Ghost Runner

 Michelle Nott discusses her thoughts on Ghost Runner, a new Catholic-themed novel by Philip F. Lawler. 

Ghost Runner

By Philip F. Lawler

Published by Sophia Institute Press

Synopsis of Ghost Runner

The story takes place in the 1980s in the Archdiocese of Boston but revolves around one priest named Father Andy Miller and characters that take part in his story. Father Miller is seeing a therapist at the request of the archbishop due to recent events that involved him at his assigned parish. The book follows a format where we hear part of the story from Andy Miller’s perspective during his counseling sessions in alternating chapters.

Even though every other chapter is a counseling session with Father Miller, the story jumps around from different characters’ points of view so that the reader gets to experience all angles of the story, helping to connect the dots and get a true sense of what is happening and why.

While reading the book, the reader gets to experience a story not only of a priest struggling with his faith and a gift that God may have blessed him with but also get a glimpse of how politics and worldly endeavors can influence members of the Catholic Church and the parish community.

Philip F. Lawler does a great job of presenting difficult topics such as scandals in the Church, or political corruption, to make his story accurate for the times, while still highlighting the good parts of the Church community and the role that having a strong faith life plays as well.

This is a story about having faith in God and turning to Him during our times of trouble. It shows what can happen when we lose our way, and it shows that no one is perfect. The story also portrays family life and problems that families might experience: a spouse who puts work above the family, or two siblings who don’t see eye to eye.

My Thoughts on the Book

I really enjoyed this book. I’ll admit that it took me a few chapters to get into the story and understand the timeline of what was happening and which character was which. But once I had read a few chapters and understood the plotline and characters it was hard to put down. I appreciated how each chapter switched to another character’s point of view so that I got to see the full picture of the scenario. But I also appreciated the structure of knowing that every other chapter would be told from the main character’s point of view.

I really liked how the author laid the groundwork of the story through Father Miller’s therapy sessions and gave some creative license to the reader to fill in the blanks since by letting us only see the responses Father Miller gave to his therapist and not the questions that the therapist was asking. It was a unique way of presenting the story.

I enjoyed the writing style that Lawler used throughout the book; he did a great job keeping the audience engaged and creating suspense. And I love how it is a story on the importance of having faith in God.

The one criticism I have is that the print is small and it can make it a little difficult to read due to the size of the print. Overall, I loved the story and the way that it was told and will be passing this book on to some friends so they can read it too.

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2026 Michelle Nott
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