The Prodigal) is a work of literary fiction about Aidan Sharpe, a troubled lawyer trying to rebuild his life on Ocracoke Island, who finds love and destiny when an abandoned schooner thought to have been lost at sea more than a century ago drifts ashore. While struggling to come to terms with his own failures and his growing affection for Molly, an enterprising towboat captain, Aidan is drawn into a 2,000-year-old mystery that unfolds with the reappearance of the ship.
About the Author:
Michael Hurley and his
wife Susan live in Raleigh, North Carolina. Born in Baltimore in 1958, he
studied English at the University of Maryland and law at St. Louis University.
Michael's first book, Letters from the Woods, was a collection of essays,
self-published in 2005, based on wilderness canoeing expeditions with his
children. It was selected as a finalist in the Nature category for ForeWord
magazine's Book of the Year award. In 2013 Hachette Book Group published his
memoir, Once Upon A Gypsy Moon, under their Center Street imprint. The Prodigal
is his first novel.
A lifelong sailor,
Michael obtained his captain’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1992 and,
while waiting to receive his North Carolina law license, took six months
off from the practice of law to work as a sailboat charter captain in New Bern.
Between 1995 and 2003, while practicing law full-time, he also wrote and
published Paddle & Portage, a quarterly literary journal on
wilderness canoeing enjoyed by more than 10,000 subscribers in 48
states. When he is not sailing or writing or canoeing, Michael
continues a hopeless quest to prove that his piano teachers at Baltimore’s
Peabody Institute were wrong about him all along.
Book Readers Review
Literary fiction that is
exciting, satisfyingly eloquent and a delight to read. The book starts quite gradually drawing the
reader further and further into the plot. Adrian Sharpe is a Lawyer who is
extremely successful, charming his way up the legal ladder. He rarely loses a case and is the top Lawyer
in one of the top firms in Raleigh. His
personal life has fallen apart with a divorce and a drinking problem that is
rapidly getting out of hand. The story begins with Adrian and two of his fellow
workers on the island of Ocracoke. The
mini vacation takes a strange twist for Adrian when he becomes involved with
certain interesting locals. Sharpe’s journey of self discovery begins and
continues to the end of the book.
On his return to the
mainland, a misjudgement by Sharpe in a medical malpractice trail has major
repercussions and changes his life forever.
Ironically, Adrian ends up back on the geographically remote barrier
island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, living with Marcus O’Reilly. O’Reilly, a Priest sent to the Island because
of his disparity with the doctrines of the church. Farther Marcus helps Adrian find manual work
in the local boatyard, thus begins a life the antipathy of his earlier
one. Enter several colorful and strange
characters. All of them dealing with
their own personal demons of alcoholism, abuse, failure and loneliness. One thing pulls these individuals together, a
salvaged hundred-fifty year old North African sailing ship. A mystery of a 2000 year old legend
surrounding the ship is central to the plot. Much of the story takes place on a
sailing ship, the personalities and relationships evolve throughout their
journey. A yacht race against large and
experienced sail boats and their crews challenges the group. Each of them has to come to terms with their
individual strength and weaknesses.
Adrian’s journey of growth continues.
Michael Hurley has
written a brilliant and riveting novel.
The style is classic and scenes realistic. Hurley's mastery of language
and creative use of words painted vivid pictures that carried me along with the
story and emotions of the characters.
This novel includes innumerable aspects that will delight readers. Mystery, a legend, romance, personal trails,
law, Catholicism, and sailing. Not many
clues are given at the start to show how the story will progress. But Hurley is very skilful at keeping the
reader in suspense, and wanting to read more.
Adrian's character grows as the story develops, pulling the reader further
into the plot. I found the story compelling, it was hard to put the book down
at any point.
The religious element is
presented by the author in a manner that flows easily through the self
discovery of individuals to legendary mythology. The characters are intricate and extremely
well done. You can feel the emotions,
heartaches, and joys Adrian and the people that cross his path experience. One of my favorites, Father Marcus who is
confronting his own demons spends most of his time helping others to deal with
their issues. Molly, who is a captain of
her own tugboat, is portrayed as self sufficient, even masculine. But Hurley surprises us as Molly's role in
the adventure develops. As you read you
will start to question a few of your values and way of life. A truly rare find and incredibly well
written. Michael's first novel is a hit
and not to be missed. I cannot wait for this author’s next publication.
Buy: The Prodigal (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482694271
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mchurleybooks
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