Heather’s Bookshelf: Fallen Kings: Unholy Secrets
Author: June Gillam
Released: 09/25/24
Genre: Social Justice Crime Fiction
“Hillary clenched the table. ‘Our daughter is missing,’ she breathed, the blood in her veins standing still.”
“Fallen Kings: Unholy Secrets” is a crime novel in the Hillary Broome series. However, this story was reviewed as a standalone.
Professor Hillary Broome is on vacation in Italy with her husband, Ed and daughter Claire. Claire’s getting ready for college and exploring her new community as a young gay woman. When two young women with views seen as controversial go missing and one is found dead, Hillary worries, but Claire insists she is overreacting.
A plot against women with progressive views related to the Catholic church is underway and Claire gets caught in the middle of it. When she goes missing, Hillary must fight to find and save her daughter.
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, discussion of abortion, gender and LGBTQ prejudice, reference to rape, reference to incest
Overall, I found this story intriguing and topical. Told through multiple POVs, the main being that of Hillary. A reporter, wife, and mother, Hillary’s POV clearly elicits a sense of family, love, and hope with skepticism. She’s a strong and admirable protagonist. The other major POV is that of Father Tommaso, a Catholic priest unhappy with the state of the church, the leadership within it, and the women seeking what he considers to be “an unholy” agenda. Father Tommaso and his young accomplices are truly villainous in their actions, thoughts, and words. A terrible amount of misogynistic and self-loathing behaviors follow Father Tommaso’s POV. It is close to impossible to feel any kind of sympathy for Tommaso or Albert. However, the ardent belief and hope maintained by the women who suffer at their hand is enough to offset the righteous cruelty. The story surrounds many political and religious viewpoints that are controversial headlines today. There’s a twist that I didn’t see coming near the end that adds to some of the overall themes found throughout the story. The ending wraps everything up, answering all questions and adding resolution throughout while clearly leaving it open for possible future Hillary Broome tales.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A crime fiction with current social, political and religious threads throughout.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with June Gillam
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Find it for purchase here
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