Reviews Are In...

The first two reviews of "Advent" have been posted, and thus far, reaction is positive.

JEKeefe writes: "Advent held my interest from the first page of Chapter One. Mr. Francis is obviously well-acquainted with the inner workings of an urban detective bureau, and he has drawn on that familiarity to produce an easy, satisfying, and yet compelling read. He has created a believable, albeit unwilling, hero in Frank Brennan, a police chaplain who begins to question his faith in God after becoming involved in Detective Shannon Meadows' search for a maniacal serial killer. Advent is a great start for Mr. Francis, and I can’t wait to read his next book."

JK O'Neill says: "Compelling. A page-turner. The author has a talent for the use of humor, horror and pacing that makes the book hard to put down."

Advent by Donald Francis

Frank Brennan may be a minister…but he’s no saint. Watching a young friend die a lingering, terrible death has left a hole in Frank’s guts – a hole that no God was going to be able to fill. Angry, heartsick, and tired of having to invent answers to the age-old question “Why do bad things happen to good people?”, Frank has slipped into despair, going through the motions and offering spiritual lip service both to his parishioners and to the police officers for whom he serves as a chaplain.

But Frank is about to come face-to-face with a true believer. While counseling the troubled Detective Shannon Meadows, Frank is literally along for the ride when a young woman is found dead along a bike path. Frank knows that this is no ordinary murder. This woman was stoned to death, and the significance of this modus operandi is not lost on Frank.

When the killer strikes repeatedly, echoing the martyrdoms of the saints, Frank is unable to suppress his desire to be involved, to help catch this man who espouses everything Frank finds repellent in God. Turning away from his family and his ministry, Frank is drawn closer to Meadows as she struggles to put the pieces together and catch the killer the press is dubbing “The Angel of Death.” And this Angel is trying to bring about his own Advent...one desecrated body at a time.

With the lives of Meadows and his family in the balance, Frank must find within himself the seeds of the faith he has rejected in order to face down the Angel and prove whether a God of mercy can conquer a God of vengeance.