Sept 13th 2020 - I truly enjoy Morrell's books and gladly go back to them whenever I have an opportunity. This book is about a man torn apart by his own history, acts committed while he served in counter-terrorist team that pushed him to religious zeal, penance and finally life in a remote monastery. Only to be pushed back into his old world of conspiracy and murder after a horrible event. We follow him as he tries to live with himself, forever hunted by his past and guilt but also by intelligence agents because he became a liability, person who just knows too much.

Excellent novel. if you like stories about spies/assassins they rarely get better than this one (or entire series to be honest).

Highly recommended.

Original review:

Second novel written by David Morrell featuring former spies/assassins trying to find peace amidst all the carnage caused as much by their agencies as by their opponents.

Unlike the [b: The Broterhood of the Rose|21838|The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis, #1)|David Morrell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1167323742l/21838._SY75_.jpg|1479017] ending is more sober - main character ends up in exile both trying to find peace and elude his pursuers.

For everyone who likes action, adventure and stories about highly skilled assassins trying to live with their conscience look no further.

Highly recommended. ( )

A good, well paced, action packed thriller, albeit a bit heavy on the religious stuff. I know I read the first book in this series, but don’t remember a thing about it, or how it relates to this one, which I kinda find odd, I don’t usually forget. Oh well…on to the next one. ( )

Not bad. But pure cliché. Assassins, assassins and more assassins. Pretty improbable material. But hey this is the guy who wrote First Blood. Entertaining story. Good writer. ( )

I found this to be a better story than Brotherhood of the Rose, but not nearly as engaging.   You have the same elements, 2 bestfriends/brothers, 1 girl, an older mentor, betrayal, paranoid assassins.   But it was draggy. Mr Killer/Assassin man feels bad, goes to be a monk and it isn't until almost 1/3 of the way through that his past catches up and the plot begins to move forward.   So while I'm all for secret societies, and assassins and religious overtones, this book just fell shy of being a good book. A plodding time filler.   I'm not so sure I want to read the 3rd Brotherhood book now. " ( )

In The Fraternity of the Stone, Drew MacLane is an anti-terrorist agent working for a covert organization called Scalpel, where he had been an assassin. After going through some personal demons for things he had done while working, he retires and lives as a monk in a monastery. He is drawn back to his old life when the monastery is attacked. He must now hunt down the killers.

Although I like the trilogy that this belongs to, I thought this was the weakest novel of the three. The biggest issue is that the novel really suffers from a lack of believability . The concept of the story was good, but the plot needed some work to measure up against some of Morrell’s other novels. Drew is a strong character, likeable and realistic, but much of the rest of the novel doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. I would suggest reading this novel if you have already started reading the trilogy, but lower your expectations since Morrell's work is typically top notch.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street ( )