Robert Shannon is a young American priest sent to Ireland in 1922 by his superiors to discover his family roots. Unsettled by his time as a chaplain with the Marines, Shannon returned to Boston where he became aware of corrupt activities going on in the Archdiocese of Boston. His elders decide it would be best for him to make this trip to Ireland to bring him a sense of balance and peace.

He travels along the Shannon River, hoping to both find out about his ancestors and escape trouble and strife. However, he ends up witnessing the start of Ireland’s civil war. He also meets some good people, including a nurse he knew while he was a Marine chaplain. Shannon’s personal journey of peace winds up playing out as an suspenseful and action-filled drama: he is being stalked by a killer from back home. He is unaware of this at first, leaving him wide open to the killer.

Frank Delaney does a good job of writing about Irish history, folklore, and scandals in the Catholic Church. The book balances a spiritual feel with riveting drama, if you can imagine the two together. People who generally enjoy this kind of novel will find Shannon well-written and satisfying. For me, it moved a bit too slowly; I had to work at it a little too much for me to say I loved the book.