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The story starts out in San Francisco, California, in 1929. Here we meet a young nun, Sister Agatha, walking to the convent. She is carrying a newspaper with an article about the Peking Man, the supposed "missing link." The story then jumps to 1944 in World War Two. Lieutenant John Maletesta is with his infantry in the Philippines. They manage to hold off the Japanese. Until, a surprise attack by a Japanese non-com, leads to Maletesta losing an arm. Maletesta, devastated, will never be able to play baseball again.
Don Santina moves us ahead two years to 1946. We find out that Maletesta is now an English professor at the College of All Saints, where Sister Agatha is the president. Sister Agatha asks Maletesta and two other professors, Hombardt and Willis, to go on an expedition to Borneo to dig up the Borneo Man, which happens to be the most recent "missing link." On the way, the trio comes face to face with many dangers. Will they escape the Malay pirates? Will they find the missing link?
A Prize for All Saints , written by Don Santina, is a wonderful, fast-paced novel. There are so many twists and turns that it keeps the readers on their toes. It is a well-written, and well-researched, novel. For these reasons, I give it 4 out of 4 stars. It had all the elements that I enjoy in a good story. It had suspense, historical facts, and relatable characters, just to name a few.
Don Santina is a dynamic writer that clearly does his research and incorporates true historical data into his fictional novel. If you enjoy Indiana Jones, The DaVinci Code, or the movie National Treasure, then pick up a copy of this book. I just hope this is not the only time we will see John Maletesta. I would like to see this turned into a series.
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