UNKNOWN

"A riveting legal drama that provocatively puts the Church on trial."

The trial is fictional. The evidence is not.

Synopsis and 2 Editorial Reviews

KIrkus Star Review

1--"Kirkus Reviews"-

"A riveting legal drama that provocatively puts the Church on trial."

"In Sebastian’s legal thriller, a disgraced former priest and his prosecutor team up to demand accountability from the Catholic Church.

Father Charles Murphy, a 92-year-old pedophile and former Catholic priest doing “fifty-to-life,” has spent years facing threats and fearing assaults from guards and inmates alike. After a near-death experience, Murphy finds himself overwhelmed by memories of the events that shaped his sexuality and, ultimately, relationship to the Church; he, too, had been the victim of sexual assault while growing up. “Somebody needs to hold the Catholic Church accountable,” he decides, and resolves to sue the Vatican for “making him a pedophile.” Who better to assist him than Vincent Vance, the sharp attorney who brought Murphy to justice? As personal trials arise for both men and the Church reveals the extent of its powers (“the Vatican was pulling out every stop to make certain he didn’t have a prayer of winning at trial. The audacity stuck in his throat”), the novel poses a sharp question as to whether a religious institution can truly be held responsible. Some genuinely fascinating ideas are at work in this book; questions about institutional guilt, complicity, and faith develop via poignant lines like “God’s misplaced faith in men created a man-made church which has committed the worst crimes in human history.” One of the strongest plot lines follows Vance’s struggle with alcoholism, which is heavily fueled by career pressures. The author explores the idea of forgiveness, but it’s the tension between guilt and innocence that drives the story as the Church stands trial and two broken men seek redemption. Though the narrative is fictional, Sebastian’s personal experience as a survivor and the extensive research detailed in the ending notes place the story in a fascinating space somewhere between fiction and reality that will haunt readers long after the final pages."


2--Booklife Review

"A powerful legal thriller exploring the Catholic Church's potential culpability in decades of abuse."

"...this riveting courtroom drama, adding a powerful voice to the chorus of abuse victims pleading for long-delayed justice."

Takeaway: "Detailing willful ignorance of abuse, fictional trial offers real catharsis."