The Cathedral Murders

by J.E. Morales

Overview

In 1992, Peru is in the middle of an internal war against the communist guerrilla group Shining Path. In this turbulent environment, medical student Isabella Castle witnesses hospital patients dying under mysterious circumstances. As she navigates the prejudiced traditional system and battles her own internal struggles, the search for truth leads her down an unexpected path. She will soon discover that antagonistic forces inside the government and the ecclesiastical hierarchy are battling for power to hide a dark secret within the Church.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781667893488
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	05/23/2023
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

J.E Morales was born and raised in Lima, Peru. After graduating from medical school, he moved to United States to complete postgraduate training. He currently lives and practices in Phoenix, AZ and "The Cathedral Murders" is his first novel.

Editorial Reviews

★ 2023-09-08
A medical student’s discovery of tiny black crosses painted on recently deceased patients suggests the work of a serial killer in Morales’ thriller debut.

In 1992 Lima, Peru, med student Isabella Castle learns that Hospital Nacional Santa Maria, where she does her rotation, is nicknamed “the Cathedral” [26](“If Wembley stadium in London is the cathedral of football, Santa Maria hospital is the cathedral of medicine”). But not all that transpires in this cathedral is holy: Someone injects a lethal agent into the bloodstream of a patient associated with the Shining Path terrorist group. Additional suspicious deaths follow, and Isabella notices small crosses drawn on each body. The hospital wants the problem kept quiet, as a police investigation would surely ruin Santa Maria’s reputation. Against a backdrop of government corruption, terrorism, and Church secrets (enter Opus Dei, popularized in The DaVinci Code), Isabella navigates medical school and murders while suffering from depression. Her condition is caused in part by her gay brother’s recent move to the United States (30 years ago, Peru was not known for its LGBTQ+ tolerance). Still, wearing black Dr. Martens boots and driving a “double cab pick-up truck with a defiant front grill and all-terrain tires,” Isabella remains a strong character, dedicated to helping others. The author succeeds in creating a tangled web drawn from the dark sides of politics, medicine, and religion. As a Peruvian native, Morales also gives the reader vivid, lived-in descriptions of the region: “It was one of those typical, humid and overcast days of early winter when the streets of Lima are covered by the cold drizzle that the locals called garua.” As a doctor, the author pens medical scenes rich in authenticity. The pacing is effective, the murders heart pounding, and the ending is a killer.

Amen to an absorbing thriller that succeeds on many levels.

Kirkus Reviews