Also by this author: Cocaine Zombies, The Fraternity of the Soul EaterOnly eleven shopping days till Christmas. And less than a week to save the world.
Three nuns—in Chicago, Paris, and Jerusalem—have been killed in a religious ritual. The choice of victims and the macabre details of their deaths indicate that someone is following a recipe provided on an ancient text—a recipe to unleash the forces of hell on earth. The final sacrifice must occur on the Winter Solstice.
Samuel Roberts, a small-town attorney in Urbana, Illinois, knows a bit about the supernatural, having triumphed at least once over the forces of evil. Thanks to a friend who is aware of Sam’s little known previous efforts on behalf of mankind, Sam is hired by a big Chicago law firm to take on a sensitive case. His mission? Nothing less than halting the impending apocalypse.
Sam and his good buddy Bob travel first to Jerusalem then Paris in a desperate race to save mankind.
The second book in the Samuel Roberts series brings back Samuel, our run of the mill divorce attorney who previously got to battle the worst of the worst who were trying to take over the small town of Champaign Illinois. Yeah, I don’t know why you would want to start there either, but hey, it works for the book and for the character who lives there. A classmate of his from college called Sam up and told him that his law firm in Chicago has a job for him, even though the law firm does not represent the same people as Sam does. Sam is intrigued and goes up to Chicago to see what the deal is. What the deal is, is a lot of money for some pretty hideous crimes that have been perpetrated against nuns.
Deciding that he wanted to sleep on it, it became apparent that sometimes the criminal doesn’t allow time to think, but comes for Sam, to the point where Sam realizes that he needs to take the case to not only save future nuns, but probably his life as well. However, when he goes to Jerusalem with his friend Bob, things start to become confusing, and scary for the future for Sam and Bob. When the truth starts to show itself, or what is perceived as the truth, things start to get even worse than expected, with double crossing, weird rituals, and a test for how much ability Bob and Sam truly has.
This is a good book, I liked it for the most part, more than the first, but not as much as the third. I think that the Author as he goes on through this series, the characterization betters, as does the issues and how Samuel comes back from it. I think the stories get better honestly. The one issue that I have with this book is that, and now come to think about it, all of them is that they all fall under the same general idea. Same kind of twist, so while you aren’t positive who the killer or whatever is, you know it is going to be someone who Sam trusts, and since he doesn’t seem to trust many, it is only a matter of time before you realize how it goes.
About Scott A. Lerner
Author and attorney Scott A. Lerner resides in Champaign, Illinois. He obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He is currently a sole practitioner in Champaign, Illinois. The majority of his law practice focuses on the fields of criminal law and family law. Mr. Lerner lives with his wife, their two children, and their cat Fern. Lerner collects unusual antiques and enjoys gardening, traveling, reading fiction, and going to the movies. His first novel, Cocaine Zombies, won a bronze medal in the mystery/cozy/noir category of the 2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Awards.
