The Oculi Incident
Regis Schilken
Turnkey Press, 2005.
ISBN 0976498138, $16.95 US, 346 pages.
Religious thrillers have grabbed the attention of the reading public since Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code became a huge hit. Since, several books, some by new authors but many by established writers, have come onto the market, bringing tales of hidden manuscripts or miraculous events.
The Oculi Incident by Regis Schilken is one such book. The book begins with the disappearance of a monk from a monastery. Eventually, the investigation yields nothing and the monk is assumed to have simply given up his vows and retreated into the world. Seven years later, in the same town, at an old, run-down Catholic church, a crucifix is purported to be weeping from the oculi, a latin word for eye.
This creates a stir, first locally, then nationally. Pilgrims and tourists flock to the church, bringing donations with them, and the church coffers begin to overflow. While this may be good news for the parish priests (and for the diocese), the lead priest, Father Logue, has his doubts. He wants to take the crucifix down and examine it for evidence of foul play but is prevented by the diocese’s bishop, who believes the weeping to be miraculous.
Yet, the bishop concedes that the crucifix may be examined, so long as it remains hanging and untouched. As technicians come in to scan it, and as others begin to take a closer look, mysterious things begin to happen: a priest from Rome is shot, a nun is murdered, and Father Logue is blackmailed into giving large weekly offerings to a “voice” who visits him in confession.
Logue eventually enlists the aid of a police officer, and as the officer investigates, he begins to learn startling facts that suggest all may not be as it seems with the weeping crucifix. As Officer Comstock gets closer and closer to the truth, trouble comes to a head. There is a shootout, a fall through the plaster ceiling in the church, and a wrap-up of the story. At the end, as those involved believe the weeping crucifix to be a hoax, something miraculous begins once again to happen, and they, and the reader, are left to ponder whether such things are truly miraculous or sad hoaxes.
This book is a good read for those interested in issues of faith and religion, or for those who like a good thriller on rainy days when you cannot go outside but desire to curl up with an interesting book.
(You can order this book from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or Borders.com.)
Jeremy M. Hoover is a book reviewer and writer. He writes
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