Tom Wallace - Gnosis

“Many paths lead to God, Detective. I try to travel as many as I can.”

“During the process of Creation, the vessels containing the strict light of God’s judgment were not able to contain the light. Therefore, the vessels broke, shattered. Tikkun means restoration or redemption. The mending of those shattered vessels.”

“Very good, Detective Dantzler. My son, Thomas, is broken and shattered, but he will be restored. My faith in that is absolute.”

“Like I said, Eli. I hope you are right.”

“You’re a good man, Detective,” Eli said. “And not nearly so far removed from the Almighty as you would like us to believe. I suspect you’ll keep running away from God until you eventually bump into him.”

As Dantzler was preparing to leave the house, Rachel met him at the door. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you, Detective Dantzler,” she said. “Thank you for proving my father’s innocence, and for freeing Tommy from his terrible burden. Thank you for giving my family back to me.”

Dantzler stepped outside, opened his cell phone, and called Laurie. He told her to meet him at Malone’s Steak House in an hour. Then he closed the phone, put it in his coat pocket, and walked toward his car. A huge smile crossed his face.

Never had he been happier than he was at this moment.

Much of the inspiration for certain aspects of this story came from Harold Bloom’s great book, Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine . I highly recommend Professor Bloom’s book to anyone willing to be enlightened and challenged. It is terrific. Thanks to Clay Stafford and Beth Terrell at the Killer Nashville Writers Conference. It was there that Gnosis was given its first breath of life. And as always, I want to thank my small band of family and friends who have always believed in me, and have been loyal from the beginning: Julie Watson, Sarah Small, Ed Watson, Wanda Underwood, Christina Young, Suzanne Slinker, Denny Slinker, Jimmie Nell Jenkins, Grant Sparks and, most especially, my aunt Bobbie Watkins. Lastly, I want to thank my good friend Theresa Little for helping me out with the landscaping, and with a thousand other things. Theresa was beyond wonderful, and she was taken from us far too soon.

Tom Wallace is the author of two previous mysteries featuring Detective Jack Dantzler- What Matters Blood (2004) and The Devil’s Racket (2007), both set in Lexington, Kentucky, where Tom lives. He also wrote the thriller, Heirs of Cain (2010).

Tom spent many years as a successful, award-winning sportswriter in his native Kentucky. He authored five sports-related books, including the highly popular Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia, an in-depth history of the University of Kentucky’s legendary hoops program.

Tom, a Vietnam vet, is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and the Author’s Guild. His Web site is http://www.tomwallacenovels.com.