Body and Blood is the first book by Michael Schiefelbein, that I have read, that didn’t involve vampires.  For those that are familiar with his work you probably know that Michael studied for the priesthood for ten years before he went on to receive his doctorate in English, write a few books and become a professor.  Michael’s knowledge of the Catholic Church is on full display in most of his books but never more than in this one…I would argue to the detriment of the story.  The inner workings of the church are important but sometimes he provides too much detail over little items you really don’t need to know about.

Father Chris Sieb is a closeted gay priest who hides his homosexuality from virtually everyone around him…with the exception of a few friends and a handful of other gay priests, his congregation and his superiors have no idea he is a gay man.  When he was in seminary school he fell in love with another student named Jack Canston…now Father Jack Canston.  But was it love?  Did Jack feel the same way?  After a 25 year separation the two are reunited and they begin an affair.  Father Jack is a tormented soul…prone to mood swings (scary mood swings) and carrying a deep secret that Father Chris desperately wants to know the truth about.  Shortly after the two are reunited a mutual friend of theirs, also a priest, also gay, commits suicide.  This leads to some serious soul searching on the part of Father Chris.  Father Jack is deeply committed to the church…Father Chris is thinking it’s time for him to start living his life honestly.  Their relationship is an emotional rollercoaster and you never know from one page to the next if they are going to live happily ever after, have a huge fight or if Father Jack’s torment is going to surface and explode.  Michael is also expressing an opinion in this book…an opinion about the actions of the church towards homosexuality but especially it’s gay priests.  He touches on the internal church politics between the Vatican and the local congregations.  In the process he gets to share a different view and in some ways he explains why the church does the things it does with regard to gays.

As a non-catholic and actually being agnostic I’ve always romanticized the Catholic Church and the men who wear the collar.  In other words…I kind of have a priest fetish.  I say that mostly tongue in cheek because it’s not a real fetish; I just find the idea of consecrated cock really hot.  Michael sets this world up with fantastic detail…you can picture the seminary/diocese as if you’ve actually been to the grounds.  Fathers Chris and Jack are hot…in their 40’s, salt and pepper hair (at least in my head), lean, muscular body straight from an LL Bean catalog HOT.  There is sex in the book but it’s not multi page “I’m trying to stretch this book out, throbbing organ, quivering holes” type sex…however he does like to describe erections as purple…I guess that just means it’s super ready to be serviced.

Anyway…I really liked the book.  There are some great twists.  I found myself getting really lost in the story and at times I was honestly concerned about Father Chris. It’s amazing what people will do when they think they are in love. I think you’ll find yourself just as attached as I was.  The cover of the book says it’s a mystery and in many ways that is correct…there’s a lot of questions raised and you really want the answers…but it’s not a whodunit.  The book made me glad that I’m not in the closet and I empathized with all these characters about the guilt and desperation they felt about their homosexuality.  It’s sad to think of a person living into their 40’s and only then finally accepting themselves.  All that time lost.