Andie Oliver is a faithful woman-to God, to her handsome husband Joe, and to televangelist Reverend Calvin Artury, a Godfather in a Mafia of holy men. Raised in the 1970's to be subservient and submissive in the tradition of the Bible-belt South, she becomes a prisoner of that tradition. As a reluctant member of Artury's evangelical megachurch, the House of Praise in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Andie's dream of children, home, and marriage falls apart when Joe is hired by the ministry team. Joe had been a gentle lover, a kind man, and a hard-working and faithful husband. Only lately had Andie felt him turn his attention more to church than her. The charismatic Reverend conducts faith-healing crusades, creating the largest religious television audience in the world, surpassing the income and followers of Oral Roberts and Billy Graham. Working limitless hours, Joe is sucked deeper into the ministry while Andie attempts to free him from the Reverend's control and far-reaching influence. But it is Mavis Dumass, Andie's best friend since birth, a sassy, gorgeous African-American woman and aspiring recording star, who holds the secrets to Reverend Artury's carefully veiled debauchery. Mavis is fiercely protective of Andie (and just as fiercely disdainful of both Joe and Reverend Artury). What happens to Mavis leaves Andie near mental collapse and struggling for freedom from the cult's grip. Andie is still unaware of the extreme danger their pastor wields until she witnesses the murder of a church member. Fearing for her life, she plummets from a dreadful existence into a horrific one as she uncovers Reverend Artury's long-hidden truths, and loses everything, including her children. But she strikes back, threatening to expose the Reverend to the world. Raised by two psychopathic aunts, Reverend Artury reverts to the twisted cleansings of his childhood. As his mental stability declines, Andie quickly realizes she must go into hiding. Fighting for redemption for her family and herself, Andie confronts the very definition of evil personified. Evading ruthless adversaries who will go to any lengths to protect Reverend Artury, Andie battles the darkest side of televangelism. Vivid and tragic,
Televenge exposes chaos in the megachurch, and embraces those who discover their destiny in unconditional love in a world fraught with fear and intimidation. With more twists and turns than the Blue Ridge Parkway,
Televengetakes you from the Piedmont South to the Hawaiian Islands, to Nigeria, Africa, and back to the high country of North Carolina. In pitch-perfect voices, Pamela King Cable's emotionally rich debut novel creates four extraordinary characters who will stay with the reader long after they finish the book. Suspensful and deeply moving,
Televenge will be one of the most talked about books of the year.
About Pamela King Cable of Aurora, OH
Pamela King Cable is the author of the highly acclaimed collection of short stories, Southern Fried Women. Born a coal miner's granddaughter and raised by a tribe of wild Pentecostals and storytellers, she is an award-winning writer who has taught at many writing conferences, and speaks to book clubs, women's groups, national and local civic organizations, and at churches throughout the country. Televenge is her debut novel. A Southerner at heart, she now lives in Ohio with her husband, Michael.