Absolution

Montague & Strong Detective Agency #33

by Orlando A. Sanchez

When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Tristan Montague has been under the influence of the corrupted White Heart power with only one solution to bring him back from plunging into complete darkness.
A forbidden cast, named Absolution—a cast that can undo the hold of the dark flame over Monty must be cast.

There is only one complication.

The artifact containing Absolution is located in the Shades, a plane controlled by the Circle of Dusk. In order to access the artifact, Monty and Simon will need a guide. A necromancer willing to risk everything to take them to the Shades.

Now, together with Simon, they must find a powerful necromancer, activate the artifact, purge the corrupted power of the White Heart and survive the Circle of Dusk.

If they fail, Monty will fall into complete darkness.

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2026

About the author

Orlando Sanchez has been writing ever since his teens when he was immersed in creating scenarios for playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends every weekend. An avid reader, his influences are too numerous to list here. Some of the most prominent are: J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Lee Child, George Lucas, Andrew Vachss, and Barry Eisler to name a few in no particular order.
The worlds of his books are urban settings with a twist of the paranormal lurking just behind the scenes and generous doses of magic, martial arts, and mayhem.
Aside from writing, he holds a 2nd and 3rd Dan in two distinct styles of Karate. If not training, he is studying some aspect of the martial arts or martial arts philosophy.
He currently resides in Queens, NY with his family and can often be found in the local Starbucks where most of his writing is done.
Please visit his site at: www.OrlandoASanchez.com for more information about his books and upcoming releases.

Reviews

[Todd]

In what was supposed to be the final book in the trilogy has now become the penultimate book of the quadrilgy.

Simon must go to impossible lengths to remove the dark flame from Monty before it kills him. It's a heck of a ride, the journey being more complicated than the destination.

[Tami]

Wow! Poor Simon! He is the righthand, main support, Aspis to Tristan, and has to try and not only protect him from the nasty, outside sources but now even against Tristan himself! The White Heart got corrupted and its working bad juju! Peaches can smell it, and they both worry. Dex is worried and very angry, the Morrigan is holding a secret from Dex, close to her chest. And what needs to happen is beyond the pale -- they need the help of a necromancer of the elite. Will Tristan be able to overcome this mess? Will Simon be able to be the protector he's meant to be? Will Peaches get more meat to become mightier? Gotta read it to find out!

[Audrey Cienki]

Another Great Story

Absolution by Orlando A Sanchez is another great story. I love Mr Sanchez’s books and somehow they just get better.
In Absolution, Monty has been corrupted and Simon and his friends have to help before it’s too late.
Of course Peaches is part of the story (I love Peaches).
I love that actual locations are used in the stories (yes, I factcheck my fiction). So many interesting tidbits are referenced!
So, in this story Simon and Monty have to find a forbidden cast called Absolution to save Monty. Not an easy task.
Great story!

[Rachel]

Hits the ground running and doesn’t let up

The book starts with limited time for Monty to get a cast that will remove the dark flame taint, and Simon ends up calling on magic he can’t control. I really love how powerful he’s becoming.

[Julie Gray]

Can Simon make progress in saving Monty

So many moving pieces and so little time and why can’t anyone ever speak to Simon in simple clear sentences?
This book series just keeps on giving in the best possible way.

[Trevor]

Monty is still on the edge of darkness, Simon must step up and find a cure and time is running out. Fast paced story as usual, with good support from all the characters.