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Michael Thomas Thriller #2
The Absolver: Vienna
Men who live above the law are never beyond wrath’s reach. Father Michael Thomas vowed to risk his own life to offer Final Absolution to the greatest evils that walk among us. He swore to protect our safety and dignity, with the understanding that he would serve as a last resort after all other reconciliation methods had failed.With his clandestine training program and first assignment complete, Michael receives orders to investigate a member of Austria’s high society. Meanwhile, betrayal within their own ranks threatens to expose the organization to the world and destroy their efforts to cleanse evil from the Earth.Michael’s revelations soon place his vows and conscience in conflict with his anonymous superiors. Despite his efforts to remedy their differences, the moral divide between Michael and his covert organization only deepens as threats against them mount.In order to save his freedom and his very soul, Michael must find a way to serve God, satisfy his superiors, and protect their clandestine operations, all without making himself a target for any of the forces working against him. Also by Gavin The Enemies Book 1: Enemies DomesticBook 2: Enemies Foreign The Alex Landon Case Book 1: The Glass CookBook 2: Room Number ThreeBook 3: The Debt CollectorsBook 4: The Misery Merchant
324 pages, Paperback
Published February 5, 2019
89 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Gavin Reese
28 books107 followers[ READ AN INTERVIEW WITH GAVIN: https://gavinreese.com/qa/ ]
Gavin Reese grew up in the rural American Southwest and eventually moved to the Big City with his family. He considers both New Mexico and Arizona “home.” Citing his parents and grandparents as tremendous, motivating role models, Gavin felt an intense call to service and had planned on joining the military after college. Despite having worn his university’s uniform on the playing field and running half-marathons for fun, childhood medical issues prevented him from serving in that capacity. After two lifelong friends became patrol cops, they had Gavin out for a few ride-alongs, and he started the prolonged application process to join them.
Since completing the police academy and field training, Gavin has enjoyed incredible success, and a lot of luck, in acquiring a diverse range of training and experiences that allowed him to be truly effective in almost every situation and service call. As a Jack of All Trades, Gavin’s ongoing course- and case-work in high-risk police operations includes street-level narcotics, combat medical care, international drug trafficking, organized crime syndicates, S.W.A.T. operations, human smuggling, outlaw motorcycle gang investigations, prostitution and sex trafficking, witness protection, hazardous materials incident response, radiation and nuclear terrorism, post-blast explosives investigations, and Dark Web smuggling operations.
Before retiring from active law enforcement, Gavin comforted the dying, talked dozens out of suicide, and saved domestic abuse victims from their assailants. He’s taken child rapists, murderers, and human traffickers into custody, and Gavin’s had the distinct honor of protecting visiting foreign royalty and national American political figures from both sides of the aisle. He’s been trained by a variety of Special Forces operators, as well as those who trained them. Several of his friends and colleagues have been murdered or killed, and he’s occasionally been tasked to pursue those responsible. Despite yesterday’s successes, Gavin wakes up and dons his gun and badge with the sincere hope to again make a positive difference in the lives around him. Someday, he might save enough strangers that they, in turn, will collectively save him.
When not donating his time to crime victims, first responders, and veterans’ groups, Gavin tries to relax with his family. He can frequently be found outdoors and involved in what his wife calls “reindeer games.” With a love of practical jokes and the long-con, Gavin’s been an accused, and occasionally confirmed, shenaniganator for most of his life. He summits tall mountains, swims in deep oceans, brews mediocre beer, and has a strong opinion on the Oxford comma. His curiosity about the world and the peoples and cultures within it have inspired a love of travel, spontaneous adventure, and lifelong learning. Gavin knows his greatest blessing is his wife, and he wakes each morning grateful she continues to play along. A portion of all Gavin’s sales is donated to charities that serve law enforcement professionals, their families and heirs, and honor the memory of our Fallen Heroes.
Gavin Reese grew up in the rural American Southwest and eventually moved to the Big City with his family. He considers both New Mexico and Arizona “home.” Citing his parents and grandparents as tremendous, motivating role models, Gavin felt an intense call to service and had planned on joining the military after college. Despite having worn his university’s uniform on the playing field and running half-marathons for fun, childhood medical issues prevented him from serving in that capacity. After two lifelong friends became patrol cops, they had Gavin out for a few ride-alongs, and he started the prolonged application process to join them.
Since completing the police academy and field training, Gavin has enjoyed incredible success, and a lot of luck, in acquiring a diverse range of training and experiences that allowed him to be truly effective in almost every situation and service call. As a Jack of All Trades, Gavin’s ongoing course- and case-work in high-risk police operations includes street-level narcotics, combat medical care, international drug trafficking, organized crime syndicates, S.W.A.T. operations, human smuggling, outlaw motorcycle gang investigations, prostitution and sex trafficking, witness protection, hazardous materials incident response, radiation and nuclear terrorism, post-blast explosives investigations, and Dark Web smuggling operations.
Before retiring from active law enforcement, Gavin comforted the dying, talked dozens out of suicide, and saved domestic abuse victims from their assailants. He’s taken child rapists, murderers, and human traffickers into custody, and Gavin’s had the distinct honor of protecting visiting foreign royalty and national American political figures from both sides of the aisle. He’s been trained by a variety of Special Forces operators, as well as those who trained them. Several of his friends and colleagues have been murdered or killed, and he’s occasionally been tasked to pursue those responsible. Despite yesterday’s successes, Gavin wakes up and dons his gun and badge with the sincere hope to again make a positive difference in the lives around him. Someday, he might save enough strangers that they, in turn, will collectively save him.
When not donating his time to crime victims, first responders, and veterans’ groups, Gavin tries to relax with his family. He can frequently be found outdoors and involved in what his wife calls “reindeer games.” With a love of practical jokes and the long-con, Gavin’s been an accused, and occasionally confirmed, shenaniganator for most of his life. He summits tall mountains, swims in deep oceans, brews mediocre beer, and has a strong opinion on the Oxford comma. His curiosity about the world and the peoples and cultures within it have inspired a love of travel, spontaneous adventure, and lifelong learning. Gavin knows his greatest blessing is his wife, and he wakes each morning grateful she continues to play along. A portion of all Gavin’s sales is donated to charities that serve law enforcement professionals, their families and heirs, and honor the memory of our Fallen Heroes.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 8, 2019
This series is a fascinating departure from Gavin’s Reese’s “strictly cop” stories (all of which are worth reading). Michael Thomas (The Absolver) is masterfully developed through his transition from cop, to priest, and to Absolver, though he is never able to separate himself from his previous vocations and that makes him even more interesting.
(An Absolver is a priest whose mission is to investigate the lives of people believed to be especially vile individuals, and in a final confrontation, offers “absolution” from that person’s sins – thus sparing that individual the full consequence of God’s retribution – before killing that person and making the death seem like an accident. This is my clumsy assessment, and falls far short of how really good this Gavin Reese series is.)
I read and reviewed Book #1 – The Absolver: Rome, and have already purchased the next one – The Absolver: Paris.
The three Four Star reviews on Amazon (All other reviews are Five Stars) for The Absolver: Rome, make valuable observations I thought were valid.
(An Absolver is a priest whose mission is to investigate the lives of people believed to be especially vile individuals, and in a final confrontation, offers “absolution” from that person’s sins – thus sparing that individual the full consequence of God’s retribution – before killing that person and making the death seem like an accident. This is my clumsy assessment, and falls far short of how really good this Gavin Reese series is.)
I read and reviewed Book #1 – The Absolver: Rome, and have already purchased the next one – The Absolver: Paris.
The three Four Star reviews on Amazon (All other reviews are Five Stars) for The Absolver: Rome, make valuable observations I thought were valid.
June 10, 2020
I still love the theme; a church recruited group of priests dispatched globally to deliver final absolutions to terrible, unrepentant people.
One of those themes for a thriller that you hear and say ‘Why has no one else thought of this??’
This is book 2 in the series. Loved book one and liked this one. I think readers (including myself) have been raised on a steady appetite of fast developing characters and plots. By book 2 I expected the protagonist to be so expert...so adept at his (literally) god-given craft that the reader would be in awe of the skills and planning.
This plot is different. Father Michael is still working out the ‘bugs’ of his new calling so things DON’T fall into place perfectly. I’m ok with this. Just not what I expected. Not what I’ve been weaned on. Also, there are others like Father Mike. I’d like to see how they are doing. Maybe that’s in book 3... which is up next for me!
One of those themes for a thriller that you hear and say ‘Why has no one else thought of this??’
This is book 2 in the series. Loved book one and liked this one. I think readers (including myself) have been raised on a steady appetite of fast developing characters and plots. By book 2 I expected the protagonist to be so expert...so adept at his (literally) god-given craft that the reader would be in awe of the skills and planning.
This plot is different. Father Michael is still working out the ‘bugs’ of his new calling so things DON’T fall into place perfectly. I’m ok with this. Just not what I expected. Not what I’ve been weaned on. Also, there are others like Father Mike. I’d like to see how they are doing. Maybe that’s in book 3... which is up next for me!
June 1, 2019
Forgiving Father
Another fantastic read by Gavin Reese. (Fr.) Michael/Andrew just keeps getting more and more intriguingly interesting and his story impossible to stop following. Vienna keeps you madly flipping the pages as you unravel the story of Koenig's sins and the African's role in his sin filled life. Occasional forays into Michael's former life as a cop makes for an enjoyable backstory log.
Another fantastic read by Gavin Reese. (Fr.) Michael/Andrew just keeps getting more and more intriguingly interesting and his story impossible to stop following. Vienna keeps you madly flipping the pages as you unravel the story of Koenig's sins and the African's role in his sin filled life. Occasional forays into Michael's former life as a cop makes for an enjoyable backstory log.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews