Sam Jane Brown's Taboo Novel FORGOTTEN WORD Available for Free this Week on Amazon

Sam Jane Brown's debut novel "Forgotten Word" (http://www.samjanebrown.com) has had fans and critics buzzing about her willingness to explore Roman Catholic Church taboos. Now, for a limited time, readers of mystery and speculative fiction can download the novel for free at Amazon. The promotion will last for five days, March 26-30.

As experts ponder the fate of the Roman Catholic Church under a new pope, Brown's fiction presents a church beset by troubles that eventually affect the entire world. Some troubles, such as child abuse, are all too familiar, but those issues are intertwined with the influence of malevolent otherworldly forces that are overwhelming practitioners of the secretive and dangerous practice of exorcism.

"Forgotten Word" centers on Zena McGrath, a detective for an International Police Organization who is charged with investigating the death of an Irish priest based at the Vatican. The priest is the latest Catholic priest to die in a series of mysterious circumstances.

Vatican authorities claim this death, like the others, is due to natural causes, but Cardinal Donatello, an enigmatic man who trains priests in the art of exorcism, reveals to Zena that the priests who have died were all exorcists. Donatello reluctantly divulges the gravity of the problems that the Vatican faces in the eternal battle between good and evil. He takes Zena to see a priest who is possessed by evil spirits, and she has her own disturbing encounter with a demonic spirit.

At first, Donatello is able to convince Zena to allow the church authorities to fight the evil in their own way, but another Catholic priest is discovered brutally murdered in New York. Zena flies to the city, a dark entity pursuing her. During the course of her investigation, she is persuaded to take part in a dark rite that enables her to see into the past and identify the murderer. The revelation leads her back to Rome and the culprit.

As the trial of the murderer progresses, the shocking truth of the Catholic Church's battle against evil and the extent of satanic worship is revealed to a stunned world. The ensuing verdict incites an international media firestorm and a worldwide movement to banish all forms of religion.

Zena returns to Ireland to find peace and tries to rid herself of the evil spirits haunting her. Her quest takes her to the Holy Land, which becomes the site of the story's powerful finale.

"Forgotten Word" was inspired by Brown's yearlong in-depth Bible study. "I incorporate a fair bit of Western religious precepts, but some readers may find some of the novel's theories and taboo-breaking controversial," she acknowledges. "Exploring different aspects of the Bible and Christianity is generally considered taboo in the church but in the end my story is true to Christianity, and religion in general, as Zena is forced to confront anti-religious forces."

One reader at Amazon.co.uk who reviewed the novel wrote, "I had difficulty putting the book down as I wanted to know what was going to happen. Yes it was a good read." A reviewer at Amazon wrote, " there were a lot of things in it that made me think. It's a timely book given the world we live in I really liked the main character Zena. I could see more books with her in them and even a movie series based on her investigations. All-in-all a good quick read."

When the five-day free promotional giveaway ends on March 30, the novel will be available for $2.99. Brown intends to write more novels that focus on Zena McGrath's exploits and mystery-solving talents. She is currently working on her second book.

If you'd like more information on "Forgotten Word," or would like to schedule an interview with the author, please contact Sam Jane Brown.

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