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by Manning J. O'Connor (Author)
A devastating loss.
A vocation he never sought.
A truth the Church would rather keep buried.
Six years ago, Declan Brady had everything-a brilliant legal career, a devoted wife, two children he adored. Then one catastrophic night shattered his world, leaving him drowning in a grief so deep it nearly destroyed him. In the wreckage, Declan walked away from the courtroom and into the priesthood, searching for purpose, penance, and some reason to keep living.
Now, summoned back to his hometown parish, Declan finds himself face to face with the ghosts he fled-and with a Church in quiet crisis. Whispers of misconduct. Parishioners whose faith is beginning to crack. A fellow priest whose unsettling comments and abrupt departure hint at something far darker. And a bishop who prefers silence to scandal.
When a pregnant law student steps into the confessional, seeking guidance on a decision that could change her life, Declan discovers that ministry is far more complicated than doctrine. He also discovers that his blunt honesty may be the one thing this parish needs, even as it puts his own future in the Church in jeopardy.
As he becomes entangled in the lives of the vulnerable-including a musically gifted but isolated young boy hiding a terrible secret-Declan must confront the institution he serves and the man he once was. Justice, faith, and truth collide, forcing him to choose between obedience to one man who claims to represent the Church . . . and protection of the innocent.
