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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing
Article Summaries |
Monmouth-Based Author Publishes New Book
The Chaplain, a new book by Maine crime author Peter Mars, has recently been released by Commonwealth Publishing and is available at local stores in Central Maine. A true story involving a priest who served in a Boston area church and as chaplain for the Boston Police Department, the book draws from Mars's own police background, his ministerial experience, and his previously-published writings in the police genre. The Chaplain is the first person account of the Reverend Father Michael Hennessey, a man who loved God, loved his church, loved his work Parishioner Theresa Primavera had been the recipient of years of physical and emotional abuse from an older, bullying, uncompromising husband. It was not unusual for her to attend mass with a scarf covering facial injuries. Anthony Primavera had been arrested for acts of violence on other people frequently and came close to fatally beating his wife once. That once places Father Hennessey in a role that leads from concern to counseling to a dangerous friendship and too much more. Suspecting a liaison between his wife and the priest, Anthony stalks her and sets a trap for the priest. The rest is in the book. At a time when the Catholic Church has been subjected to the revelation of scandals that make all priests suspect, the story of Father Hennessey provides a different perspective on the risks of a clergyman's calling — a look through the thoughts and emotions and attempted solutions of a dedicated priest. 
Writing about what he knows best and what he has witnessed first hand — the good, the bad and the sometimes very ugly of police biz and human tragedy — Mars has completed seven other books to date. One, A Taste for Money, is the true story of a crooked cop and his connection to a murder in the Belgrades. One is a military novel. And two others involve the Boston Police Department where Mars worked for twelve years. Upon moving to Maine, Mars served as Chief of Administrative Services for the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office. In 1997, he partially retired to become a writer. Among other police connections he remains a deputy sheriff and is the chaplain for the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. The Chaplain is available at Day's Store in Belgrade Lakes, Apple Valley Books in Winthrop, at the Mr. Paperback stores, and by asking for it at other bookstores. For more information about The Chaplain and Peter Mars's other books, see the author's web site. | ||
