Genre
General Fiction, Thriller, Novella
Audience
Adult
Author’s Worldview
Catholic
Year Published
2021
Themes
Death, Justice, Mercy, Forgiveness, Salvation, Priesthood, Redemption, Last Rites, Vocation, Death Row, Criminal Justice,

Reviewed by

A.R.K. Watson
In the first book we met Father Jacob, an ageing priest working to save the souls of death row inmates. Although he is close to the end of his life he felt called to minister to heartless killer for hire, Carl Jarrold. Now that Jarrold’s is fate sealed, Father Jacob is left to deal with the consequences of book one. Not everyone is enthusiastic about his enthusiasm to show love and compassion to death row killers. Chief among these critics are the families of the killer’s victims. Even worse, his friend, prison guard, Tomás Flores, might be about to lose his job because he helped the old priest. Carl Jarrold’s story came to it’s conclusion but now Fr. Jacob and Tomás are left to face the music. But even apart from the trouble man has in store for them, they aren’t prepared for what God is going to ask them to do next. 

This book is a direct sequel to book one and not a stand-alone story. Readers will get the most enjoyment out of it if they read the Three Last Things stories sequentially. Catholics and other Christians are the intended audience, but I think secular readers will find much reason to cheer on Fr. Jacob and Tomás, particularly as part of Fr. Jacob’s story involves some rather blunt criticism of hypocritical attitudes among Christians. Like the first novella, this story is as thought-provoking as it is fast-paced and thrilling. It will cause you to ask yourself just how far you’d be willing to go to love your neighbor.

Themes of vocation and the priesthood are prominent in this book. Catholics will especially find the deeply personal exploration of Fr. Jacob’s vocation to be moving. Other Christians should also enjoy the story and find its meditations on the costs of loving thy neighbor to be edifying. Secular readers will find nothing objectionable but the true audience for this story is a Christian one.

This is a quick and exciting read that will also make you feel and think deeply. At the end of the novella we are reminded that death is never the end of our stories and while there isn’t a cliffhanger ending, readers will be eagerly awaiting the third installment to see what happens next.

Best Books of 2022

Our favorite book finds of the year!

Death in Black & White by Fr. Michael Brisson, L.C.

Can an ordinary American guy make it as a priest in a world where everything is against him?

The Table by Dennis Lambert

A table built by the grandfather of Jesus Christ survives the darkest moment in history to bring peace to a widowed musician

Someday by Corinna Turner

Ordinary schoolgirls face a terrible fate: abuse, forced marriages, and even death at the hands of Islamic extremists.

Our Lady of the Artilects by Andrew Gillsmith

Robots, Souls, Muslim & Catholic Friendships, and the sacramental reality that binds them all together.

Lying Awake by Mark Salzman

A cloistered nun confronts her faith when she realizes that the private revelations she has been given might be the product of epilepsy.

Three Last Things or The Hounding of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin by Corinna Turner

The last day of a convicted murderer’s life: Can he save his soul in time?

My Son, The Father by Jim Moore

The story of a young priest through the eyes of his father and friends.

Four Catholic Philosophers: Rejoicing in the Truth By: Richard A. Spinello

The rigors of philosophical thought can inspire remarkable physical courage.

Miracle at the Mission by Joseph Lewis

Visions, miracles, and a plot to assassinate the President of the United States – not the expected summer trip for two high school boys.

A Hero for the People by Arthur Powers

Stories from the front lines of the Church’s mission to protect Brazilians farmers from theft and greed.

Shooting At Heaven’s Gate, by Kaye Park Hinckley

How does an ordinary boy become a mass murderer?

Demons are Forever by Declan Finn

Marco flees from his fears of hurting Amanda by taking a job to train Vampire Hunters in San Francisco. Should be a quiet job right?

Crusader St. Tommy NYPD Book 5 By: Declan Finn

Detective Nolan embarks on a Crusade against demonic sex traffickers trying to raise a demon.

The Boy Who Knew (Friends in High Places: Carlo Acutis) by Corinna Turner

Faced with his death, a fifteen-year-old learns how to live through the wisdom of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

McCracken and the Lost Lady by Mark Adderley

McCracken gives us the grounded swashbuckling Catholic hero that our inner child has always wanted.

Fields of Prosperis By Claudia Leboeuf

A bingeable space opera with the best written complex villains out there.

August & September New Book Releases

Step into Fall with a Good Book

Big in Heaven by Fr. Stephen Siniari

In this inner-city Orthodox parish, there are no easy answers—only the transformative power of God’s love.

Zeal & Zest: Where to Begin with Hillaire Belloc

Belloc was known as a Catholic polemicist with a vicious talent for skewering his opponents. Anyone struggling to persevere as a Christian in the fields of journalism or media should read him. His children’s books have an acerbic humor that will appeal to bored veterans of political correctness, especially teens.