The Fraternity of the Stone Book

This was is a fast-paced thriller filled with details and suspense. The characters are interesting and support the plot well. Andrew MacLane has been in a cloistered monastery in Vermont for 6 years. He entered voluntarily to atone for his deeds as an assassin for Scalpel, a secret government funded organization. After all that time, someone has found him and wants him dead. He escapes and heads to Boston to find his mentor, Father Hafer. Thus, begins a game of cat and mouse between opponents who have been trained in the art of spy craft. MacLane's past has affected him to this day - his parents were ambassadors in Japan in 1960 and were killed by a terrorist in front of him. He was raised by his Uncle, Ray and sort of directed into the Scalpel organization. In addition to trying to figure out who is trying to kill him, he gets involved with Father Stanislaw, a member of the Fraternity of the Stone, an ancient body formed to protect the church. He, along with help from Opus Dei, are trying to find out who is killing priests around the world. Everything comes together nicely as the political plot is exposed and those behind it are discovered. Although this was published in 1985, the following quotes certainly struck home: Father Stanislaw is speaking to Drew: "To refresh your memory of St. Augustine. The concept that killing is necessary if a war is just." "War?" replies Drew. "Not nation fighting nation, not a conventional war. All the same, a war. The oldest, most basic one of all: good against evil. Terrorists, by definition, turn their backs on civilized standards. Their weapon is outrageous attack -- to so disrupt the lives of average citizens that those citizens rebel against their government. But no end can justify such means." responds Father Stanislaw. Scary!!