Catha For Council Blog

Keith Sinteris and his wife Malena (the brains of the
operation) hire three skilled accomplices (Stony, Bartolo
and Duane) to kidnap three hostages from a monastery
along with the holy tabernacle containing consecrated
“bread”. For all her planning, Malena had no way of knowing
just how awry the hostage taking could go.

Detective Jessica Harding and FBI Agent Rob Dexter are on
the case. Strong willed and quick witted, Jessica puts the
FBI agent in his place from the moment the two were
introduced. Intrigued, Rob cannot get her out of his mind.
With so few clues, the odds are stacked against the two
“good guys”, yet they struggle on while the immense
ransom demands continue to haunt the Catholic Church.

This is a well-told story line involving a mysterious home on
an island that has a distinctive secret. The author uses
scenes such as the fantastic cave hideout, the lung-busting
chore of stashing loot and a magnificent storm to heighten
interest.

There are several unique aspects to this suspense-filled
novel over others in the adventure crime thriller genre. For
one thing, the two women are the strongest characters -
both leaders and quick thinkers, but on opposite sides. The
Island off Stony Point certainly conveys the inherent
goodness of people but also shows the great lengths that
desperate and driven people will pursue. I also thought it
was interesting that this is actually the second novel
involving the leading hostage character, a Father Martin -
who was in Regis’s first novel, The Oculi Incident.

Kudos to author Regis Schilken for this excellent novel!

Author: Regis Schilken
Publisher: Bridgeway Books
ISBN#: 1-933538-13-9

Pages: 220

~ Book Reviewer: Lillian Brummet - Co-author of the book
Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her
impact on the environment - Author of Towards
Understanding, a collection of poetry.
(http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)