The Blood of Zealots

Can your very DNA upend assumptions about the person you are? Author William J. Atkins probes this question and many others in his groundbreaking debut novel, The Blood of Zealots. Splicing the genres of science-faction, global espionage, and good old-fashioned romance, this ingenious, high-velocity novel follows a trail of DNA to shed fascinating light on how we’re all connected—and implicated—in today’s fraught international arena.
New York financier Trey Cowens is at the end of his psychological rope. After repeatedly winding up in compromised circumstances, he is finally ready to get at the root of what ails him. To that end, Trey appeals to his hypnotherapist, the beautiful Rachel Kohen. Soon, Trey finds himself propelled on an international manhunt for his biological father. Using his own DNA and traditional genealogy, Trey discovers a colorful family that is hereditarily bound to revolutionary exploits. Follow his pilgrimage from the far reaches of Donegal, Ireland, to tumultuous Tel Aviv with the mysteries of his own genetics unraveling at every step of the way. All strains of humanity are revealed to be inextricably bound, one man’s terrorist is another’s patriot; one man’s lover is another’s enemy. Provocative, powerful, and boldly original, The Blood of Zealots is a super-charged, keenly sharp read.