About the Book
Intrigue, terrorism, history, art, and the secrets of the Church collide in a relentless page-turning thriller. An American couple in Italy investigate the suicide of a cleric in the picturesque Italian city of Orvieto - and find themselves plunged into a conspiracy that may destroy the Catholic Church. In the stunning thriller Upon This Rock, San Francisco business executive Lee Maury and his husband Adriano come to Orvieto to soak in the city's beauty and rich history, but Lee becomes fascinated with a local tragedy, the suicide one year earlier of Deacon Andrea, a much-loved candidate for the priesthood. Growing obsessed with learning the truth behind Andrea's death, Lee finds that everyone in Orvieto has some connection with Andrea: the handsome former Swiss Guard and bisexual prostitute Grigori; the kindly elderly priest Don Bello; the gossipy American expat blogger Lady Peg; the secretive young German doctor Luka; the irascible nonagenarian baker La Dona Volsini and her USA-loving grandson Marco; African immigrant street musician Dawud and his sister Maryam, who is en route to Italy with black market smugglers; the former Episcopal priest Rev. Vicki; Orvieto's new bishop, Arnaud, a sexually conflicted member of Opus Dei; the powerful head of the Vatican press office Cardinal Maltoni; and the secretive political fixer Magda Carter. Woven throughout is a 500-year-old backstory-the plight of Medici Pope Clement VII who sought refuge in Orvieto following the Sack of Rome, whose time in Orvieto is somehow linked to the mysteries of the present. As Lee and Adriano struggle to make sense of the relationships tying all these people to Andrea's suicide, they stumble upon a conspiracy of terrorism, human trafficking, and a plot to plant a nuclear dirty bomb in the tomb of St. Peter. Before they know it, Lee and Adriano's dream vacation becomes a race to save innocent lives - and not get killed in the process. AUTHOR: David Eugene Perry is the founder and CEO of the public relations firm David Perry & Associates, Inc. Perry is also the host/producer for the weekly LGBT TV Show, 10 Percent, and a journalist who has contributed to several national publications. Perry and his husband make their home in San Francisco and Palm Springs. SELLING POINTS: . Sweeping and glamorous thriller about Church politics, terrorism, history, and faith in the tradition of Dan Brown. . Dramatic and exciting setting in Orvieto, one of Italy's most picturesque and historical cities. . Intricate and suspenseful plot, with a huge cast of fascinating characters.
About the Author :
David Eugene Perry is the CEO of the PR firm David Perry & Associates and the host/producer of the weekly LGBT TV show 10 Percent. Perry lives with his husband in San Francisco and Palm Springs.
Review :
"Perry has written an elegant, twisty thriller in which a gay couple investigates a mysterious suicide in a scenic Italian hill town. It's not hard to imagine that this book could do for Orvieto what Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil did for Savannah." --Armistead Maupin, author of the internationally acclaimed Tales of the City "The gay Da Vinci Code, but a lot better." --Fenton Johnson, author of The Man Who Loved Birds, Scissors, Paper, Rock, and At the Center of All Beauty
"David Perry has given us two detectives as sharp as Sam Spade and with the wit of Nick and Nora Charles ... just when you think you have a handle on the story, Perry tells you the plot has just thickened." --Will Snyder, The Bay Area Reporter
"4.5 out of 5 stars. Upon this Rock is a perfect read for anyone who is into thrillers, mysteries, and historical fiction." --Ankita Dasgupta, The Bookworm Resort
"Upon This Rock is for those readers who love Italy and who love crime fiction. David Perry evokes the spirit of the ancient Italian town of Orvieto, in a 21st-century thriller that takes in several centuries of history." --Lucinda Hawksley, author of Dickens's Artistic Daughter, Katey
"Perry's humor and wit shine throughout, interspersed with meticulous historical detail." --Eric Jansen, San Francisco Bay Times
"An engrossing thriller that contains just about everything one could desire in a suspense novel." --The Bookwatch
"Upon This Rock is giddy with assassins, terrorists, shady priests, human trafficking, and megawatt conspiracies. Surrounded by wily characters and never relinquishing its sense of humor, the story is wrapped in an astounding amount of history." --Kay Kudukis, Palm Springs Life
"David Perry's tale brings to life a cast of characters and settings that powerfully dramatize the plot and draw the reader toward each new page-turning twist." --Linda Frank, author of After the Auction, The Lost Torah of Shanghai and The Nice Little Blonde Girl
"This is a wild read. David Perry's ability to build suspense is impressive and the denouement of this thriller will not just surprise you, but literally stun." --Erika Atkinson, author of Ode to the Castro and Miles of Memories
"You will not find a more exquisite, captivating, well written first novel than David Eugene Perry's Upon This Rock. I was literally hooked from the first chapter." --Dennis Koller, author of The Rhythm of Evil
"You will not be able to put this book down. It is page-turner from the first sentence until the unexpected twist ending. Upon This Rock by David Eugene Perry has everything you could possibly want: intrigue, suspense, history and characters so real they almost jump off the page. If you like mystery, suspense and intrigue, drenched in local Italian history, this is the book for you." --Lynn Ruth Miller, author of Getting the Last Laugh and the oldest stand-up comedienne in the world
"This fast-moving thriller spans several centuries of papal history, Vatican politics, black market smugglers, human trafficking, terrorism, the secretive organization Opus Dei, prostitution and the everyday life in a small northern Italian village. David Perry weaves a suspenseful story that is a real page-turner and a fascinating tale ... a great read." --Robert Walker, Frank and Eva Buck Foundation
