Title: The Cardinal and the Crook
Author: Sal Tocco
Published by: Aim High Books
Publication date: 13th March 2024
Genre: Thriller/Family Saga
Pages: 345
Format: eBook (ARC)
Source: NetGalley

Blurb/Synopsis

On a damp, dreary evening a young unwed mother abandons her two infant sons. The twin brothers, James and John, are adopted by a loving and nurturing father. As they grow older, their distinct personalities become more evident and each chooses a divergent path. Despite impassioned pleading from his brother, James makes a fateful choice which results in deadly consequences. John enters the priesthood and years later, upon learning of his elevation to cardinal, reflects-through a series of flashbacks-upon the people and tragic events that formed him into a powerful, dynamic and compassionate leader.

The message which permeates John’s retrospection is that disappointments, tragedy and loss are inevitable in our lives. We can allow these hardships to weigh us down and destroy us, or we can embrace them with unshakable faith, determination and courage that transforms these adversities into opportunities to grow and become stronger.

The Cardinal and the Crook is an inspirational novel set in contemporary times. It incorporates elements of suspense, action and crime to tell the story of two adopted twin brothers and unshakable faith, courage and perseverance.

Review

Although the story in this book is interesting, there\’s something lacking in the execution. The tale follows abandoned twins, James and John through their early year, as they grow and the troubles in which they encounter along the way.

The characters are vaguely interesting and their struggles have all the potential in the world to be page-turners, but it just wasn\’t there.
It all reads like a non-fiction book. We\’re told information, but there\’s nothing of substance to really back it up. Not much in terms of actively doing anything and the dialogue on offer, which captivating isn\’t enough on it\’s own to carry the rest of the novel.

There is a lot of telling, so we\’re only given everything at a surface level. There\’s very little being shown and all the emotions that could have been super-charged fell flat because of this.
Which is a shame, because it has all the potential in the world to be a real heart-wrenching, captivating story. The two brothers are a solid base for characters, their origin story is absolutely brilliant and the different directions their lives take them, but how they remain strong together with their faith is brilliant, but, there just wasn\’t enough emotion in the book to really pull me in.

Summary

A lot of wasted potential, unfortunately. And, it\’s comes across as rather preachy.