The Guardian by Jeffrey Konvitz

JetBlackDragonfly

3 days ago

2 min read

This sequel to Jeffrey Konvitz's thriller The Sentinel is more enjoyable if you have read that first, as he answers questions and fates of all the characters. I found this an even better read, an accomplished novel with scares in the company of The Exorcist.

Sister Therese sits facing a window holding a crucifix on the twentieth floor of a modern New York high-rise. Deaf, dumb, and blind, she is the Sentinel placed by the Catholic Archdiocese to guard the portal to Hell from the approach of Satan. The building is owned by the church and sits on the same lot as the brownstone of The Sentinel. Monsignor Franchino returns from a meeting with the Pope—she has served her penance, and it is time to replace her. Ben and Faye Burdett live next door to the sister with their eight-month-old son Joey. When Faye finds a burned body in the basement, Chief Inspector Burnstein is called in. He is the successor to Detective Gatz from the first novel, and both are surprised to find all the files from that first case have disappeared. Gatz tells Ben the whole incredible story of the Sentinel and fears his wife Faye will be chosen next, which Ben hides from her. The more Ben investigates, the more he is sure it is true. Franchino divulges the church's plan, exposing networks of good and evil, and the devil himself, personified as Charles Chazen, has already possessed someone in their midst, killing anyone who challenges.

We are not here for realism, so confrontations with the devil that involve thunder, flames, windstorms, and destruction inside the building are plausible. Just go with it. There are shocks when characters reveal which side of good or evil they are on, but a bigger surprise is: who are Ben and Faye? They have no histories, nor birth records for their baby. If you believe it will be Faye chosen as the next Sentinel, you may be wrong, for there are several twists before the grand finale. I found this a more accomplished and enjoyable addition to the first novel. If you Google the address 68 West Eighty-ninth St, New York, you will find it is an empty lot—for now.

Jeffrey Konvitz wrote The Sentinel and produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the film.

1978 / Paperback / 198 pages