Father Damien’s Revenge

About the Book

The fourth book in the series Father Damien’s War is Father Damien’s Revenge that follows The Dark Society. This book continues the life of Father Damien in Florence, Italy, after the conclusion of World War II. Father Damien resigns from his position with the church after learning about the Vatican’s involvement in the escape of war criminals through the rat lines established by Bishop Alois Hudal. Bishop Hudal had aided these war refugees in the acquisition of Red Cross Passports to foreign countries, including Argentina. John Damien goes undercover at the request of Robert Mudd, U S Army Counter Intelligence agent, in partnership with Rodolfo Siviero, secret agent of the Servizio Informazioni Militare headquartered in Florence, Italy. Alcide De Gasperi, President of the Council of Ministers, expands Rodolfo’s post-war involvement in the government by appointing him as Minister Plenipotentiary. Father Damien’s involvement in the investigation at the Vatican College leads to a brutal beating at the direction of Bishop Hudal. Father Damien is determined to expose their operation and take out his revenge on all that support Bishop Hudal. Rodolfo’s recent marriage and honeymoon provides an opening for planning their attack on the college and expose the war criminals in hiding. Robert Mudd and his men stand ready to arrest those who are exposed by covert actions conducted by Father Damien’s team. The plan and the operation are sanctioned by Lynda Alderman, second in command at the Florence headquarters. The team includes his list of associates Sgt. Wayne Fritzmeyer and Corp. Glen Rothgeb, and Sgt. Derrick Hodge and Corp. Charles Walker. The primary purpose of the mission is to expose and capture war criminals, and secondly, to locate and recover stolen art. John Damien, as a member of the Ministry Plenipotentiary, desires to expand their role of recovering looted art and artifacts to bringing war criminals to justice. His associates proclaim his intentions as Father Damien’s War.

About the Author

The author was born in Pittsburg, Kansas, on July 20, 1948. It is a small town in the south east corner of the state. He joined the United States Air Force in the middle of the Vietnam War era in August 1966. He served four years in the military, acquiring the G.I. Bill for his college education. He attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City, where he earned his Bachelor in Business Administration degree and continued on in graduate school. He obtained his Master in Business Administration in May 1975 and received his Certificate in Public Accounting in June 1976. The author is the former General Manager for the Board of Public Utilities in Kansas City, Kansas, and a former Board Member for the American Public Power Association. He has served on the Board of Western Fuels Association and is a member of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In his last eight years in public service, he lived in the United States Territory of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas. He served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Water and Power Authority and as a special financial consultant to the Government of the Virgin Islands. The author began his new career in writing after the death of his wife Deanna in 2004 and now lives in Kansas City, Kansas. Mr. Drake is the father of three children. His elder daughter Terry Christine Drake lives in Kirkland, Washington, with her two sons Sean and Jacob, his younger daughter Dresden Marie Drake Goldberg lives in Frisco, Texas, with her husband Stephen Arnold Goldberg and their twin girls Hannah and Harper, and the author’s son Brandon Lee Drake lives in Tampa, Florida, just after serving eight years in the United States Navy stationed in Japan.