Lost and Found

Ned Reed, a clandestine operative for the U.S. Government, has taken refuge on a tropical isle in order to make sense of his life and to chart a different future. A chance encounter with a young woman draws him into one last mission to save her life. This leads him into the murky world of international arms-dealing, and takes him to foreign capitols.

The son of an Episcopal priest, Neds life has been shaped by a series of early losses and disappointments. Yet his faith and dynamic connection to God is an ongoing source of strength and insight.

Can he defy the odds one more time and overcome the adversaries set against him? Will he experience the healing of his past? Will he find love again? Is there a Divine plan for the rest of his life? All these questions are answered in this adventure which ends where it began.



Joe Nilsen was born and raised in Staten Island, NY, where he was educated in New York City Schools. He holds a Bachelors Degree in History from Wagner College, and also Degrees of Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in Minnesota, and Master of Theology in Pastoral Care and Counseling from New Brunswick Seminary in New Jersey.

As a Lutheran pastor he served churches in Hialeah, Florida, and Fairfax, Virginia. For many years he also served as a Board Certified Chaplain in health care institutions in North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey. After retirement he moved to Crossville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife Evy. They have two grown children and two grandchildren.

Lost and Found is his first novel. During his career, he was a writer of articles and reviews for religious periodicals and professional journals.