Review: Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel by Ray Keating

There are those who say that all acts of service come from the same place, but in the case of Warrior Monk by Ray Keating, all acts of service can also come from the same person. After living an entire life as a warrior, serving his country as a CIA agent and NAVY Seal, Stephen Grant decides to wear a different uniform in the next chapter of his life – the robes of a pastor.

With this unique scenario to start off this entertaining series, Keating tosses readers headfirst into the crossfire. When a deranged woman comes into his church shooting, Pastor Grant’s instincts take over and he neutralizes the threat, which forces him to come to terms with the truth: he’ll never be able to fully leave his past behind.

This violent spark ignites a powder keg plot in which Grant is placed on guard duty for a papal visit. Knowing that he is both a man of the cloth and a trained warrior, those in charge believe he will be an asset should any threat be made against the Holy See. Grant is forced to balance on the edge of a knife – his life of peace and religious harmony on one side, and his finely tuned sense for violent action on the other.

Protecting the lives of those around him, often without concern for himself, Grant is a selfless and fascinating protagonist, and one who is far from immune to existential crises. Keating pulls back the walls of the pastor’s psyche and lets readers root around, providing a sense of intimacy and closeness with the central character from very early on in the novel. The amount of research that went into this book is also wildly apparent; the background knowledge of military procedures and lingo, as well as the intricacies of religious ceremonies and history, come across smooth and sincere for readers.

As the debut novel in the series, Warrior Monk sets the foundation for a troubled man forced to use his deadly skills for righteous ends. This is a classic philosophical dilemma, and one that Keating plays with and stretches out brilliantly. Despite the heavy religious element of the premise and plot, the author rarely dips into a “preachy” tone. There is definitely a Christian bent to the writing, but this also isn’t a book overflowing with proselytizing or heavy-handed sermons. There are hard edges in the prose, and dark moments that are true to the challenges of life. Pastor Grant is an ideal focal point to demonstrate how complex a single person, or a single belief system, can truly be.

Technically speaking, the book is polished and nearly perfect. There are very few grammatical errors or sections that don’t come across as fully developed and well planned. Warrior Monk is full of intentional, thoughtful writing that hits hard and carries the story to the end. After devouring this opening salvo, new fans will dive in eagerly to the future adventures of Pastor Stephen Grant.