Anthony LaRose, a professor at the University of Tampa, is winning acclaim from readers for his novel Cathedral of Salt.
Profits from the book benefit Tampa’s James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, which provides health-care services to veterans.
The self-published novel took the meat of a year to write, said LaRose, a Mira Bay resident who served in the U.S. Air Force.
“I’d write some and then, with school, it was always a little difficult to find time. But then, during breaks I would write and on Saturdays, and kind of whenever there was inspiration.”
A mystery/thriller is set in Zipaquirá, Colombia, where the protagonist, Sam Grant, an FBI forensics pathologist fighting depression and alcoholism, “finds himself caught up in the suspicious death of a priest within the Cathedral of Salt, one of Colombia’s national treasures,” according to the book’s website. “The cathedral is a 10,000 square feet [sic] operational house of worship carved directly into a salt mountain where thousands of people worship each Catholic holiday.”
The story mixes “ancient history, contemporary political reality and modern forensics. Cathedral of Salt weaves a gripping, fast-paced tale of murder and intrigue over the course of several days. What starts as a simple offer of collaboration with a crime scene investigation, becomes a quest for redemption for Grant, who soon realizes that the salt wants to keep its secrets.”
LaRose is a professor of criminology who has lived and traveled throughout Latin America for the past 20 years. He has published more than a dozen academic articles, encyclopedia entries and book chapters in both English and Spanish, all of which have focused on crime and policing in Latin America or forensics.
LaRose found the initial inspiration for the novel while researching policing in Latin America. “I took a little side trip and went to a little town called Zipaquirá in Colombia. The town is an hour outside of Bogotá, and there literally is a Cathedral of Salt. I was just blown away by it. It’s just this amazing place. It is literally a cathedral carved into a mountain of salt.”
The cathedral is an underground Roman Catholic Church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground in a mountain of rock salt. It attracts thousands of visitors every Sunday.
Almost immediately, LaRose said, he started seeing characters and a story line develop with the old colonial town of Zipaquirá, with its cobblestone streets and old buildings and the cathedral, as a backdrop.
“It absolutely inspired me,” LaRose said. “My first thought actually was what a great place for a movie, because it is really just amazing. Then I thought, I don’t really make movies but one of the things I can do is I can write fairly well.”
You can find Cathedral of Salt for sale on Amazon.com. The author can be contacted at tonytronic2000@yahoo.com.
Reader Reviews
“I could not put this book down. The story line intrigued me. The development of the main character at the beginning of the book to what he became at the end of the book was inspiring. I loved the history of the Cathedral and the town was amazing! The story had me second guessing right up to the end. My son, a former student of Professor LaRose, knowing I love a good mystery, suggested I read Cathedral of Salt. I am glad he did! I would love to read more of Sam Grant prior to this story! Please keep writing!”
— Marc Metlison
“Fantastic summer read! It’s CSI meets The Da Vinci Code in an exotic location. A real page-turner that I guarantee you’ll have trouble putting down. The ending will surprise and delight. Don’t miss it.”
— Teri O’Brien
“Probably the best novel I have read in two years. Great action, interesting (definitely non-cookie cutter) characters, some very creative forensics techniques, topical subject matter, and a lot of detail about the actual cathedral. I feel like I’ve been there.”
— Cotton Lawleron