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by Cliff Schorer (Author)
A Ritual of Innocence is a twisting international political crime story full of keen satire and rich character studies that paint a winding tableau that ranges from New York's crime-laden underbelly to the shadowed corruption of global businesses and political leaders. The assassination of the wife of the CEO of the world's largest energy company triggers intense interactions between a cadre of characters with diverse backgrounds, cultural norms, and motivations.
Walter Mally, a hard-nosed NYPD homicide detective, is kept in the dark about the true motive behind the crime and totally focuses on the emotional elements that led to the murder while struggling to balance his frustration with the justice system and his dedication to his middle-class family. Alton Bentley is an extremely sophisticated agent born to wealth and privilege, who initially represents the oil company's interests before uncovering the devious plan behind Mrs. Weatherhill's murder. He possesses a genius-level intelligence and charm coupled with the underlying capacity for extreme violence. Parish Barnes is a streetwise assassin possessing cunning and brilliance who long ago crossed paths with Bentley at a prestigious New England prep school before sliding back into the lucrative criminal world offered by his ghetto upbringing. Aleah Forquet is a beautiful, intelligent former Olympian whose love, devotion, and wit is blunted by the seemingly impenetrable hard veneer of Alton Bentley. Colorful characters round out the narrative, including Bentley's mother, Gertrude, a Newport dowager, who cleverly outwits those hunting down her son, and Rhonda Sachs, a top-tier sex worker with an entrepreneurial spirit, zest for life, and a tender heart.
The novel captures the humanity and motivations behind each of the charters' life experiences while subtly weaving together perceived stereotypical behaviors under an umbrella of humor, passion, and commitment to justice.
