Saint in Vain

If the preservation of your life's work and legacy hinged on your ability to convince a total stranger to kill you, what would you say?

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, three stranger's lives are forever altered. Silvio loses both of his parents. Vera's newlywed husband, out of a sense of patriotic duty, enlists to deploy to Iraq. And Lewis is a U.S. Army private caught in the middle of the Iraqi war violence. When a routine mission in Iraq turns tragic, Lewis is left with deep emotional scars and a final mission of his own--to deliver a fallen comrade's letter. Out of feelings of guilt and a need for penance, Lewis decides that the only proper way to deliver the letter is by foot, which is how he ends up on a cross country journey through the United States. While Lewis sojourns, Silvio has adopted a mission of his own. Witnessing the abrupt mortality and lackluster funeral of his parents, Silvio is on a mission to be remembered. And, he decides, what better way to be remembered than to be immortalized as a saint? Contrasted with the cynical Vera, Silvio becomes somewhat of a cult figure in their community, and when Lewis finally makes it to their small town, Silvio is convinced that he's found the perfect person to carry out his martyrdom.

Matthew K. Perkins is a proud Wyoming native, where he completed an MA in English Literature from the state's lone university. He currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and two dogs. Saint in Vain is his first completed novel.