Return To Sender - Softcover

Halleck, Mindy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0990951480 ISBN 13: 9780990951483

Publisher: Better Life Press, 2014

Synopsis

1955 ~ Father Theo Riley never wanted to be a priest, nor a killer. The former boxing champion and Korean War veteran gave up more than a career when he went into the Army. He lost the only thing he ever wanted: his love, Andréa Bouvre. Friends thought Theo entered the priesthood to mend his broken heart or atone for the massacred orphans he couldn’t save in Korea. However, the truth is much darker and more damning, tied to a blood debt and family secret that has haunted Theo since he was a boy. He drinks to forget he ever had a life of his own—waits for death, prays for mercy, and hopes for a miracle. He gets all three when a child goes missing, another shows up on his doorstep, and the love of his life drives back into his world; the seaside hamlet of Manzanita Oregon. Theo’s dream reunion with Andréa becomes a nightmare when a serial killer who considers himself a holy man targets the town and everyone Theo loves. Drinking days decidedly behind him, Theo and some old warriors set out to send evil back to hell and a few good souls to heaven in RETURN TO SENDER.

About this title

From the Author

Return To Sender has been a labor of love; love for place, Manzanita Oregon, and love for the history of a time gone by--- 1950's on the Oregon Coast. It was an other worldly place in my childhood memories, full of ghosts stories, war weary veterans, Korean and Chinese immigrants, Nehalem Indian history and a small village like atmosphere, minus a sheriff, where people often made their own rules. I grew up spending weekends there in the summers. I knew gold hunters, believed the ghost stories and pirates history, and loved the tapestry of cultures that were once the Nehalem Valley. It was the perfect backdrop for the unfolding of Return To Sender.

From the Inside Flap

Return To Sender ~ Endorsements:
"In Return to Sender, Mindy Halleck writes about family and neighborhoods and the ways our roots define our lives with the assured vividness of Dennis Lehane and the unflinching edge of Gillian Flynn. An old school, can't-put-it-down read."
Larry Brooks, critically-acclaimed bestselling author of four psychological thrillers, in addition to his work as a freelance writer and writing instructor. StoryFix.com
Mindy Halleck's Return to Sender has it all: a protagonist, Theo Riley, with a psychic wound that caused him, as a child, to kill three other human beings, then become a priest in an effort to find redemption for his soul, and a serial killer antagonist who makes Hannibal Lecter look like a choir boy. And add to that a fast-paced plot that slows down only when Theo periodically stops for a reflective moment that takes one's breath away in its profundity. You'll find yourself pondering your own redemption as you accompany Theo on his quest to save the woman he loves, his beloved beach town, and himself in this novel that will haunt you long after you've put it down.
Gloria Kempton, Writing Coach and author of ten books, including Write Great Fiction: Dialogue, and The Outlaw's Journey: A Mythological Approach to Storytelling. gloriakempton.com
Mindy Halleck's Return to Sender is a deeply evocative novel wherein the protagonist, Theo Riley is a Roman Catholic Priest who carries a dark cross and earns redemption through blood and tears. This is a novel that explores what it means to have faith in a world torn by conflict.
Bill Johnson, Author of A Story is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling, storyispromise.com.
"Monsters don't just happen." In her debut novel, Mindy Halleck creates a monster--Genghis Hansel--who needs a warrior-priest to release him from his demons. "Return to Sender" is a big book with a cast of edgy characters. It is a deep love story and a thriller rolled into one.
Jack Remick, Author and Instructor jackremick.com ~ Montaigne Medal and BOTYA Finalist.
The vivid imagination of a born story-teller comes to life in Mindy Halleck's new novel, Return to Sender, starring a warrior-priest as reluctant hero--he waits for death, he prays for mercy, he hopes for the miraculous return of his fighting skills--as he faces a stone killer, the ruthless dragon-antagonist rising up from the mists with vengeance in his heart. Set against a backdrop on the picturesque--and often quixotic--Oregon seacoast, Return to Sender blooms with a sterling cast and some peachy plot-twists.
Robert J. Ray, The Weekend Novelist RobertJRay.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Better Life Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0990951480
• ISBN 13: 9780990951483
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 392