Bøger af John Conlee

If an early Protestant Bible had marginal annotations from two of English literature's greatest writers, would that make it one of the "rarest books in the world"? That question lies at the heart of this novel. And it is not the only one.

According to Christian tradition, the spear thrust of a Roman soldier inflicted Christ's fifth and final wound on the cross. To this day, several European museums claim to possess this infamous weapon, which is variously known as "The Spear of Destiny," "The Lance of Longinus" or simply "The Holy Spear." Because of its direct, 'intimate' contact with the incarnate body of Christ, this object is revered throughout Christendom as one of the holiest relics in existence--If it is in existence. If there is such a spear, its monetary value would be incalculable. Is it any wonder, then, that there are people who will stop at nothing to obtain it--including committing murder?

Baseball, opera, literary antiquities, and acts of violent retribution all converge in John Conlee's THE HEATER. Set in the present, this novel traces events through an entire baseball season while at the same time re-enacting the ancient Celtic tale of "Deirdre of the Sorrows." The novel's protagonist is Ty Duffy, the opera-loving second baseman of the Bay City Grays, whose unswerving loyalty to his friend and teammate culminates in a violent denouement on a wind-swept island off the west coast of Ireland.

When Young American scholar Charles Bascombe goes to Cornwall to see a mysterious medieval manuscript, he soon thinks the manuscript contains an unknown poem by Geoffrey Chaucer. Then the manuscript is stolen, triggering a series of events--Charles is stalked in an eerie graveyard, attacked behind a pub, and has encounters with beguiling women.