by Gavin Reese
“If the fire really was an accident, it is almost impossible to explain how it started. Benjamin Mouton, Notre Dame's former chief architect, explained that the rules were exceptionally strict and that no electric cable or appliance, and no source of heat, could be placed in the attic. He added that an extremely sophisticated alarm system was in place. The company that installed the scaffolding did not use any welding and specialized in this type of work. The fire broke out more than an hour after the workers' departure and none of them was present. It spread so quickly that the firefighters who rushed to the spot as soon as they could get there were shocked. Remi Fromont, the chief architect of the French Historical Monuments said: "The fire could not start from any element present where it started. A real calorific load is necessary to launch such a disaster".” – The Burning of Notre Dame and the Destruction of Christian Europe, by Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris and author of 27 books on France and Europe for Gatestone Institute.
As with the first two books in this series, all the characters are entirely figments of my imagination. Gerard Antlé, however, shares the background and experiences of one of my paternal relatives who emigrated to the US in the 18th century and became a sniper in the Continental Army’s Swamp Foxes. Gerard’s fictional escape from Taliban captivity is based on one of his Revolutionary War experiences. Any other references to actual persons are used fictionally and have been clearly identified. Most locations are real and used fictionally or based on actual locales. I relied equally on my own travel, photographs, and open sources like Google Maps to assure accuracy when required. The list of completely fictional locations will be much shorter:
Although the Hotel Grimod de la Reynière previously existed at the corner of Avenue Gabriel and Rue Boissy d'Anglas, it was destroyed to make way for the US Embassy building that stands there today. The fictional location in this book is at the northwest corner of Place de la Concorde, which is currently occupied by another, real-life hotel. My technical adviser, BL, gets credit for naming The Oremus hotel chain, which translates to “Let us pray.” Even though it’s a figment of my imagination, I believe a well-funded clandestine organization would do well to run such an overt operation. It would offer tremendous operational flexibility if they could keep it secret. That’s always the hang-up, right? At any rate, the Greenwich location stands at the site of an ibis hotel near the National Maritime Museum. As of this publication, The Oremus - Paris stands at the modern-day location of Theatre de la Ville at 3 Avenue Gabriel.
The aid organization Michael used as a cover to enter Abrini’s building, Humanitarian Crisis in Motion, is also a figment of my imagination. The underlying political philosophies, however, are not. Férme A Table, the grocery delivery service Gerard used for the same purpose, is also fictitious.
Absolvers
Michael Thomas: Priest, AKA “Andrew”
Sergio Guzman: Priest, AKA “Jude”
John: Supervisor and Trainer
Chasseur Antlé: Priest, AKA “Alpha”
James The Lesser: Fixer and Quartermaster
Church Officials
His Holiness Cornelius II: Current, Sitting Pope
Cardinal Paul Dylan: Under-Secretariat of the Economy, Vatican City
Harold Hoffaburr: Assistant to Cardinal Dylan
Eduardo Hernandez: Monsignor, San Miguel Chapel, Santa Fe
Luc Devoux: Priest, Saint Denis Cathedral, Paris
The Rest of God’s Children
Shawn Moore: Fallen Priest, AKA “Thomas”
Frank Thomas: Michael’s Father
Mary Thomas: Michael’s Mother
Gerard Antlé: Counter-Terrorism Inspector, French National Police
Mahmoud Algeri: Lieutenant, French National Police
Claudette Antlé: Gerard’s separated wife
Marie Antlé: Gerard’s teenage daughter
Abdul Siddiqi: Self-proclaimed imam, Seine-Saint-Denis
Abdel Abdullah Abrini: Syrian refugee, electrical engineer
Gavin Reese
Gavin answered his call to service by working as a professional cop, spent many weekends and holidays in a cop car of one kind or another, and is honored to have protected and served the public in this manner. His training and experience in areas such as Patrol, Narcotics, Undercover Operations, Counterterrorism, Sex and Human Trafficking, S.W.A.T., and Dark Web Investigations provide an ever-growing queue of ideas and stories for his fact-based fiction. Gavin currently works on advanced academic degrees that he hopes improve the public good.
Gavin’s rare free time is devoted to family, travel, martial arts, SCUBA diving, mountaineering, and pursuing the perfect ice cream. Never all in the same day.
A portion of all Gavin’s sales is donated to crime victims, as well as charities that serve law enforcement professionals and veterans, their families and heirs, and honor the memory of our Fallen Heroes.