2013 International Thriller Award Nominee
Daniel Byrne is an investigator for the Vatican’s secretive Office of the Devil’s Advocate—the department that scrutinizes miracle claims. Over ten years and 721 cases, not one miracle he tested has proved true. But case #722 is different; Daniel’s estranged uncle, a crooked TV evangelist, has started speaking in tongues—and accurately predicting the future. Daniel knows Reverend Tim Trinity is a con man. Could Trinity also be something more?
The evangelist himself is baffled by his newfound power—and the violent reaction it provokes. After years of scams, he suddenly has the ability to predict everything from natural disasters to sports scores. Now the mob wants him dead for ruining their gambling business, and the Vatican wants him debunked as a false messiah. On the run from assassins, Trinity flees with Daniel’s help through the back roads of the Bible Belt to New Orleans, where Trinity plans to deliver a final prophecy so shattering his enemies will do anything to keep him silent.
Download and start listening now!
"I'm a sucker for books around religious themes, so this was a must buy. Daniel Byrne is a doubting priest who investigates supposed miracles for the Vatican. He hasn't ever found a true miracle. Then his attention is drawn to Tim Trinity, a tele-evangelist and the man who brought him up. Daniel knows that Trinity has an act going that brings in the dollars but this time he is speaking in strange tongues. This turns out to be human speech spoken backwards at a different speed and in these states, Trinity predicts actual events. 100% come true so Daniel must confront his past and investigate Trinity. The book is about Daniel's search for a true miracle, his relationships to Trinity and a search for the divine - or something else. Enjoyable, fast paced read."
— Joanna (4 out of 5 stars)
" Worth reading? Sort of. At one point I was ready to quit and then picked it up for 1 more try and got hooked, for a while. Then the story dragged and I just wanted to finish the book. Have you ever read one like this? When it was good it was really good and when it was bad it was boring. "
— Cathy, 2/7/2014" I found this book fascinating and am still pondering the possibilities. "
— Cindyrolfe, 2/6/2014" I wouldn't say this kept me on the edge of my seat, but it did hold my interest. I appreciated that I didn't have to think too hard to enjoy it. It fit at just the right time. "
— Sarah, 2/4/2014" This is a reasonably exciting book. A priest who is with the Vatican's miracle investigation team is sent to debunk his uncle's. Because the uncle is correctly predicting future events such as horse races, various groups are also after him. Which one will succeed? "
— Robin, 2/1/2014" Tragically orphaned at childbirth and raised by his tent-show revivalist grifter uncle Tim Trinity, as a very young man Daniel Byrne forgoes a promising boxing career and an alluring woman for the priesthood. Eventually Byrne earns a senior position in the Vatican's Office of the Devil's Advocate, the Church's bureau tasked with investigating and debunking claims of divinely-inspired miracles around the world. Years after turning his back on Trinity and his religious scams, the Vatican dispatches Byrne to America to assess, and disprove, Trinity's new-found abilities to accurately predict future events while speaking in bizarre tongues during his internationally televised sermons. Trinity's ardent followers are convinced God has selected the old grifter as His latest earthly loudspeaker. Elements both official and clandestine in the Vatican believe otherwise, as does Byrne. Byrne travels to Atlanta to confront his uncle, only to find that perhaps Trinity's recent gift might indeed have supernatural, if not heavenly, origins. Organized crime bosses in Las Vegas don't care where Trinity's predictive prowess comes from -- they want him stopped at all costs, because his prescience includes not only foreseeing tragic oil rig explosions and horrific traffic wrecks, but also calling final scores in sporting events yet to be played. Pursued by countless fans and foes across the American South, including federal agents and professional assassins, Byrne enlists help from of his old lover, now a CNN journalist, and from a mercenary friend who owes his life to the priest after a violent episode in Central America years back, to slip Trinity out of Atlanta. Trinity demands Byrne get him in one piece to New Orleans, where Trinity must deliver to the world from the steps of the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square a message only he can give. Author Sean Chercover has written an engaging modern thriller. His prose is crisp. Byrne and Trinity are interesting characters, though the rest of the novel's cast are fairly flat stock good guys or bad guys. The novel reflects that the author knows the places where his story takes place very well, and this is particularly so regarding New Orleans. All considered, "The Trinity Game" is an entertaining book that will leave thriller readers satisfied. "
— Richard, 1/27/2014" What a fascinating premise for a novel! I was hooked right from the start. This isn't a typical thriller - in fact, I might rather classify it as suspense - but there's no denying that there is plenty of action, along with an unexpected religious mystery. Fans of Dan Brown will surely enjoy this, but don't write it off as a "The Da Vinci Code" wannabe. This book has a motley cast of characters and family drama that goes well beyond a mass market midnight paperback. "
— Tessa, 1/21/2014" Good action/thriller with a unique premise. Ending felt a bit flat, but plot was very engaging. "
— David, 1/21/2014" I found this book interesting, but in the beginning I had a hard time following the story line. I would recommend it even though it was not one of my favorites. Everyone has different taste. "
— Carolyn, 1/16/2014" I felt bad for my Catholic friends when I read this one. Good tale of suspense, fast-paced. Overall I enjoyed the diversion. "
— Guy, 1/14/2014" Really enjoyed this. It's a quick suspense novel. Great summer entertainment. "
— Kim, 1/6/2014" Brought up a lot of interesting questions about religion. Very interesting, although somewhat predictable. "
— Brooke, 1/6/2014Sean Chercover is a former private detective turned novelist and screenwriter. A native of Toronto, he has held a motley assortment of jobs over the years, including video editor, scuba diver, nightclub magician, encyclopedia salesman, and truck driver. He is the author of award-winning novels featuring Chicago private investigator Ray Dudgeon: Big City, Bad Blood and Trigger City. His fiction has won the Anthony, Shamus, CWA Dagger, Dilys, and Crimespree awards, and been shortlisted for the Edgar, Barry, Macavity, Arthur Ellis, and ITW Thriller awards. After living in Chicago; New Orleans; and Columbia, South Carolina, Sean returned to Toronto where he currently lives with his wife and son.
Kate Rudd, actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared in several independent films and shorts, as well as in multiple episodes of the television show Perks. As an audiobook narrator she has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration.