A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail

Former pastor Radic’s story is a simple one: craving more wealth than his clerical salary can offer, Radic embezzles funds from his church and lives the high life on the fraudulently gotten funds. His sins catch up with him and he is arrested, prosecuted and jailed in Northern California; he’s eventually released after serving only a brief span of his time because he snitches on a fellow inmate. Radic’s cliché-ridden account lacks passion, sincerity or conviction—in fact, Radic writes in the language and style of third-rate true-crime books. The book is filled with stereotypical gangbangers, murderers and criminals, and Radic’s reflections on his own fears and concerns aren’t convincing since he never portrays himself as someone for whom we should feel any pity or sorrow. In the end, when he gets out of jail, Radic is cavalier, almost as if nothing has happened for which he is sorry or contrite. (May)