SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS, N.J., February 23, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Mike Farragher, a nationally recognized columnist with the Irish Voice, has just released Collared (now available through 1stBooks), a novel set in the gritty streets of Jersey City, N.J., that seems to be ripped from today's headlines.
Collared is the story of two brothers abused by their parish priest. One of the brothers, Mitch, becomes a reporter and tears through the shroud of secrecy cloaking the church. He exposes the rampant pedophilia rotting the foundation of parish communities and the diocese's ruthless attempts to avoid scandal at all costs. His brother Barry is a priest dedicating his life to making a difference in the lives of the young people in his care. He gets caught in the media frenzy created by Mitch's columns and becomes the pawn of a Cardinal who will stop at nothing to retain his grip on power. A vicious killer emerges from the shadows of the church and strikes at the clergy exposed in Mitch's articles. A trail of bodies leads the brothers to the murderer and an explosive confrontation with the man who took their innocence all those years ago.
In preparing the novel, Farragher interviewed parents of abuse victims and abuse survivors. His research brought a cookie cutter pattern of behavior that fit a clergyman near and dear to his own family.
"It was a mind blower to say the least," says Farragher. "The anger, betrayal, and flirting with forgiveness and redemption that I wrote about in the third person for the purposes of the novel are now very much 'first person feelings' that I am going through just as the book goes to the press. Without the dead bodies, of course. It's the oddest thing."
Many have experienced those same conflicting emotions, and Farragher captures this modern dialogue in a stirring novel of murder, suspense and redemption.
For more information, visit www.collared.net.
ABOUT 1STBOOKS
The oldest and most successful print-on-demand and eBook publishing company of its kind, 1stBooks was founded in 1997 and has helped more than 13,000 people worldwide realize their dreams of becoming published authors. For more information, visit www.1stBooks.com.