The Fighter
Father Tom Book 7
ISBN 9781987970784
ASIN B0H2BZFWKB
I have been a big fan of both Jim Sano and Full Quiver Publishing since encountering the, Jim has now published 9 books, and this is the seventh in the Father Tom series. Reading a book in this series is always like a visit with an old friend. In some ways Father Tom reminds me of Andrew M. Greeley’s Blackie Ryan, and also of Father Gabriel by Fiorella de Maria. And reading any story with Father Tom and Angelo is like a visit with an old friend you have not seen in a while. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I read a copy of this story over Holy week. Because of family and other commitments I had to put it down several times. Each time it was more difficult. The description of this volume states:
“Danny Nolan is an underground boxer and a single father to his nineteen-year-old daughter, Jenny, who is probing into the mysteries of their family history and a traumatic past that haunts him. As his carefully constructed, isolated world in the South End of Boston begins to crumble and he risks losing Jenny, he must face the Irish crime boss who raised him, the father who abandoned him, and the devastating truth he’s spent a lifetime running from. Entering the Golden Gloves boxing tournament as a path to redemption, Danny navigates a kidnapping, a murder mystery, and the climax of his emotional journey of fear, faith, trust, and truth, with the unexpected help and friendship of Father Tom and Angelo.”
About the author we are informed:
“Award-winning author Jim Sano grew up in an Irish/Italian family in Massachusetts. Jim is a husband, father, lifelong Catholic, and has worked as a teacher, consultant, and businessman. He has degrees from Boston College and Bentley University and is currently attending Franciscan University for a master’s degree in Catechetics and Evangelization. He has also attended certificate programs at The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John’s Seminary and the Apologetics Academy. Jim is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and has enjoyed growing in his faith and now sharing it through writing novels. Joline is his eighth novel.
Jim resides in Medfield, Massachusetts, with his wife, Joanne, and has two daughters, Emily and Megan, and grandchildren, Harper and Hunter.”
This story begins on January 7th 2010 and that first chapter is the only one with a date under it. It takes place over many weeks. But we are given a lot of backstory as characters remember the past. And a good chunk of this story is actually trying to figure out some past mysteries. Mysteries around family, friends, and fighting … in the ring that is.
Dany Nolan has raised his daughter as a single parent since he was 16. She is now about to finish secondary school or high school depending on where you are from and is looking to the future. But the past has a hold on both Danny and his daughter Jenny. And the secrets Danny has kept, and the secrets that have been kept from him just might destroy all that they both love. Father Tom and Angelo get pulled into the mystery on a few different fronts. First they have watched Jenny grow and mature through school and through the young adults group at church. But Angelo is also asked about coaching Danny in the Golden Gloves.
There are a lot of rumours about what happened when Danny’s mother and father went missing, and it looks like history is about to repeat itself. Can Father Tom and Angelo help alter that course, and can a lot of prayer and a little luck avoid a great tragedy?
This story is another masterfully written tale from the pen of Sano. It was not easy to put down, and even when I finished it, I debated just starting over again and giving it a second read. Each time I read one of the Father Tom stories I think I should go back and reread them all again, and one of these days I will get around to it.
This book and series are ones I would love my teen children to read. I have recommended them to my father. And I have mentioned different books to numerous friends.
Everything I have read from Sano has been excellent. I can easily recommend this excellent story about faith, family, friends, and just maybe forgiveness. A masterfully written story in a great series.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by Jim Sano:
Father Tom Series:
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