What do you think?
Rate this book
Agnus Dei
A GRIPPING NOVEL OF EVIL, JUSTICE, SACRIFICE & ATONEMENT...
As a junior barrister, Brendan Connolly receives a brief to defend a notorious paedophile.
Although only assisting the QC, the silk is compromised mid-trial and forced to resign, leaving Brendan to assume the defence. He achieves the almost impossible – a verdict of not guilty by way of insanity – but the prospect of turning Johnson loose proves too much for the sincere and principled young barrister. In a shock move he dumps his girlfriend, defies his parents and quits the Bar to become a Jesuit priest.
Twenty years later, hearing confession, he is confronted by the very same man. Coerced into defending his latest charge of murder, Brendan finds an unique way of turning the tables on the evil predator.
Agnus Dei twists and turns its way through a maze of evil deeds and moving challenges. With thrilling developments in a life or death pursuit of justice and retribution, the unexpected is always around the corner, heightening the suspense, right to the last pages!
As a junior barrister, Brendan Connolly receives a brief to defend a notorious paedophile.
Although only assisting the QC, the silk is compromised mid-trial and forced to resign, leaving Brendan to assume the defence. He achieves the almost impossible – a verdict of not guilty by way of insanity – but the prospect of turning Johnson loose proves too much for the sincere and principled young barrister. In a shock move he dumps his girlfriend, defies his parents and quits the Bar to become a Jesuit priest.
Twenty years later, hearing confession, he is confronted by the very same man. Coerced into defending his latest charge of murder, Brendan finds an unique way of turning the tables on the evil predator.
Agnus Dei twists and turns its way through a maze of evil deeds and moving challenges. With thrilling developments in a life or death pursuit of justice and retribution, the unexpected is always around the corner, heightening the suspense, right to the last pages!
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2014
22 people want to read
About the author
Darryl Greer
10 books364 followersDarryl was born, educated and spent the first chapter of his working life in Queensland, Australia. He was raised and educated on the Gold Coast but his education was cut short – by him, due to the sheer boredom of it – and at the age of 15 he left to work on a milk run. He went on to work as a window cleaner, cocktail barman, wine waiter, clerk, car salesman and a guitarist/backing singer in a rather hopeless rock band. Eventually, he got his act together, studied Law and at 28 owned his own law firm in Queensland’s far north. After nine years in the tropics he became bored with constant blue skies, gently swaying coconut palms and scuba-diving on the Great Barrier Reef, so he sold up and moved with his family to London. He practised there for twenty years specialising in commercial litigation, mostly at partner level in the City. In 2004 he returned to Queensland and now lives with his daughter in the Gold Coast hinterland.
As an author, Darryl has written in his spare time for as long as he can remember. Prior to his focussing on novels, he had a respectable number of paid articles published in British and international magazines. In 2009 he self-published his novel "The Election," a political thriller. In 2012 he won a competition with one of his other manuscripts "Calvus," and this led to a publishing contract with Morris Publishing Australia. With the demise of that publisher he has re-published that title himself.
Following another successful competition win, Darryl signed contracts with Custom Book Publications for the publication of three of his novels. "Agnus Dei," a legal thriller was published in February 2014, "Sleeping With Angels", another legal thriller followed in November 2014 and "A Dragon In The Snow" in October 2015. "Bounty" was published on 10 July 2019. In a departure from writing novels, Darryl published his memoir "...Passing Through..." in 2020. In June 2023, Darryl published "Zeno" a sequel to his novel, "Calvus" published in 2011.
You can check out Darryl's articles on Substack:
https://darrylgreer.substack.com
All of Darryl's books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle eBook.
Darryl continues to write. Apart from writing, Darryl enjoys walking, travel, cinema and, of course, reading thrillers. He also continues his love of music and can be found on the music platform audius.co
Darryl's mission statement: "I aim to achieve optimal enjoyment from whatever I write and at the same time, transport my readers to another dimension, free from their daily grind."
Links:
https://darrylgreer.wordpress.com
https://www.instagram.com/darrylgreer...
https://twitter.com/DarrylGreer16
https://www.facebook.com/darryl.greer..." width="480" height="320" style="border:1px solid #EEE; background:white;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no">
As an author, Darryl has written in his spare time for as long as he can remember. Prior to his focussing on novels, he had a respectable number of paid articles published in British and international magazines. In 2009 he self-published his novel "The Election," a political thriller. In 2012 he won a competition with one of his other manuscripts "Calvus," and this led to a publishing contract with Morris Publishing Australia. With the demise of that publisher he has re-published that title himself.
Following another successful competition win, Darryl signed contracts with Custom Book Publications for the publication of three of his novels. "Agnus Dei," a legal thriller was published in February 2014, "Sleeping With Angels", another legal thriller followed in November 2014 and "A Dragon In The Snow" in October 2015. "Bounty" was published on 10 July 2019. In a departure from writing novels, Darryl published his memoir "...Passing Through..." in 2020. In June 2023, Darryl published "Zeno" a sequel to his novel, "Calvus" published in 2011.
You can check out Darryl's articles on Substack:
https://darrylgreer.substack.com
All of Darryl's books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle eBook.
Darryl continues to write. Apart from writing, Darryl enjoys walking, travel, cinema and, of course, reading thrillers. He also continues his love of music and can be found on the music platform audius.co
Darryl's mission statement: "I aim to achieve optimal enjoyment from whatever I write and at the same time, transport my readers to another dimension, free from their daily grind."
Links:
https://darrylgreer.wordpress.com
https://www.instagram.com/darrylgreer...
https://twitter.com/DarrylGreer16
https://www.facebook.com/darryl.greer..." width="480" height="320" style="border:1px solid #EEE; background:white;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no">
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 25, 2020
Page by page, the contents of Darryl Greer’s Agnus Dei have got me sitting at the edge of my seat!
The scenes inside the court room would probably be my favorite. I keep on imagining each of them in my head. This book would be perfect to be made into a movie.
Darryl Greer’s extraordinary narration is what keeps the book more exciting and beguiling than usual novels.
With the help of this book, I think I have found my favorite author. It’s obviously Darryl Greer! He has the quality of an extreme expert author. The structure of his words is perfection and the way he describes and depicts every scene is clear and vivid.
I don’t think anyone should NOT read this book! It’s worth it.
The scenes inside the court room would probably be my favorite. I keep on imagining each of them in my head. This book would be perfect to be made into a movie.
Darryl Greer’s extraordinary narration is what keeps the book more exciting and beguiling than usual novels.
With the help of this book, I think I have found my favorite author. It’s obviously Darryl Greer! He has the quality of an extreme expert author. The structure of his words is perfection and the way he describes and depicts every scene is clear and vivid.
I don’t think anyone should NOT read this book! It’s worth it.
August 26, 2020
The suspense brought by Agnus Dei just keeps getting better and better. You obviously cannot put down this book once you get a hold of it. Aside from the thrill the plot offers, it also carries so much sense into the real world. It talks about justice, the good and the bad, atonement, and many more.
The main character, Brendan Connolly is clearly created into perfection!
I could just imagine this book being deeply talked about in book clubs, in literature classes, even in small group discussions of friends. This book deserves to be a global trend.
The main character, Brendan Connolly is clearly created into perfection!
I could just imagine this book being deeply talked about in book clubs, in literature classes, even in small group discussions of friends. This book deserves to be a global trend.
August 27, 2020
It's the first thriller book I've read and I was amazed! Was hesitant when a friend recommended this to me but it was definitely worth my time.
The main character, Brendan Connolly, is a genius. He struggled when his profession made him stand by a person who committed heinous crimes that conflicted with his virtues. Who would have thought that he could redeem himself the way he did?
Darryl Greer gave life to a literary masterpiece with this book's unending plot twists. He should be praised for his wit, style, and intelligence. His work convinced me to explore other genres too. I just love how this book entertained me from beginning until the end and I'd love to see this on the big screen next time!
The main character, Brendan Connolly, is a genius. He struggled when his profession made him stand by a person who committed heinous crimes that conflicted with his virtues. Who would have thought that he could redeem himself the way he did?
Darryl Greer gave life to a literary masterpiece with this book's unending plot twists. He should be praised for his wit, style, and intelligence. His work convinced me to explore other genres too. I just love how this book entertained me from beginning until the end and I'd love to see this on the big screen next time!
August 26, 2020
This book is the most powerful I have ever read! It has so much substance. The contents speak so much of the real world. I could not just put into words how much I adore the plot, but I will try:
The way the author chronicles every detail of every chapter is just magical. A reader could easily picture them in their minds, and they will be engaged.
The way the author created every character – each with their distinct and ragged personality – is just astonishing. The author’s imagination is obviously unparalleled.
I can’t wait to talk about this book to everyone I know.
The way the author chronicles every detail of every chapter is just magical. A reader could easily picture them in their minds, and they will be engaged.
The way the author created every character – each with their distinct and ragged personality – is just astonishing. The author’s imagination is obviously unparalleled.
I can’t wait to talk about this book to everyone I know.
August 27, 2020
Darryl Greer did it again! We now have another remarkable work of him – Agnus Dei.
Greer’s works are just beyond beautiful. It is pretty clear he is an expert in his craft.
In this book, the plot twists are obviously shaped well by a genius. The dialogues are to die for. The scenes are visionary.
Greer develops his characters and makes a clear representation of the reality of the world. Not only does he bring the readers pure drama, he also brings awareness to the injustices and evil around us.
I recommend this book to those who love thrilling moments and breathtaking scenes.
Greer’s works are just beyond beautiful. It is pretty clear he is an expert in his craft.
In this book, the plot twists are obviously shaped well by a genius. The dialogues are to die for. The scenes are visionary.
Greer develops his characters and makes a clear representation of the reality of the world. Not only does he bring the readers pure drama, he also brings awareness to the injustices and evil around us.
I recommend this book to those who love thrilling moments and breathtaking scenes.
August 25, 2020
In my years and years of reading all kinds of novels, I have never seen anything like Agnus Dei by Darryl Greer!
I swear, the thrills of this story are perfectly unmatched. I am familiar with Darryl Greer and his works, but in this book, I never expected I was up for something this unique and astonishing story. I have to say, I admire Brendan Connolly’s character. The transition of his development as the protagonist is quite surreal and overwhelming.
This book is one to be passed on for ages! A must-read!
I swear, the thrills of this story are perfectly unmatched. I am familiar with Darryl Greer and his works, but in this book, I never expected I was up for something this unique and astonishing story. I have to say, I admire Brendan Connolly’s character. The transition of his development as the protagonist is quite surreal and overwhelming.
This book is one to be passed on for ages! A must-read!
April 20, 2022
From the opening paragraph of Chapter 1 with the atmospheric description of the summer evening I was drawn into the fabric of the storytelling. The author never let my attention or interest waver from the pages of the novel building suspense and riveting twists with each chapter.
There is a serial murderer named Thomas Henry Johnson that commits heinous acts to little girls. As the novel begins, Rod Blake is the attorney representing Thomas from Legal Aid and is able to designate a senior counsel team for trial. Brendan Connolly is a junior barrister assigned to assist Gavin Armitage QC. Can this case meet the rule of law governing the insanity defense?
Brendan anticipated becoming a Jesuit priest following in the footsteps of his mentor. However, as an only child Brendan's parents wanted him to follow a different path but their ultimate wish was for their son to get married and give them grandchildren. Brendan began to follow his parents' dream pursuing education that led him to becoming an attorney. Brendan's education, religious beliefs, and his friendship with his mentor contribute to the fascinating background of this novel.
The authenticity in a legal thriller being written by an attorney adds realism in every aspect of the novel set in Australia. Specifically, this novel is the most intriguing, gripping, and suspenseful legal thriller I've ever read. In particular it is thought-provoking in the magnitude of implications using the insanity defense as ultimately society bears the mark if the outcome in the courtroom should have been different.
Note: The novel is graphic and not for the faint of heart but especially for those interested in reading powerful, roller-coaster thrillers it should not be skipped.
There is a serial murderer named Thomas Henry Johnson that commits heinous acts to little girls. As the novel begins, Rod Blake is the attorney representing Thomas from Legal Aid and is able to designate a senior counsel team for trial. Brendan Connolly is a junior barrister assigned to assist Gavin Armitage QC. Can this case meet the rule of law governing the insanity defense?
Brendan anticipated becoming a Jesuit priest following in the footsteps of his mentor. However, as an only child Brendan's parents wanted him to follow a different path but their ultimate wish was for their son to get married and give them grandchildren. Brendan began to follow his parents' dream pursuing education that led him to becoming an attorney. Brendan's education, religious beliefs, and his friendship with his mentor contribute to the fascinating background of this novel.
The authenticity in a legal thriller being written by an attorney adds realism in every aspect of the novel set in Australia. Specifically, this novel is the most intriguing, gripping, and suspenseful legal thriller I've ever read. In particular it is thought-provoking in the magnitude of implications using the insanity defense as ultimately society bears the mark if the outcome in the courtroom should have been different.
Note: The novel is graphic and not for the faint of heart but especially for those interested in reading powerful, roller-coaster thrillers it should not be skipped.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews