A Star and a Tear is a mystery thriller with a spiritual edge. Frank Sessions is locked in a season of grief caused by the violent death of his wife during a convenience store robbery. He emerges out of his grief when a young reporter asks for his assistance in writing a story about a rape in the city and Frank realizes he has a strange connection with the anonymous rapist. It soon becomes clear that the city is confronting a serial rapist with a religious fixation. Racing against time, Frank Sessions seeks to assist the police to track down a serial rapist recognizing that there are strong indications that the rapist will soon escalate to murdering his victims. If he is to succeed, he needs to confront an embarrassing chapter in his own past and recognize the strange symbiotic relationship between sexuality and spirituality present in religion. As one reviewer commented, "As the mystery and the search for the rapist develop, the author, . . ., takes us deeper and deeper into what it means to be a person of faith in crisis. Another review states: "Amid the story's varied twists and turns there is danger and darkness, humor and irony, faith and hypocrisy. (Like in the Bible?) Whether one takes religious issues to heart or views them as a creative vehicle for the story, A Star and a Tear makes fine reading." In addition to being an exciting mystery, the story provides the opportunity for a needed discussion about the issues of sexuality and religion. As a third review states: "This book, which takes us behind the closed doors of clergy confidentiality and privilege deserves to be required reading for in-depth discussion in Pastoral Care classes in all Protestant and Catholic seminaries. It also will serve clergy groups wherever the search for integrity and support, guidance and faithfulness really matter." While an enjoyable mystery with plenty of challenging twists and turns, A Star and a Tear also provides the foundation for a discussion on both the creative and destructive power of sexuality in life. Whether it be several clergy, lay people who want to explore this significant issue in the church, or someone who is interested in how to live a healthy life, this book is both an enjoyable and valuable foundation for exploring the relationship between sexuality and spirituality in our society. The mystery will keep you reading while the group discussion may deepen friendships and challenge your thinking.
About the Author: Stephen McCutchan, writer, humorist, and advocate for the care of clergy, is a Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister and the author of Let's Have Lunch: Conversation, Race, and Community; Experiencing the Psalms (recipient of the Jim Angell award from the Presbyterian Writers Guild); Good News for a Fractured Society, and three volumes of lectionary devotionals for pastors; plus two CDs, A Deep Well for the Pastor and Laughter from the Well. In the area of fiction, Steve has published on Kindle three volumes of Clergy Tales-Tails: Who Wags the Dog. amzn.to/13VO446 All three volumes contain short stories about clergy as part of his desire "to raise respect for clergy, one story at a time." In these stories, one experiences the complex mosaic of pastoral life filled with both temptations and deep satisfactions. His mystery novel A Star and a Tear, follows a pastor who emerges out of a period of grief caused by his wife's violent death to assist the police in identifying a serial rapist who has a religious fixation. To solve the mystery, the pastor must confront an embarrassing chapter in his own history. The mystery explores the symbiotic relationship between sexuality and spirituality. His thirty-eight years of pastoral leadership in three middle class congregations involved working with inner city poor and sharing in creating both interracial and interfaith dialogues. Steve edits the newsletter for the Presbytery Pastoral Care Network. His hope is that clergy groups, book clubs, and church discussion groups will make use of A Star and a Tear to facilitate a discussion about how we can have a healthy attitude towards sexuality and spirituality and avoid some of the painful experiences often evident in our church and society. He encourages people to contact him at steve@smccutchan.com to discuss possible discounts for group purchases of the novel. View his website at www.smccutchan.com.