Father Duncan MacAskill has spent most of his priesthood as the 'Exorcist' - an enforcer employed by his bishop to discipline wayward clergy and suppress potential scandal. Hidden in a small rural parish to avoid an impending public controversy, Duncan must now confront the consequences of his past. Pushed to the breaking point by loneliness, tragedy and sudden self-knowledge, Duncan discovers how hidden obsessions and guilty secrets either find their way to the light of understanding, or poison any chance we have for love and spiritual peace.Winner of the 2009 Giller Prize, Canada's Premier Literary Prize.

'A page-turner which renders existential questions about personal responsibility into fodder fit for a thriller' Observer

Father Duncan MacAskill has spent most of his priesthood as the 'Exorcist' - an enforcer employed by his bishop to discipline wayward clergy and suppress potential scandal.
Hidden in a small rural parish to avoid an impending public controversy, Duncan must now confront the consequences of his past. Pushed to the breaking point by loneliness, tragedy and sudden self-knowledge, Duncan discovers how hidden obsessions and guilty secrets either find their way to the light of understanding, or poison any chance we have for love and spiritual peace.

'Impressive in the breadth of its concerns ... what is striking about The Bishop's Man is the way the author achieves a necessary balance, keeping a judicious distance between himself and his tale of institutional corruption and its dire effect. Both dispassion and compassion inform his narrative' Times Literary Supplement

'The character of MacAskill, whose theological musings are worthy of Graham Greene, is rich and complex .The remote and decaying fishing village, with its cast of lost and lonely souls, also rings with conviction' Daily Mail

'Powerful... An overwhelming sense of secrecy pervades every exchange, every turn and twist of the story' Belfast Telegraph