Ordinary Evil
By: Gene Ferraro
Publisher: iUniverse LLC
Publication Date: January 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4917-0489-9
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford

Gene Ferraro delivers a riveting thriller in his debut novel, Ordinary Evil.

Father Bertrand Dascomb is a Catholic priest. He has a secret...a very dark secret. His judgment day is between him and his Lord. God knows what Father Dascomb has done. Others have their suspicions what the good Father has done as well. Joey Fredette knows. What Joey couldn’t know was what his destiny would be the day he turned to Father Dascomb for solace.

Joey was bullied at school and his home life was less than desirable. He loved his mother, but his father was awful—six beers under his belt most mornings before 6 a.m. and a free-swinging right hook that could take Joey down in seconds. Maybe that’s what pushed Joey over the edge—made him stab young Robbie repeatedly to the tune of 27 times. Lucky for Joey he had a good attorney who convinced the Catholic judge to remand him to the state sanitarium versus try him as an adult where he would most likely rot in prison. Fortunate for Joey, Father Bertrand Dascomb would be on the receiving end when Joey was ‘reformed’ and reintroduced to society.

Ronnie loved her boy Kevin. The good Lord blessed her with four beautiful children, but Kevin was the only son. Kevin loved baseball. His goal was to work hard and save every cent to buy his coveted Louisville Slugger bat. Truly it was a sign sent from Heaven when Kevin became an altar boy in Father Dascomb’s parish. How is it the stars aligned perfectly so very often for the good Father with the constant delivery of these magnificent boys? How are Father Dascomb and Joey Fredette connected to Kevin's death? Detective Teddy Sparta may not have all the answers, but he is closing in. He may die before he sets the truth free, but he will meet his maker knowing he did everything in his power to let it be known.

I give Gene Ferraro major props for selecting such controversial subject matter for his compelling debut thriller. In the 90’s and into the millennium there were many instances reported of the questionable practices between the man of cloth (specifically Catholic clergymen) and the predatory connection between them and their affinity for innocent young boys. Mr. Ferraro has managed to deliver a fascinating read as much as a bone-chilling work of fiction that is quite credible. Ferraro takes the reader on a journey that transcends from suburban communities in pristine New England and ties the tragic occurrences back to where it all began so-to-speak: the Vatican. While Ferraro is quite insistent this is a work of fiction, there are many opportunities across the pages of Ordinary Evil where this story alludes to the thought: Holy cow! This stuff does happen! I applaud Mr. Ferraro for his bravery to tackle this subject and his ability to do so with dignity and grace in both his dialogue and prose. This had to have been a challenging book to write. Ferraro deserves praise for his delivery and courage to do so. I am a fan Mr. Ferraro and look forward to your next book.

Quill says: Ordinary Evil is a compelling body of work that will linger in your memory long after the last page has been consumed.