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A Fall From Grace
David never intended to become a soldier. He planned on following his faith and become a Catholic priest. The Church, however, had other ideas for his future.
After Father Reed is found dead in Philadelphia, David is sent by the Vatican to assist Detective Peter O'Malley in the murder investigation. What they find is a terrorist plot to unleash a jihad against the Catholic Church in America.
Racing against time, David and O’Malley try to prevent a holy war. When his mother and his former girlfriend become targets, David discovers just how far he will go to protect his loved ones and his Church.
After Father Reed is found dead in Philadelphia, David is sent by the Vatican to assist Detective Peter O'Malley in the murder investigation. What they find is a terrorist plot to unleash a jihad against the Catholic Church in America.
Racing against time, David and O’Malley try to prevent a holy war. When his mother and his former girlfriend become targets, David discovers just how far he will go to protect his loved ones and his Church.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2017
7 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 30, 2017
Terrorism, holy war, and assassinations are the explosive fuel in FALL FROM GRACE, a gripping thriller and suspense novel. Author James Wilcox crafts a taught page-turner, unfolding on opposite sides of the world. The novel raises tough questions about what is done in the name of religion, about good and evil, about heroes and villains. These questions are mirrored in the hero, David, struggling to be a priest, and all that suggests, but required as a soldier to kill. His internal conflicts emerge in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Alanna, and the family drama that ensues provided just the right amount of respite from the breakneck speed of the story.
Wilcox wisely avoids portraying stereotypes. Saladin, a near mythical and ghostly terrorist who has declared holy war on the West, harbors a terrible secret. This secret in no way excuses what he does, but humanizes him and makes his motives understandable. And David, yearning to be a priest, denied that by the Holy See, forced instead into the role of an assassin, struggles with moral and religious questions about killing in the name of religion.
But what riveted me was the story of Nadia and her father, Rakim. The plight of this innocent thirteen-year-old girl, doomed and trapped by expectations of culture and custom, pulled on my heart strings, as did the tender and protective feelings of her father, who stood by her, loving and risking everything.
Weapons, religion, and cultural norms and expectations were well researched—the details about clothing, foods, and the customs of Afghanistan brought the land and people to life. The specificity of the assassins’ weapons brought to mind one of my favorite thriller and suspense writers, Clive Cussler.
This was a fun ride that hurtles to a powerful climax. Well worth five stars.
Wilcox wisely avoids portraying stereotypes. Saladin, a near mythical and ghostly terrorist who has declared holy war on the West, harbors a terrible secret. This secret in no way excuses what he does, but humanizes him and makes his motives understandable. And David, yearning to be a priest, denied that by the Holy See, forced instead into the role of an assassin, struggles with moral and religious questions about killing in the name of religion.
But what riveted me was the story of Nadia and her father, Rakim. The plight of this innocent thirteen-year-old girl, doomed and trapped by expectations of culture and custom, pulled on my heart strings, as did the tender and protective feelings of her father, who stood by her, loving and risking everything.
Weapons, religion, and cultural norms and expectations were well researched—the details about clothing, foods, and the customs of Afghanistan brought the land and people to life. The specificity of the assassins’ weapons brought to mind one of my favorite thriller and suspense writers, Clive Cussler.
This was a fun ride that hurtles to a powerful climax. Well worth five stars.
March 4, 2018
When several Catholic priests are assassinated in their Philadelphia churches, authorities turn to David, a former soldier, and Detective Peter O’Malley to investigate the murders. What they uncover sends shock waves through the Vatican: an Islamic extremist plot to launch a jihad to destroy the Catholic Church and ultimately, America.
A Fall From Grace is a page turner from the first paragraph of chapter one; the reader can’t flip ahead fast enough to discover the next dark twist. Wilcox ramps up the suspense with never-ending action from first page to last. I was literally unable to put it down!
A Fall From Grace is a page turner from the first paragraph of chapter one; the reader can’t flip ahead fast enough to discover the next dark twist. Wilcox ramps up the suspense with never-ending action from first page to last. I was literally unable to put it down!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews