The Day of the Lie: Father Anselm Series, Book 4

By: William Brodrick

Narrated by: Gordon Griffin

Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Father Anselm receives a visit from an old friend with a dangerous story to tell - the story of a woman betrayed by someone close to her...someone still unknown. As a young woman, Roza Mojeska was part of an underground resistance group in Communist Poland. But after her arrest, a Stasi officer makes her a devil's bargain - and a terrible choice is made.

Now, 50 years later, Anselm is called upon to investigate both Roza's story and a mystery dating back to the early 1980s. As he peels back years of history, he exposes a truth that an entire generation was killed to keep hidden.

©2012 William Brodrick (P)2012 W F Howes Ltd

Father Anselm is Superfluous Character

With its flaws, I was moved by the main story of this book. If you are interested in Poland after WWII, I recommend it highly, even though I have only given it 4 stars. Father Anselm could be deleted and the book would be stronger.

At the heart of this novel is a powerful story of the effects of war and totalitarianism. It is made even more powerful by the exploration of what motivates individual behavior when the world as they know it is threatened. What is the line between good and evil. I was only vaguely aware of the history of Poland between WWII and Solidarity. Through Roza's eyes, I was able to experience the pain, the fear, and the hopeless which overwhelmed the country.

That said, the book is too long and revelations too convenient. It felt like the author did not know when to end the story. He eventually tied up every loose end so smoothly that many of the resolutions felt forced. The theological and philosophical dialogues (both internal and external) by Father Anselm were too long and distracted from the story.

I have previously enjoyed Gordon Griffin's narration. In this book, however, the voices of the male characters were often not distinct enough in a scene and I had difficulty knowing who was speaking. Part of this may be due to editing. There was often no break when a scene shifted from one time period to another.

Not the usual standard

if it wasn't for Gordon Griffin narrating I wouldn't have bothered finishing it. I thought it struggled and limped with too much phaffing around.

Not the quality of the first book

The concept and characters are pro
Using, but the book is tedious and complex to the point that I almost quit it. The first book was better.