The Man I Buried: a Novel of Redemption and Reckoning Port Richmond Series Book

Reverend Richard Thomas buried Richie—the street enforcer, the killer, the man with blood on his hands. But when his brother’s life hangs in the balance, the only way to save him is to dig Richie back up. In the streets of Port Richmond, redemption has a price, and salvation might cost him his soul.Five years ago, Richard Thomas walked away from the streets. He traded his gun for a Bible, his reputation for a clerical collar, and his bloody past for a chance at redemption. He built a new life—preaching grace, offering hope, helping his community heal from the violence he once perpetrated.But the past doesn’t stay buried.When his brother Joey gets caught in a deadly gang conflict, Richard faces an impossible choice: watch his brother die, or resurrect Richie Thomas—the man who knew how to survive in the darkness, who spoke the language of violence, who commanded respect through fear.To save Joey, Richard must return to Port Richmond and confront Marcus “Ice” Johnson—the man who made him, the kingpin who never forgives betrayal. He’ll have to navigate a world where loyalty is currency and mercy is weakness. He’ll have to use the skills he swore he’d never touch again.But can a man reclaim his darkness without losing his light?As Richard descends back into the life he escaped, he’s haunted by the ghosts of his past—especially Destiny Martinez, the eight-year-old girl whose death drove him to the seminary. With each violent act, each moral compromise, he feels Richie taking over. The preacher is fading. The enforcer is returning.And in the streets of Port Richmond, only the ruthless survive.For fans of gritty urban fiction and morally complex thrillers, The Man I Buried is a visceral exploration of redemption, loyalty, and the question that haunts us all: Can we ever truly escape who we were?Content Warning: This novel contains depictions of violence, gang activity, death, and morally complex situations.