Full of Eyes: a Rebel Bishop mystery

by Paul A Barra

Overview

FULL OF EYES is a historical mystery novel that tears away the veil of secrecy surrounding secessionists among antebellum Catholics in the South, including the real-life and notorious third bishop of Charleston, Patrick N. Lynch, slaveowner, polymath, famed orator and writer, leading clerical secessionist, and an anti-abolitionist so fervent and eloquent that Horace Greley labeled him The Rebel Bishop in the pages of the N. Y. Herald. Lynch's own diocese kept him under wraps for 150 years.

When a wealthy volunteer sacristan is murdered in the Charleston cathedral in April 1861, Lynch acts as a kind of Nero Wolfe--interpreting clues unearthed by his aide, Tom Dockery, a priest and former NYPD officer. As Dockery works to unravel a challenging mystery, with the Lowcountry about to devolve into civil war, he explores his own attitude toward slavery. Before he can decide even what his true feeling are about the brewing War of Northern Aggression, however, he and his bishop must stop a very determined killer ...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798224847419
Publisher:	Barracuda Books
Publication date:	06/13/2024
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Paul A. Barra's last novel, "Westfarrow Island," published by The Permanent Press, was called "exciting" by Publishers Weekly.

PW said, in part: "The relentless action in the dual story lines keeps the reader engrossed. Barra offers it all: murder, smuggling, chase scenes, romance, and international intrigue." It was shortlisted for the Silver Falchion award. His short story, Assignment: Sheepshead Bay, was selected for the MWA anthology "When a Stranger Comes to Town," released by Hanover Square Press in April 2021.

Barra has had five novels published, plus a non-fiction book about the founding of a Catholic high school without diocesan approval. He is a decorated former naval officer, was a reporter for local papers and the senior staff writer for the diocese of Charleston.