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A
community theater festival stirs dreams of
stardom, dreams of escape, dreams of love.
But dreams become nightmares when two
bodies are found floating off shore at the
lakefront amphitheater.
One is a
brilliant teenage actress named
Sonja Duranyi who plays an
Indian princess remembered in local legend
as meeting a violent end. The other is
Peter
Carnahan, the festival's technical
director.
As the
story jumps back to trace the unfolding
production, we meet a variety of colorful
characters, including:
- Benson
Forrester, theater professor from
the state university brought in to
produce the play - a man known for his
triumphs on stage and his weakness for
talented young women;
- Laszlo
Duranyi, Sonja's artist
stepfather who engages her in constant
quarrels and whose hostility toward
life is rooted in politics and
grief;
- Tommy
Dwyer, Sonja's moody boyfriend
who dreams of flying and of sharing a
life with the girl whose onstage
presence fascinates him;
- Shelly
Hasted, a costume designer who
has the inside scoop on people's lives
and who, unwittingly, holds the key to
the two tragic deaths.
...along
with many others, including the principal
characters of the "Valley Mysteries" -
Alan Kemp, Father
Karl, Sister Elaine, Police Chief
Zubeck, Elroy the old savant,
Pastor Matt, and more -
introduced in the first volume of this
series, HOLY
INNOCENTS.
THIS
SIDE OF JORDAN explores two timely and
provocative themes: (1) why popular
entertainment panders to the lowest moral
instincts of its audience; and (2)
homosexuality and the challenge it
presents to relationships, to society, and
to the Church.
Catholic
journalist Bill Kassel ties all these
threads into an engaging story. His fresh
approach to fictionalizing current issues
makes his "Valley Mysteries" enjoyable to
read, even as they get you
thinking.
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CRITICS PRAISE
THIS SIDE OF JORDAN!
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latest Reviews in...
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