The Redemption Man

by James Carver

A darker world will need a new kind of detective....

Someone is out to get Father Gabe Devlin. But whoever that someone is, they picked the wrong guy to take down.

Father Gabe Devlin, an ex-Air Force investigator, is on a mission to solve several seemingly unconnected mysteries. First, his oldest friend vanishes off the face of the earth. Then, the same day Devlin comes looking for his friend in the town of Halton Springs, the mutilated body of a young man is discovered. One of a series of grisly discoveries to come.

As Devlin tries to get to the truth, each life he touches begins to unravel, as if he carries a curse. Unexplained and miraculous acts happen in his presence. And the closer Devlin comes to revealing the Halton Springs murderers and the reason behind his friend's disappearance, the closer he comes to uncovering the greatest mystery of all: who Devlin really is.

With strong language and violence.

Genres: Thriller, Amazon

382 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2019

Reviews

[Jill Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of Suspense

This was a great ride! After a few pages, was hooked by this tail of a priest trying to find his friend. He is forced to use his military training to catch a killer. I really enjoyed this book, it’s fast paced and pulled me in right away. I am going to read the next book featuring the same character.

[Dale Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent crime thriller. Gabe Devlin is a good main character and having him as a priest certainly adds a different aspect to the usual "loner/vigilante" genre. It's a well written book and the story itself was interesting. I did however that it was missing that "wow" factor, and I can't quite put my finger on why- Gabe was a good character, the side characters were all fine, the action sequences maybe just weren't what I expected, I maybe wanted more. There's also a slight, I wouldn't call it supernatural, but, aura around Gabe (I don't want to spoil anything for potential readers so will leave it at that). I'm assuming that is explored in further books.

[Brenda Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a Christian thriller - it was not. A thriller yes, but before many chapters, you learned it wasn't a Christian novel just because it had a Priest as the MC. The storyline was good and once bought, I try to finish what I started reading, although I gave considerable thought to chunking it several times due to the language and sexual scenes.

The descriptions and second storylines were boughed down at times. I was glad I stuck with it when I got to the last few chapters. I did determine who the bad guy was, although some of the secondary bad guys surprised me, but it was worth the surprise ending to stick it out. It is part of a series. I won't be buying the rest for the reasons I have given, but I'm sure he will have more than enough followers.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not recommended. This isn't a Christian book, even though it's labeled as such, and even though the main character is a Catholic priest. There's explicit sexual scenes, explicit violence, and plenty of swearing. From one of the things the priest says, it's obvious he doesn't know the Bible very well, but that could be part of the character. I felt I gave it a fair chance, but quit reading at chapter 8. It's too bad as it sounds like it could have been a good book.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabe Devlin ,bold, fearless Priest!

What a storyline! Gabe was a truly unique but thrilling character. I found myself reading when I should have been outside, or cleaning..... All of the characters in the book brought the whole thrilling adventure together.
I'm looking forward to meeting Gabe on his next quest for justice and reconciliation with God, his past and his future, where will it take him?

[Stephen Tillett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never should have believed the Reacher comparison

This writer is no Lee Child, he seems to be short of original ideas. Way too many things about this book I didn’t like. I found myself laughing at the storyline on more than one occasion.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The debut novel in the Gabe Devlin series offers an intriguing premise, promising much with its complex protagonist—a Roman Catholic priest grappling with a crisis of faith, a past marriage, and a history as a special investigator in the Air Force. The addition of his background as an Air Force pararescue operator, revealed later in the book, adds to the tapestry of his character. This layered protagonist is the kind of compelling figure you want at the center of a story, driving the plot with his depth and versatility.

However, as the narrative unfolds, the plot occasionally stumbles into the realm of the unbelievable. While the character elements and potential for a "Reacher"-like series are present, some plot twists feel uneven and out of sync. Those expecting a "Christian-centric" focus may not find it here, but that's not necessarily a drawback. Despite the story's potential, it often suffers from an overcrowded narrative filled with too many characters, leading to more questions than answers. These elements sometimes detracted from the story's pace, leaving me questioning the logic before answers were ultimately provided—albeit a bit too late. While the characters and premise hold promise, a more streamlined approach could have elevated this book to greater heights. Still, for those who appreciate a good plot twist, there are moments where the story shines, even if the execution occasionally wavers.

[Ben Jeapes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was billed as a "Christian Jack Reacher", which is a good summary but also not entirely fair. The plot *is* pure Reacher: a wandering, driven, highly competent ex-Forces do-gooder stumbles upon unspeakable evil somewhere in the mid-west and puts a stop to it, with the help of an ad hoc band of allies gathered for the purpose, after well plotted detective work and much suffering all around. But the added twist is that the hero is a Catholic priest, still ordained but without a church to tend. Reacher is driven by a dislike of bullies and a general sense of right and wrong. Father Gabe Devlin has an added pastoral concern for souls, of both the good and the bad guys. And he has his own dark past to atone for, which his Christian faith only slightly helps with. It is clear to him that he is being sent by God into the dark places where only humans can go. Worth continuing with.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Devlin - Priest or not a priest, that is the question

Well I’ve got to admit that having a priest as a main character in a thriller is definitely different and add to that the fact that Father Devlin is far from your average priest, you have to ask yourself how can this possibly work as a main character for a thriller and god knows (excuse the pun) how James Carver has done it but done it he has and the end result is one hell of a story which you won’t want to put down.

[RoseVE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changing Purpose

Father Gabe Devlin is a haunted, troubled soul. But his moral compass is squarely tuned to helping the vulnerable and punishing the evil. This is an intricate plot, not knowing who to trust, seeing pure evil at work. Yet Gabe has experienced moments that seem supernatural, things he can't explain. Makes an interesting subplot. This is a great start to a series. Devlin is a complex character, not exactly a hero or villain. This book will appeal to all who seek suspense and action. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Mark Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly unusual vigilante thriller

This was a good story and I enjoyed it but rightly or wrongly I was expecting a standard vigilante type thriller. However there is an underlying religious/supernatural thing developing with the main character.
I know he is Father Devlin, a former priest, but there is something more going on than the usual religious stuff so it's not really for me going forward so I'll leave his story here thanks.

[Sue Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a While

Yes it took a while to get into this book but I’m so glad I stuck with it. It just got better and better until I was part of the story, part of the atrocities and part of Gabe’s story to the explosive end. Gritty, thrilling with Gabe’s own devils gnawing away at him. A priest, a lost soul searching for a friend and finding hell incarnate and there was no turning back until he had rid the world of the evil he found.

[Ricki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Former Spec Investigator for the military, now priest "on a break", Gabe is lured into a mystery surrounding a missing former friend.

It starts with Gabe being followed, not knowing why and determining his friend is missing.

At that point, I gave up on this. It was not anywhere near "like Reacher" as billed in the description and to say so is doing a disservice to the Reacher series.

Did not finish and had no interest in doing so.

[Debra McLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t quite know what to say

Loved the Characters, interesting plot. The flow of the story was thick and too much of too many characters. I asked why and what a lot. Most time that was answered but so far down the storyline I had already lost interest, he had gone on to something else. Could have been a much better book

[DE Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad was read this one

Very different story involving a priest. Too often they have a sexual driven crisis of faith that gets awfully tedious and graphic. This book showed a minor crisis with a woman and saved the major crisis for how Fr. Devlin deals with the bad guys. I'll be watching for the next book.

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and thrilling suspense with the kind of hard-hitting hero I appreciate. It took a little supernatural bent there toward the end, which I assume is a lead-in for subsequent novels. I didn't expect it, but it was okay. All in all, an enjoyable read. Good guys win, bad guys lose. It's all good.

[Lesley Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read

Wow, I wasn't expecting this book to be as good as it was. Gabe is a priest that has a few skills priests don't normally have. He goes looking for his friend Ed who he thinks is in trouble. Gabe also finds strange almost supernatural things, happening to him and wonders if it's God's work. I can't wait to read the next book.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like reading a self published thriller. It was clean and well edited, but felt like something I've read before in a Jack Reacher novel. The characters and dialog was no different. Didn't have much of the supernatural touch I was looking forward to.
But regardless, the story was pretty good. 3.5 ☆

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story line but some confusion (spoiler alert)

Even by the end of the book, I couldn't quite tell who was who. What was with the helicopter at the end? And who killed Ed James? I thought the Feds were bought off?? Storyline was definitely interesting, but overall the character development and details were clunky.

[Beth Temin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Thriller!

This thriller lived up to the name. Father Gabe Devlin, a priest with a past, goes looking for a friend and discovers a town with a huge secret. This book was so worth the time reading it. Loved the story and the mystery.

[paulette sarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

This story held your interest until the end. Loved the main character Gabe. Liked the little spiritual thread. Can't wait to read the next book and see what happens to Gabe.

[J Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interestingly novel plotline

There have been many books on theme of one man, albeit with help, taking on several really bad villains but the book does it in a very different way.it prompted a few though provoking moments

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging story of anguish, vengeance, and redemption.
It is definitely not Christian Fiction, though the main character is a priest in crisis.
There is violence and lots of action throughout.

[Joyce Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Real Page Turner!

Really enjoyed this fast paced thriller! The characters are beautifully written and the plot is deep and twisted. A topic is explored and brought to our attention in an amazing way. This book is a real page turner and I loved it.

[Marianne Stanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good priest

The main character, Gabe, is the solitary hero, possessed of otherworldly powers that he's not initially aware of. He's a priest whose faith is in jeopardy. Good plot. Contemporary subject. Interesting main character. I have ordered the next one in the series 😊

[John Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good read given that it came free and good enough for me to move on to the second book. A bit disappointment that there was not some kind of twist as the plot became fairly evident as time went on. Gabe seems like an interesting character and given that he is also a priest

[Divyesh Sheth · Rating 4 out of 5]

a thrilling tale and introduction to Gabe Devlin

This novel is a great introduction to the Fabe Devlin Character. Part priest, part detective and part covert agent. Plot is good and moves along briskly and each twist and turn keeps you interested in reading more.

[Pat Rathmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THRILLER

A somewhat bizarre but very incredibly intense thriller with a huge cast of intriguing characters. This thriller will keep a reader alert and guessing until the very end.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of a series featuring Priest Gabriel Devlin who is on a mission to help an old friend and also running away from a very ungodly act he has committed. Armed with a skill set from his past he will need everything to face an unimaginable evil.

[Cher Poppenhagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flows, really well. Good read!

He's a thoughtful, developed writer, grammar was excellent. Only one mistake in the whole first book. Gave me a chuckle.
On to reading the rest of the books.