This book was really hard to get into. I think some of it was the language difference, plus the fact that the language used sometimes felt like it was trying too hard. The language, in addition to the language barrier, was just too overdone. The other major difficulty that I had was the priest. A priest who lies, lusts, and drinks, is a bit hard to wrap your mind around. Maybe a bit more back story on the priest's early life would have helped understand his vices. Sadly, this didn't work for me.

This is a great romantic who done it with an interesting twist. This is the first time I have read a book written by A. P. McGrath but I’m pretty I will read more. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks for the great read!

“A literate, thoughtful examination of human nature combined with a romantic, suspenseful murder mystery .

I really liked the writing style in this book. Michael seemed logistical and compassionate throughout the book. It also had a really great mystery aspect along with coming to face the truth on the past and present.

Thank you for this ARC.

This book is everything a psychological thriller/mystery should be! The author created characters that are well developed and a plot that moves along quickly! I found myself completely immersed in this one! Highly recommend!

A beautifully written and moving story centred around the person of Michael Kieh, who, as a young child, views the slaughter of his family in Liberia. However, despite living through unimaginable brutality and having to leave the first young love of his life, Michael grows up to be a man full of wisdom and love for others. This does not, though, protect him from all-too-human desires for revenge and for human love, and much of this tale is about his battle to overcome his darker desires in order to act in love. Make no mistake though - this is not a twee or simple story of love winning over revenge; we are made to understand the cost along the way for both Michael and others that are drawn into the story as it progresses.

Winding through the story is a murder mystery. Michael, now a priest working full-time as chaplain at a busy UK airport, is falsely accused of the murder of someone he has come to love, and the plot follows the attempts by those who believe in him to prove him innocent. The murder mystery itself offers plenty to satisfy in terms of twists and characters, but woven throughout the story are flashbacks to Michael's life as a child and young adult in Africa. The language used here is a kind of 'African prose', powerful and beautiful in its simplicity, and the author manages to switch between the African lyricism and modern-day prose and story seamlessly.

I hesitated over the rating for this, wanting to give five stars but being unable to quite get there as I was somewhat disappointed by the way the book came to a rather sudden close. The conclusion itself was a good one in terms of both the murder mystery and the principle characters, but the final couple of sentences seemed out of character and had a somewhat twee 'riding into the sunset' feel. This was such a shame after such beautiful prose throughout the rest of the book.

That aside (and its really a very small issue) I found this to be one of the loveliest books I have read, and despite the inevitably - and appropriately - dark presentation of life and death in the war zones of Liberia, the author presents a good murder mystery and, over and above that, a poignant portrayal of an ordinary human being made into a better person by his conscious choice of love and goodness over revenge.

I'd have no hesitation in recommending this superb book to both murder mystery fans and all those who love the encouragement of tales where ordinary human beings somehow triumph over adversity and make the world around them a better place.

Complex novel of revenge, love and forgiveness. Father Michael is an amazing human being, and the story winds seamlessly through the past and present.

This is a beautifully written murder mystery that's also dark and absolutely lovely.

In my opinion, that cover design really doesn't do this book justice. Just hearing Murder, Priest and Airport will make people turn their heads back to the bookshelf to check it out properly (I mean, just think about Da Vinci Code), but the cover is so nondescript and forgettable...

It's hard to describe this story not giving anything away, and I believe I will need a second read to get everything I wanted out of McGrath's writing. I will definitely look out for more to come from this surprising author.

But I will say this - most likely, this book will break your heart in at least a few ways. A standing warning for emerging tears in more than one places!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this amazing story.