Bleeder

Bleeder by John Desjarlais

Does Father Ray, have the stigmata? That is one of the central questions that one asks when starting the book Bleeder. This ends up being more of a red herring, than a central part of the book. Reed, the main character in the book, spends most of his time trying to find the killer. John Desjarlais also brings into the story Reed's interest into Aristotle's philosophy which gives him a common bond with Fr Ray who is also an avid student of philosophy. This makes a more compelling bond between Fr Ray and Reed then an overt attempt to convert Reed. Bleeder has a good start but does not follow it through to the finish with elements such as how Aristotle's philosophy is answered in the Catholic Church. I also found it distracting when Reed starts remembering Peggy his past wife. especially when the first glimpse of it places the character, Reed, in seemingly immoral situation. For example, when Casey first invites Reed to stay over on pg 181 one first thinks that he is sleeping with Casey, when he is actually is remembering his wife. Whether he is Catholic or not it does not set a good precedence for his character. I also am a little confused with the burglary mentioned in the crime report, I do not remember seeing it anywhere before and then it suddenly appears. Also I see no mention of Casey’s maiden name before the end it would have been nice to have the hint appear earlier in the book, unless of course I missed it. On the other hand, one of Sophia Institute's other new fiction titles, Awakening, by Claudia Cangilla McAdam, is a lot more promising. It follows a teen girl back into the time of Jesus and broaches the question why did Jesus have to die? Enjoy October!