Father Diamond Council’s own Brother Karl Reiner has written a large, entertaining, novel called Sgt. Bellnapp’s Secret. At the outset, before anyone accuses this reviewer of a lack of objectivity, let me announce that I was Karl’s sponsor in the Knights of Columbus and have long been an admirer of his historical knowledge and wry wit.
Both qualities are much in evidence in this 492-page volume. Blending his knowledge of Civil War history, especially the particular tidbits of Centreville’s role in the “late unpleasantness,” and a closely observed awareness of the inner workings of contemporary politics, Karl has woven an interesting fabric of a story. A bare outline of the plot centers on a “Pearl Harbor file” prepared by Confederate Secretary of State Judah Benjamin in early 1865 as the looming Confederate defeat becomes more and more obvious. Two Confederate soldiers are given the task of hiding the waterproofed boxes of papers along the old military defense line in Centreville. In March 1998, 135 years after they were buried, a backhoe operator working on one of the new housing developments springing up like mushrooms in Centreville, uncovers the boxes and sets in motion a weird and mysterious journey through the contemporary political scene, a landscape drenched with campaign contributions, special counsel investigations and unscrupulous lobbyists. Murderous skullduggery plus some ghostly appearances by George Washington enliven the journey.
The novel is at its best when it focuses on the characters involved in the action of hiding the boxes in Civil War times and those who become entangled with their history in contemporary times. The most engaging passages of the book read much like a witty satire of the world of overly ambitious politicos and money-grubbing 21st Century “professionals.” Karl salts his novel with appropriate quotations from historical figures from Aristotle to Lyndon Johnson. One of my favorites was from Dr. Samuel Johnson, the 18th Century English writer who, in 1770, left us with this wise saying: “I would be loath to speak ill of any person who I do not know deserves it, but I am afraid he is an attorney.”
Are there faults in Brother Karl’s book? Well, some judicious editing would have the potential of hastening the plot along and building on the strengths of the highly idealized characters in the first half of the book and the highly satirical characters (a lobbyist named “Leon Placke” and a political appointee named “H. Muncaster Swindell”) in the second half. If you’re interested contact PublishAmerica,Inc. at www.PublishAmerica.com or call toll-free at 1-877-333-7422. Sgt. Bellnapp’s Secret by Karl Reiner, in paperback, is listed at $29.95.
Bill Jayne, PGK
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