Overview
It’s 1997 and Bishop Concannon of Kilderry diocese is dead. An erstwhile figure of power and ambition, his death comes 13 years after his retirement and consequent disappearance from society. As his affairs are set in order, Peter O’Donnell, Trinity College professor and resident sleuth, receives a call that sets him on an exciting but dangerous course.
The late Bishop’s safe reveals stocks and shares worth millions of dollars. How did a Bishop amass such wealth? And for what purpose? The ensuing search for answers involves a successor bent on hiding the files; a corrupt Papal Nuncio, a mysterious Spanish organization called the Mysterium Fidei; and the Bishop’s unsavoury family.
O’Donnell goes head to head with spycatcher Colonel Dan Bryan and Taoiseach de Valera. Together, they unveil a plot that involves the upper echelons of the Church and State, and endangers Ireland’s fragile peace.
A fast-paced thriller, Kilderry Files brings together a rich cast of characters who take us headfirst into the heart and paranoia of troubled Ireland, and the hold of Church politics.
About the Author
Maurice Manning is an Irish academic and former Fine Gael politician. Manning was a member of the Oireachtas for 21 years, serving in both the Dáil and the Seanad. He has been President of the Irish Human Rights Commission since 2002, and in 2009 he was elected Chancellor of the National University of Ireland.
He has written several books on Irish history, including a biography of James Dillon. Manning’s his first Peter O’Donnell novel is titled ‘Betrayal’.
Additional Information
Author interviewed on RTÉ Radio 1 (2017)
Reviewed in The Irish Catholic (2018)
Financial Conspiracies and Clerical Skulduggery
Coverage in Wexford People (2018)
Book club set to meet with writer Maurice
Coverage of official book launch in The Sunday Independent (2017)