SATURDAY BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY : THE BAPTIST by RUBY BARNES ~ The Self-Taught Cook™

"The Baptist" is a chiller. A serial murderer who strikes every eight years, in God's name. That is, until he discovers his true purpose on earth. Then things really get crazy.

To deliberately drown your brother in a bathtub is a terrible, if clean, thing. Might it not be excused, if he is the manifest son of Satan? But that wasn’t the view of the Authorities, when they committed John to Fairfield Mental Institution.

It wasn’t all bad; they let him keep his hair long and he met Dirty Mary. Like an institutionalised Bonnie & Clyde, they roamed the Victorian asylum and grounds, fulfilling their deluded fantasies. There were casualties.

John and Mary loved, lost and left. Thank God for Care in the Community.

When God shines a light, it burns. Feargal and his friends relight my fire.

The last prophet must wander, cleanse.

I am not the One. I am merely sent to prepare a way for the One.

I am The Baptist.

(from back cover of book)

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AUTHOR BIO

I've pedalled the pushbike of life through the Shires' rolling hills, along the folded rocks of Scotland's lochs and out west to the fractured reaches of North Wales. Love found me in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks of Ireland. The Swiss Alps cured me of obsessive compulsion and yielded progeny.

Misfits, rogues and psychopaths take form in PERIL, THE BAPTIST and other works. Their voices, they speak to me. I plead with them, but the demons are real. I've carried them on my back across Scandinavia, through the Mid-West, Eastern Seaboard and Deep South of the USA and to the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. We teetered together on the brink of the Iguassu Falls and came back.

My writing is dedicated to the memory of my late grandfather Robert 'Ruby' Barnes.

http://www.goodreads.com/RubyBarnes

http://rubybarnes.blogspot.com/

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READER REVIEW

John is special. He feels that he is preparing the way of the Lord. Certain people need to be weeded out for the coming of the Lord. The first to go is John's brother, Ray. John permanently baptizes Ray in the bathtub at home because Ray is turning into their father. While in the mental institution, John meets the first of many Marys in his life. When the institution closes, John is released into society, marries and tries to fit in. This only works temporarily. John meets Feargal and Mary, and then realizes his true mission from God.

The impossible has happened. Ruby Barnes outdid himself. I did not believe anything could be better than "Peril", but "The Baptist" actually warranted a second read, something I have never done. It is a dark, twisted, confusing journey through the mind of the mentally ill, and while it was disturbing, it was so fascinating, I was almost ashamed of myself. The religious symbolism throughout was interesting. The baptismal motif (obviously), Mary, the halos, etc. All I can say is that I am now hoping for sequels to both "Peril" and "The Baptist".

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author, Ruby Barnes < http://rubybarnes.blogspot.com/ > . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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ArmchairBEA Giveaway:

Win Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

One of my favorite book bloggers, The Girl from the Ghetto, is giving away a copy of "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles. I haven't had a chance to read it yet (I entered the giveaway myself-giggle!), but it sounds great.

ENTER HERE . . . .

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