The Negotiator's Cross

The unlikely protagonist of this new novel is Father Ishmael, a seemingly ordinary Catholic priest from Texas, who has come to Mexico City to minister to his flock, but who has left behind a past full of secrets. One day, Father Ishmael's world turns upside down, as one of his parishioners has disappeared. Fearing that he's the victim of kidnapping by a cartel, local authorities draw Father Ishmael - as a hostage negotiator- into a web of complex, dangerous relationships, where nothing is as it appears. Set in the 1990s in a variety of settings, ranging from Texas, Mexico, Cuba, Bosnia, Russia, and Austria, Father Ishmael's story takes one through a tale of diplomacy, espionage, kidnap, genocide, and murder across three continents. The characters - from Father Ishmael, a priest and hostage negotiator, to a Mexican-American businessman, a traumatized Russian Spetsnaz veteran, a brilliant GRU General, a morbidly obese CIA officer, an elderly cartel leader, and a legendary deep-cover Mossad operative - set the novel's pace and tone. In it, Father Ishmael takes readers on a singular journey of drama, intrigue, loss, and faith.



"A captivating crime story that takes the reader on a world tour of late twentieth century history and geopolitics. The plot dives into the hidden world of espionage and subterfuge, in which Kenneth Dekleva's Father Ishmael character brings to mind memories of John le Carré's George Smiley and Charles McCarry's Paul Christopher. A reading adventure!"

Daniel Levin, author of Proof of Life: Twenty Days on the Hunt for a Missing Person in the Middle East

"Kenneth Dekleva's The Negotiator's Cross is the magical story of Father Ishmael, a priest with a dark past, who finds himself on a journey where his faith and faithlessness are tested by gangsters and spies in Russia and Mexico. The story speaks to the emotional wisdom of listening to one's heart while moving through a dangerous and uncertain world. Adventure, intrigue, and betrayal play out on a broad canvas in this elegantly written debut novel."

Paul Vidich, best-selling author of The Mercenary; The Matchmaker; The Coldest Warrior; and An Honorable Man