Father Frank Docherty has had his run-ins with the church
authorities: in the early 1970s, he was expelled from the Sydney
archdiocese for preaching against the Vietnam War and has lived in
Canada as a monk ever since.

Twenty-five years later, back in Australia to give a lecture about celibacy and paedophile priests, he comes across an ex-nun who claims to have been abused by a now eminent cleric. If Docherty is to help her, he will be up against an institution bent on avoiding scandal. What is more, the accused man's sister is the woman Docherty nearly broke his vows for long ago.

This searing, impassioned novel captures the Catholic Church at a pivotal moment: when it tried to silence its victims, wreaking lasting damage not only on innocents but on itself.


'Keneally's theme is sadly familiar, but in the hands of a world-renowned writer . . . Crimes of the Father goes way beyond the familiar. It questions what makes a good priest and, therefore, what makes a bad one.'
Peter Stanford, Observer

'Pulsing with rage at ecclesiastical complacency . . . narrated with clarity and urgency.'
Anthony Cummins, Daily Mail

'Wise and thoughtful . . . another hugely satisfying read from one of the world's great writers.'
James Walton, Spectator

'A convincing argument for the power of fiction to get under the skin of a great contemporary controversy.'
James Marriott, The Times