ALUMNI NEWS Chain of Thorns by Hank Luce ’64 (Salvo Press 2011) Nick Renna, a reclusive professor of history, bears resentment toward the God he believes abandoned him years earlier. Now, bound by a deathbed promise to the former lover, Nick must continue her search for the lost Crown of Thorns of Jesus Christ—a relic of extraordinary spiritual and physical power. Nick’s quest takes him from a small college in New Hampshire to Switzerland, then the secret Vatican Archives in Rome and, eventually, to the Pyrenees of northern Spain. But as Nick gets closer to the Crown, powerful forces want the artifact for their own. And what happens if someone actually puts on the Crown of Thorns? Hank Luce has had a successful career in global pharmaceutical advertising as copywriter, creative director, and marketing strategist. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and taught on the college and university level. A Vietnam veteran, Luce and his wife live in Flanders, NJ. They have two sons. Crown of Thorns is his first novel.
Under Cover of Night by Al Gellene ’70 (Casterline Press 2011) A disturbing plea for help from a distraught patient at Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in Morris County, NJ propels attorney Steve Caputo into a dark world of murder and betrayal. A car crash has left Beverley with brain damage and the paranoid young woman offers only a series of disjointed, nonsensical phrases that seem to mean nothing. Steve must decipher the strange
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clues to track down a psychopathic killer and uncover Beverley’s dangerous past while a top secret government agency tracks his every step in the name of the war on terror. Al Gellene is an attorney in Denville, NJ where he practices civil and criminal litigation.
Pinched by Don Peck ’87 (Random House 2011) What lies on the other side of Great Recession? While the most acute part of the economic crisis may be behind us, the downturn’s most significant impact on American life remains ahead. Personal, cultural, and political changes that result from severe economic shocks build slowly. But history shows us that, ultimately, downturns like this one profoundly alter society’s character. In Pinched Peck keenly observes how the recession changed the places we live, the work we do, and even who we are–and details the transformations yet to come. The country has endured periods like this one before, and emerged all the stronger from them; adaptation and reinvention have been perhaps the nation’s best and most enduring traits. The time is ripe for another such reinvention. Pinched details the principles and public actions that can help Americans pull it off.
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Professor Atlas and the Summoning Dagger By Paul Maguire ’86 (Dog Ear Publishing 2011) In 1342, an old wizard stands atop a rubbish pile that was once a thriving village. Cursing the conflict that brought this civilization to an untimely end, the wizard bestows his last bit of magic on a dagger then buries the knife deep within the earth. He prays that one day it will be discovered by someone brave and smart enough to save the village from ruin. Centuries later Tyler Gerard and his best friend Brandon Giles enter a contest: the prize is the opportunity to join legendary explorer Professor Fielding Atlas on his quest to find the Summoning Dagger of Mercastus. Paul Maguire worked on Wall Street for over twenty years before shifting gears to pursue his lifelong dream of writing. Professor Atlas and the Summoning Dagger is his debut book, and the perfect read for young adventurers everywhere. Maguire and his wife live with their two sons in New York City.