The 6th Lamentation: Summary and book reviews of The 6th Lamentation by William Brodrick, plus links to an excerpt from The 6th Lamentation and a biography of William Brodrick.

Larkwood Priory, England: Father Anselm is stopped by an old man. What, he is asked, should a man do when the world has turned against him? Anselm's response: claim sanctuary. But the answer sets off more trouble than he ever could have imagined when the man returns, demanding the protection of the Church. He is Eduard Schwermann, a suspected Nazi war criminal. Agnes Aubret has unburdened a secret to her granddaughter Lucy. Fifty years earlier, Agnes was in occupied Paris, risking her life to smuggle Jewish children to safety—until her group was exposed by an SS officer: Eduard Schwermann. Not only has the Church granted Schwermann sanctuary before; in 1944 it helped him escape from France to begin a new life in Britain. As Anselm attempts to find out why and as Lucy delves deeper into her grandmother's past, their investigations dovetail to form a remarkable story. William Brodrick makes a dazzling debut in this literary thriller where two seemingly unconnected lives gradually, shockingly converge. Brodrick, himself a former Augustinian friar, is a master of precision plotting, morally complex characterization, and crisp historical re-creation. In Father Anselm, Brodrick has crafted a unique and compelling hero. Taut and completely compelling, The 6th Lamentation promises to be the literary thriller discovery of the season.

Media Reviews

USA Today - Maureen Pao Rich with medieval and biblical allusion, The 6th Lamentation is an intricate mystery of both the mind and soul.... [Brodrick] has written an engrossing novel in which appearances are disastrously deceptive and the sins of the father painfully come to bear on the sons (and daughters).   Kirkus Reviews The storyline is intricate enough to make one squint at times, but it's never contrived for the sake of cleverness or cheapened merely to lead the reader astray. A slo-mo thriller. Literary, too.   Publishers Weekly [A] masterful first novel ...The complex nature of the plot demands concentration, but the effort pays off handsomely as one is swept into this heartrending story.   Booklist - Keir Graff Starred Review. This first-time novelist was an Augustinian friar before becoming a barrister; his chief protagonist, Father Anselm, was a barrister before becoming a monk. Though Brodrick builds tension slowly (he's better at foreshadowing than planting clues), he's mapped his plot masterfully, and his approach to the thorny issues of justice and punishment is thoughtful and complex.   Library Journal - Angela Graven Broderick's engrossing first novel is a detailed and compelling mystery about how the past can shape the future. Jeffrey Deaver It's indeed rare to find such a masterful blending of sharp suspense and literary resonance as we see in The Sixth Lamentation. Author Brodrick has produced a truly compelling novel. Martha Grimes The Sixth Lamentation is a meticulously-plotted, cat's cradle of a mystery with the interwoven stories pulled as taut as a piano-wire. The setting of Paris during the war is invoked to chilling effect. William Brodrick has written the first of what I hope will be a series of especially literate thrillers.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Rob
The Sixth Lamentation
Enjoyable read but disagree with the earlier "not contrived" review. I became quite annoyed with the dangling of denouement, which was as overused as if it were a Dan Brown novel. The "bringing together of loose ends" was at the...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Mark Curtis
The 6th Lamentation
A thoroughly researched, well thought out, and intricately plotted work. The suspense held my attention to the very last page. All the loose ends (and there were many) were eventually all tied up. Also, it was fascinating to observe the...   Read More

Rated of 5 by carcie
the sixth lamentation
Excellent first novel. Interesting and well constructed. Plot twist kept me reading, even on the second time around (for a book group discussion). Anxious for the second in the series!

Rated of 5 by Joan H
Please publish another soon.
I just loved this book. Hated finishing it. Is there another one coming soon? The moral dilemma was intriguing. And the writing beautiful. Mind you, I had to resort to my dictionary a few times! But that's good. Still learning in my...   Read More

Rated of 5 by J Gilsenan
The style of writing is intricate and very polished. Writing which touches very difficult issues with much grace and style. I highly recommend this book.

Rated of 5 by Karen T
The storytelling was enthralling and the writing very smooth and polished. There were enough plot twists and turns to justify classifying it in the mystery genre but it certainly shouldn't be shelved in the library or bookstore that way. Because...   Read More

...3 More Reader Reviews

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