In her debut novel, The Shepherd's Calculus, author C.S. Farrelly weaves a compelling political thriller that delves into the intriguing intersection of politics and religion. It is a multi-layered tale that masterfully interweaves how power and money influence political and religious choices and decisions. Mix in deception, hidden agendas and dark secrets, political posturing, Church corruption, and the sobering child sexual abuse cases by priests, and you have an intriguing tale about a tangled and devious web created by political players and church leaders to each get what they want at any cost.

As a fan of political thrillers, I was fascinated by the author's interweaving of politics and religion. I was intrigued by the variety of cut-throat political campaign strategies utilized to get the votes in their candidate's favor. As a Catholic, I thought that the author's examination of the Catholic Church's history of maintaining silence in regard to the traumatically scandalous child sexual abuse cases by priests until it was brought to light by the unified voices of the survivors, and how the Church continued to cover it up in an attempt to avoid the serious propensity and monetary backlash, was very sobering, disturbing, and thought-provoking.

The Sheperd's Calculus is a well-written and compelling political thriller. It has realistic characters, and a believable political and religious opportunistic pairing with enough drama and intriguing plot twists that will keep the reader engaged and turning the pages until the surprising conclusion.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author/publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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