Gabriel's Rage

The newspaper editorial laid the horrifying reality of clerical sexual abuse of children before the world. The report of a Pennsylvania grand jury documented decades of abuse by hundreds of clerics. It was obvious there had been no accounting of guilt, no end to the repulsive assaults, no change. Evidence that predator clergy were shuffled from parish to parish at the direction of Church hierarchy is uncovered in secret documents. Three church fires declared as arsons challenge law enforcement after they receive handwritten letters from someone who uses the name Gabriel and warns, "I seek the places the sinners have been hidden, sheltered from judgement and punishment. I will punish them and those of you who shield them."A fourth fire at St. Dymphna Manor, a clergy rest home, results in three deaths and brings major crimes legal consultant Daryl Richardson into the investigations. He learns the fires have all occurred forty days apart. He has thirty-three days to find Gabriel and put a stop to his rage. JW Lucas, author of the Daryl Richardson and Dan Dragona Crime Mysteries series, is a retired law enforcement Detective Sergeant and Healthcare Security executive, his careers spanning forty-five years.As a detective, he received advanced training in crime scene processing, evidence, and forensics, including being among a select group of investigators who received intensive personal training from internationally renowned forensics expert, Dr. Henry Lee, at the University of New Haven, Connecticut.In February 1981, he led the criminal investigation of a murder that prompted shocking, sensational headlines worldwide that created a media frenzy.Coming to be known as the 'Devil Made Me Do It Case,' the accused, through his attorney, made the unprecedented claim of demonic possession as a defense.The murder became the basis for the 1983 ABC television movie, 'The Demon Murder Case,' the screenplay written by Academy Award winner William Kelly, (Witness, starring Harrison Ford) and more recently, the 2022 Warner Brothers distributed movie 'Conjuring 3,' and a 2022 two-hour Discovery TV Network documentary 'The Devil Made Me Do It.'He has led many major crime investigations, including homicide, kidnapping, serial bank robberies, undercover narcotics, and white-collar crimes.His crime mystery series focuses on the human side of the investigators; the doubts and frustrations they encounter with unexpected twists and turns in their cases, the emotional toll horrific crime takes on its victims and their families, and the use of forensics and technology to solve the crimes.JW Lucas lives in Connecticut. He enjoys hearing from readers at:jwlucasbooks1@gmail.com Stories of investigations of Daryl Richardson, major crimes legal consultant for the Dept of Justice.