The Molech Prophecy

Tommy Cucinelle has worked hard to leave his former life as a gang member behind and live clean, so he faces a real dilemma when his pastor asks him to call up some of his old talent in order to find the missing church secretary. His investigations lead to more questions and dark forces that threaten not only Tommy but his friends as well. They also lead him to some characters that are suspicious at best, like the secretary's sister who continually hounds his path. And some other characters who are intent on keeping lots of secrets, even if it brings harm to Tommy and his friends. The secretary disappeared at the same time as someone painted awful graffiti all over the church building. Who would have done such a thing? Why is the pastor so concerned about finding the secretary? Why was she such close friends with the son of the Satanist priest? Tommy really doesn't want to get in so deep with all the skeletons and intrigue, but it seems he has no choice. How will all of this affect his walk with Christ? And why do all these terrible memories fro his past assault him? Will he find peace over his younger brother and be able to rid himself of the nightmares that haunt him? The Molech Prophecy is a skillful thriller/mystery full of intrigue and suspense. There are so many threads that may or may not be connected, giving mystery lovers just what they thrive on. Action abounds, yet it is thought-provoking and filled with spiritual intensity. It deals with the Church of Satan, spiritual warfare at several levels, possible scandals in the church, the change in a life after one becomes a Christian, gangs, friendship, love, faith, the power of God, walking the Christian walk, and many other motifs. The issues are quite modern, and yet the causes behind them and the answers are ageless. I would recommend this novel for anyone over 13 or so, although it is essentially an adult book. Reluctant readers should enjoy it since it is so full of action and "guy stuff." While there are dark subjects and violence, it is deftly handled. At 259 pages, it is a fairly quick read, one you won't want to put down once you start it.

"The Molech Prophecy" by Thomas Phillips grabs the reader's attention immediately. The mystery is in effect at the onset of the story. Tommy Cucinelle is a committed Christian who wants to live a righteous life. When the church he attends is vandalized, Tommy is approached by his Pastor. He believes that Pastor Ross is going to accuse him of the damage since the Pastor knows Tommy's past. Well, the meeting is definitely about Tommy's past, but Pastor Ross wants Tommy to use his former skills to investigate the disappearance of the church secretary. Thomas Phillips takes his time to build a meticulously laid plot. His characters breathe and feel and think. The reader can taste what they taste and see what they see. Phillips masterfully entwines the present with flashbacks from the past and handles both poignant and controversial situations with frankness, truth and grit. I felt the tension building in the story, yet the escalation was so subtle that the story's finale took my breath away.

When he became a Christian, Tommy Cucinelle thought he'd left his old life as a gang member behind. But not so fast -- his pastor enlists him to find a missing secretary, a mission that quickly leads Tommy, his friend Tay, and the missing woman's sister Stacey, to a disturbing link with the Wiccan church nearby. Can the secretary's disappearance be linked with the mysterious group meeting in the woods at midnight? Why has Stacey also disappeared so mysteriously? And then, Tommy and Tay find a Wiccan spellbook that describes child sacrifices... I found myself compulsively turning pages to get to the end of this fast-paced novel! This book is not the plain-vanilla fare often served in Christian fiction. Tommy is a complex character who struggled with horrific events before becoming a Christian, and still wonders sometimes if God can forgive him. Throughout the book, Phillips' theology is sound, and certainly inspiring as he shows good ways to deal with real problems. The importance of friendship and sticking to Scripture is emphasized, as is forgiveness and not rushing to judgment. Altogether this is an exciting debut novel! I look forward to the next book..

Becoming a Christian changed former gang member Tommy Cucinelle's life--and probably saved it. Now life is going well, until Tommy's pastor asks him to locate their missing church secretary. This request has Tommy walking a narrow line towards his old life and habits. Stacy, the missing woman's sister, is also hunting for her, and neither Tommy nor Stacy is comfortable with the strange ties to the local Wiccan church they keep stumbling over. Then Stacy goes missing, Tommy discovers a Wiccan prophecy about sacrificing a child to the god Molech, and people from the Wiccan church have threatened Tommy and his friends. The Wiccan church members shouldn't have made this search personal for Tommy because now he won't stop until he finds answers! The Molech Prophecy is a wonderful story about the life and struggles of Tommy as he seeks to remain a good Christian man under stressful conditions that put him back into contact with the life he left. The story includes peeks at Tommy's former life so that the reader can truly understand where he started. It appears this is the first time Tommy has encountered a real test to his beliefs since his conversion to a Christian life. Thankfully, Tommy has good Christian friends to help and support him and point out that God is the one in control. Tommy also struggles against his attraction to Stacy as she is not a Christian, and he isn't sure she would be able to accept what he used to be. I think this book would be good inspirational read for teens or young adults who have come from harsh backgrounds and seek reassurance that God really loves people who have done bad things. But it is also a very good story for any Christian who enjoys reading about how God can work in a person's life to bring about real change and salvation. Armchair Interviews says: Good message for all ages.

Reviewed by Dr. Michael Philliber for Reader Views (6/08) When Pastor Ross asks Tommy, an ex-gang member turned church member, to use his old gang skills to find a missing church secretary, things in Tommy's life go from mediocre to maddeningly suspicious to mind-blowingly frightful. Thomas Phillips captures this interesting twist in Tommy's life, in his first Christian novel The Molech Prophecy." This 259-page paperback will be a pleasure for many older teenagers, while capturing the hearts of adults as well. Phillips develops his main character gradually with reflective `flash-backs' into his scarred and not-so-pretty past. These flash-backs help to explain much of the personal baggage Tommy wants to leave behind now that he has become born again. But they also describe the significant moments in his life that shaped his outlook on people and circumstances. Throughout "The Molech Prophecy" Phillips addresses loads of true-to-life struggles that many new Christians face, without being `preachy' or sanctimonious. The desire to leave their past lifestyles and move forward in a new and fresh way, as well as striving to be honorable in work and relationships, maybe for the first time. It also explores the disappointments in failed Christian leadership, stereotyping, and how jumping to judgmental conclusions can be harmful. But no one in "The Molech Prophecy" is spotless, which keeps the book in the real world. Even the Christian characters slip up, lie, hack a computer, and get involved in breaking into a Wiccan Church, all of which they confess they were wrong to do. Phillips' approach in the book is almost an upside-down Christianized version of Dan Brown's fanciful "The Da Vinci Code." But in "The Molech Prophecy" the bad people are not Catholic clerics trying to hide the truth, but Wiccans who have been hijacked by their priest's sincere belief in the Molech Prophecy he has been receiving. Still there is conspiracy, dark cover-up, kidnapping, and what almost turns out to be a ritual human sacrifice. Stylistically, "The Molech Prophecy" is very well written. Thomas Phillips has a great gift for drawing the reader into the story. I found myself excitedly looking forward to each chapter to see how things turned out. The way Phillips writes is fluid, which is seen in the way he expertly develops his story in a seamless fashion. For a first novel, Phillips has set the bar high for himself, and seems to have a promising future ahead of him.