Author Al Dawson has been honored with Gold/First Place in the Adult Fiction category at the prestigious 2025 Feathered Quill Book Awards for his novel Priest, a gripping detective thriller that probes the tension between faith, justice, and truth.

Priest follows Faith McGuire, a lawyer representing victims of clerical abuse in Baltimore. After the funeral of a respected inner-city pastor, accusations surface against the late priest. But when his personal diaries suggest otherwise, Faith is thrust into a dangerous investigation. What begins as a case of defending the dead spirals into a dark journey of fraud, family secrets, organized crime, and murder—forcing her to confront the fragile line between truth and survival.

“It troubled me that innocent priests, some no longer alive, are being accused of crimes they never committed. At the same time, legitimate victims have often been silenced or ignored. Priest explores both sides—unjust accusations and the devastating reality of actual abuse— while showing the high cost of seeking truth.”

This award marks another milestone in Dawson’s writing career. His first novel, Searching for Noriko (2021), a WWII romantic thriller, was recognized at the Palm Beach Book Festival. His forthcoming work, Borderline, will explore the dangers faced by a federal prosecutor confronting Mexican drug cartels and political enemies.

A former insurance and law professional with a degree from New York Law School, Dawson also served as a bilingual volunteer with the Red Cross in the aftermath of 9/11. Today, he lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida with his wife Jane, enjoying tennis, motorcycling, history, travel, and time with family.

Priest is published under Luna Del Lobo Books and is available for purchase on Amazon. For more information, visit: www.lunadellobo.com

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