The Mystical Guatemalan Robes by Michael David Polansky is a suspenseful and nerve-wracking thriller featuring a priest and an airline pilot. Fray Narvaez is a 16th-century Spanish priest who has requested a transfer to the New World. In reality, the friar has left behind a scandal threatening the livelihood of the monastery. Something about the friar fills everyone he meets with disquiet and darkness, and his actions upon leaving the monastery prove this. Captain John Pulitzer is a long-serving airline pilot for AireWest. Apart from the scars left by the Vietnam War and family dysfunction, John is also grappling with scars and nightmares involving images of a priest and a small boy. When John stumbles on a series of stories about children murdered in similar circumstances, his subsequent thoughts and actions set him on a collision course with Fray Narvaez and his disciples.

In The Mystical Guatemalan Robes, Michael David Polansky carefully sets the background for the story moving from an ancient Spanish monastery to the conquest of the Aztec empire to present-day Guatemala and finally to Denver. He masterfully weaves the narrative, alternating the different eras while keeping the story coherent and seamless. The plot is easy to follow and meticulously constructed, allowing readers to easily transition from Friar Narvaez’s story to Captain John’s narrative. Polansky explores various themes in this novel, such as the emotional scars left by war, family, childhood trauma, and diversity in the workplace. Overall, The Mystical Guatemalan Robes was a fantastic read, and I hope for a sequel to John’s story soon.

The Mystical Guatemalan Robes: The Pilot and the Priest by Michael David Polansky is an interesting meld of historical and science fiction. When conquistador Hernán Cortés first set sail to conquer Mexico in the early sixteenth century he would take a disgraced priest along with him; Fray Narvaez. Narvaez had been expelled from his monastery for despicable pedophile acts against local children. Long haunted by what he thought was the voice of God, Narvaez would find his true destiny in Guatemala. As Cortés and his small force achieved victory upon victory against the overwhelming numerical odds of the Aztec army, he quickly realized their success was due in large part to some supernatural power inexplicably tied to the priest. Hidden deep in the mountains of Guatemala was a group that held Narvaez’s future in their hands, with the ability to grant him immortality. Almost five hundred years later an AireWest Airlines pilot, Captain John Pulitzer, is committed to his job; he loves flying and the airline he has worked for over the last fourteen years. His frequent absences from home, however, have strained his marriage to breaking point but he adores his job. When John notes a disturbingly similar series of murders and mutilations of children in America, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, he is determined to uncover the truth. What he discovers is a secretive sect led by Fray Narvaez, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep their activities hidden from the authorities.

The Mystical Guatemalan Robes is a bold attempt to meld known historical events with a current-day narrative and supernatural, alien forces. Author Michael David Polansky has effectively created a definitively evil antagonist in the form of the pedophile priest without crossing the line into crassness and vulgarity, which is to be commended. The idea of combining two very different timelines to create the climactic events of the story is unique, fresh, and innovative. I appreciated the conflicts John Pulitzer experienced between his desire for a happy family life and his commitment to his career and ultimately to confronting and eliminating the evil that came from those Guatemalan mountains. The author has considerable knowledge of airline procedures and systems which add an air of authenticity to John’s narrative. The supernatural elements of the story need to be taken on faith but the author sets up parameters for the powers the priest possesses that are believable, however far-fetched they may initially seem. It was interesting that John’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) received whilst serving in Vietnam was ultimately seen as an advantage. The author has left the door open for a sequel and I look forward to this in the future. This book was something different for me but I did enjoy it and highly recommend it.