The Saint Patrick's Day Hero

by Doug Mayfield

On Saint Patrick's Day, 2010, fifty-seven people at Lothrup College in north-central Minnesota are killed in a campus shooting, many of them because they did not receive the college's active-shooter alert in time. When Professor William Kessler, the shooting's reluctant hero, discovers that Lothrup botched the alert and is now engaged in a cover-up, his first impulse is to come forward. But if he does, there will be grievous consequences, and his terrible secret―the truth about what really happened on the day of the shooting―will be revealed. Both terrifying and paradoxically funny, The Saint Patrick's Day Hero is a captivating mash-up of a beautiful love story, a gripping mystery and a novel of ideas all rolled into one.

396 pages, Paperback

Published January 19, 2021

Reviews

[Dave Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

St. Patrick’s Day Hero is an amazing book! Doug Mayfield tells an engrossing and complex story that weaves guilt, bravery, love and fear together in a way that will draw you in and keep you there. The hero, Professor William Kessler is a fascinating character with an incredible range of knowledge and depth- from quantum mechanics to Dostoevsky to home construction to expert angler, Kessler will become your admired friend. If you like great dialog and fascinating characters, St. Patrick’s Day Hero is for you.

Dave Peterson

[Lance Kreitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is reading a book then there is experiencing a book, this book is an experience. Great storytellers allow the story to continue even when you have stopped reading, that is what The Saint Patrick’s Day Hero and Doug Mayfield accomplish so well. With characters that come to life and a plot that continues to thicken, you will be turning page after page to find out how it ends. As readers we read book after book just so we can stumble across a story that captures our hearts and imagination like this one does. I will be recommending this book to all my friends and family.

[Russell Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew that I would enjoy this book after only a few pages. Wit and humor will hook me every time and this novel is laced with both. Extremely well developed characters with a great understanding of the conflict between emotions and logic. Smartly crafted plot lines that integrate smoothly. An easy book to pick up, but hard to put down. A great read.

[Beryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doug and Sally Mayfield became two of my favorite authors when I read their first book, Angle of Declination. Their second book, published under Doug’s name but with constant support from his wife Sally, was every bit, if not more wonderful.
The hero is William Kessler, professor at a small midwestern college, has received national acclaim for saving the lives of numerous students during a mass killing. The accolades disturb him deeply and he finds he cannot share the reason with anyone, not even his beloved wife.
Kessler is an amazing character. Sincere, honest, compassionate yet driven by guilt. When agitated he writes strong letters to various giants: Obama, Abby, the EPA, his ex-wife. Then files them in a drawer. He is writing a book on Dostoyevsky and the Russian Sole. He examines happening via quantum physics. He renovates a carriage house, loves to fish, and staggers vulnerably into a new relationship.
I picked this book up with joy and didn’t put it down until I’d finished it. A beautifully written and moving story of a good man tortured by guilt.

[Toni Overacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Doug and Sally Mayfield’s first book, Angle of Declination, and feared The Saint Patrick’s Day Hero wouldn’t stand up to it but my worries were needless. Written by Doug Mayfield, with Sally’s support, the book follows Professor William Kessler’s bravery, guilt, love and loss after a mass killing at the small college where he teaches. Despite the relaying of tragic events, Mayfield injects some gentle humor which is wonderful. Do not miss this unforgettable book but be prepared - you will not be able to put it down.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

English Lit professor and the aftermath of a university shooting is well written and holds your attention. Would like to know more about the shooters ,but that's not what the story is about. Lesson of letting go of the past.

[Roxanna Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book

I loved the author's way of using words. The main character was three dimensional, believable and complex. The story was fully engaging. I highly recommend the book.

[Del Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bookclub selection. LOVED this book. Great character development & story. Highly recommend!

[Lee Cornell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a good book. Although central to story is a mass-shooting at a small college, that is not what the book is about. Instead it is about healing, time, guilt, and living in the past. And it is not about ignoring or forgetting the past, but more about remembering that we are living now and the past is just that ... past.

And in what other novel can you have a main character who is a Dostoyevsky scholar who is not ... I don't know ... pedantic.