Joseph Murphy 
Mystery of the Angels 

This is the first in what hopes to play out as an extraordinary series of novels by Joseph Murphy. A riveting tale of suspense and illusion, the provocative story line centers on a United States Marine Corps infantry company fighting guerrillas in Columbia, in the year 2005, that is suddenly caught up in a strange mist. When the mist clears, they encounter more than they had bargained for. They find themselves in the middle of a battle, alongside Irish warriors, fighting against Tuirgeis, one of the most feared Vikings of all time, in the year 837, in Ireland. Before theyre done, they will undergo a test of individual personal mettle with results that will surprise even the most hardened of them. This novel is filled with crackling realism, love and adventure, and that special flair for intricate plotting that readers enjoy when the Marine Company commander from the year 2005 falls in love with a beautiful Irish maiden, ward of King Maelsechlainn of County Meath, from the year 837. With unfailing honesty, the author puts the reader inside the hearts and minds of the men who fought and loved up close in a time gone by. The book offers a glimpse of what may have occurred at one of the most famous battles of Irish lore, the Battle of the Liffey in 837, and attempts to settle one of the most intriguing mysteries to date: how a few thousand defenders beat a numerically superior army almost six times its size! Numerous writings regarding Irish history refer to strange people dubbed angels fighting with them. Thus, many scholars refer to the battle as the Miracle or the Mystery of the Angels.The novel is a powerful love story that extends beyond two eras, and contains a labyrinth of twists and turns that culminates in a final stunning ending.