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New York Times Best SellerThe Shepherd's Calculus

The Shepherd's Calculus is a fast-paced political thriller that examines what happens when those cornerstones of American identity--capitalism and religion -- clash with its principals of justice.

When journalist Peter Merrick is asked to eulogize his mentor, Father James Ingram, he wonders how he’ll do him justice. Then he finds the box full of letters – Ingram's hand-written apologies to victims of sexual abuse, many returned unopened – and must confront the possibility that his idol was the perpetrator of the crimes.

U.S. President Arthur Wyncott has problems of his own. The next presidential election is swiftly approaching and he’s losing ground to his opponent, a Catholic convert whose relief work in Central America gives him an edge with Hispanic voters. With 70 million Catholic votes at stake and another 18 million Hispanic balloters in play, Wyncott needs a neutralizer fast.

Owen Feeney, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wishes he had time to mourn the death of his lifelong friend, James Ingram. But with new lawsuits piling up at his office every day, it’s a luxury he can’t afford. Neither is a potential $1 billion payout to sex-abuse victims and their families. When he receives a call from President Wyncott’s campaign, he sees a solution to both men’s problems.

Yet even as Feeney does what any good shepherd would do – protect his church– Peter Merrick's own investigation of James Ingram leads him to the Bishop's door. Before long, he stumbles on a trail of cover-ups that threaten both the election and justice for victims everywhere.

At this explosive intersection of greed and faith rests the calculation each of us makes about when to do the right thing and why.

Like John Le Carre's The Constant Gardener and Netflix's "House of Cards," The Shepherd's Calculus takes an unflinching look at democracy, idealism and the cost of where they meet in between.

Spotlight on C.S. Farrelly