Fatal Absolution (FINE COPY OF SCARCE FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR, PAUL G MAST) [WITH PROMOTIONAL BOOKMARK]

An emotionally powerful, chilling, and suspenseful plot unfolds as a scandal in the fictional Diocese of Islip, New York results in the murder of three Catholic Priests. Fueled by righteous anger and a compelling cast of supporting characters, Fatal Absolution weaves an intriguing and beguiling tale, setting wretched and evil men against a quest for justice. After years of dealing with one sex-abuse scandal after another, the Catholic Church must now respond to a new and altogether different issue-the murder of the priests. Think you've heard everything there is to hear about the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church? Think again. Nora Owens, an Irish orphan, suffers at the hands-and lust-of priests who molest her and her twin sister, Nanette. Four priests, whose faces and names she remembers all too clearly. When Nanette commits suicide after years of sexual abuse, Nora vows revenge. Years later, she travels to the U.S. to track down the priests who committed the unthinkable crime. All four have fled to the U.S., but Nora won't stop until she finds them all. Using aliases and disguises, Nora plots to take the lives of the evil men who caused her sister's death. When her killing spree begins, others are drawn into the web of murder: Detective Samantha Bannion, a beautiful redheaded New York cop; Fr. Tim Cavanagh, priest, famed pianist, and favored grandson of the famed Cavanagh lineage; Bishop John Campbell, a highly respected official of the Diocese of Islip; and the priests under Campbell's charge-both the guilty and the innocent. Investigating what appears to be a serial killer of priests, Det. Sam Bannion finds a source of inside information in Fr. Tim, the pianist-priest, who suspects that the cover-up of sexual abuse runs deep and wide. But they soon find a mutual attraction as well, leading to a relationship forbidden by Fr. Tim's vows but inescapable, as the two spend more time together on the case-and off. Vowing to stop the murders and bring the murderer to justice, Sam and Tim dig out information on the sex-abuse crimes and the priests who committed them. Deep into their investigation, they notice a mysterious man dogging their steps. Who is the stalker on their trail, and who hired him? Is he after the information or after them? Who else will be murdered? And will the love that is growing between them cause Fr. Tim to leave the priesthood, or will it bring tragedy?