The Last Confession
This sobering and intense novel is a tribute to both Giordano  Bruno, a Dominican monk who was burned at the stake for heresy  in 1600, and the author himself, who firmly believed in his  right to question orthodoxy. West wrote over 20 novels, among  them the well-known Devil's Advocate (1959), The Shoes of the  Fisherman (1963), and Clowns of God (1981), in which he raised  complex moral and ethical issues involving the Catholic Church.  Morris here presents a "reconstructive" portrait of Bruno  through an imagined diary. This diary, Bruno's confession of an  admittedly imperfect life written in the Inquisitors' prison, is  an attempt to spread his plea for intellectual freedom. We learn  about his travels as a monk, an academic, and an impassioned  lecturer and his propensity for good wine and the company of  women. Given Bruno's abrasive personality and forthright manner,  it comes as a surprise only to himself that the Church silences  him. Thanks to the author's talent for suspense, the reader  awaits Bruno's fate on tenterhooks, right alongside the monk in  the dank hell of persecution. Though the author died in 2001  before finishing the last chapters, the story draws to a natural  conclusion and is a fitting farewell from West. Recommended for  all public libraries. Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L.Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.