 7 stars .
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews