Sunday, May 4, 2008

Sinister Among Us-William B. Bradshaw, PH.D.

Sinister Among Us
William B. Bradshaw, PH.D.
Tate, 2007, $22.95
ISBN: 9781598867404

Big problems threaten to shut Cyprus College, a small Christian school in Copperville, Indiana. The accreditation board is on the verge of withdrawing its support, which is the death penalty for a school; financially the college is near bankrupt and scholarships have vanished. Other happenings involving drug trafficking has the FBI looking. With that mess on top of the recent death of the school’s president, the Board of Directors seek a special person who can bring fiscal reasonability and respect to the beleaguered school. A banker on the board recommends retired sexagenarian widower Dr. Bradley Green whose reputation is saving financially troubled colleges.

Eight months after accepting the position, Brad remains troubled with what he has found. Besides the money and drugs, he uncovers a prostitution ring using students and abuse by faculty. Being a rationale thinker, he struggles with one small school having all this evil assault it. He begins to wonder if the unbelievable could be happening here; a demon causing malevolent havoc.

SINISTER AMONG US is a terrific tale that for much of the story line focuses on an ethical dedicated college president resolving issues that threaten the school’s existence. There is a subplot involving Christian doctrine on demonology, but Dr. Bradshaw cleverly interweaves that into the college in trouble story line as a potential cause. Although there are grating moments when something passively stated is immediately reaffirmed in the active voice to emphasize a point, this is a well written fascinatingly unique contemporary tale. Readers will appreciate the ethical hero aided by his lawyer and banker (modern times) trying to save a Christian College from the mundane and perhaps something more SINISTER AMONG US.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: