In Return to Sender, Mindy Halleck writes about family and neighborhoods and the ways our roots define our lives with the assured vividness of Dennis Lehane and the unflinching edge of Gillian Flynn. An old school, can't-put-it-down read.
Larry Brooks, critically-acclaimed bestselling author
of four psychological thrillers, in addition to his work
as a freelance writer and writing instructor
Mindy Halleck’s Return to Sender has it all: a protagonist, Theo Riley, with a psychic wound that caused him, as a child, to kill three other human beings, then become a priest in an effort to find redemption for his soul, and a serial killer antagonist who makes Hannibal Lecter look like a choir boy. And add to that a fast-paced plot that slows down only when Theo periodically stops for a reflective moment that takes one’s breath away in its profundity. You’ll find yourself pondering your own redemption as you accompany Theo on his quest to save the woman he loves, his beloved beach town, and himself in this novel that will haunt you long after you’ve put it down.
Gloria Kempton, Writing Coach and author of ten books,
including Write Great Fiction: Dialogue, and The Outlaw’s
Journey: A Mythological Approach to Storytelling
Mindy Halleck’s Return to Sender is a deeply evocative novel wherein the protagonist, Theo Riley is a Roman Catholic Priest who carries a dark cross and earns redemption through blood and tears. This is a novel that explores what it means to have faith in a world torn by conflict.
Bill Johnson, author of A Story is a Promise
& The Spirit of Storytelling
"Monsters don't just happen." In her debut novel, Mindy Halleck creates a monster--Genghis Hansel--who needs a warrior-priest to release him from his demons. Return to Sender is a big book with a cast of edgy characters. It is a deep love story and a thriller rolled into one.
Jack Remick, Author and Instructor,
Montaigne Medal and BOTYA Finalist.
The vivid imagination of a born story-teller comes to life in Mindy Halleck’s new novel, Return to Sender, starring a warrior-priest as reluctant hero—he waits for death, he prays for mercy, he hopes for the miraculous return of his fighting skills—as he faces a stone killer, the ruthless dragon-antagonist rising up from the mists with vengeance in his heart. Set against a backdrop on the picturesque—and often quixotic—Oregon seacoast, Return to Sender blooms with a sterling cast and some peachy plot-twists.
Robert J. Ray, The Weekend Novelist