Hartford Atonement

"A clear-eyed and even-handed take on the scourge of gun violence." -Kirkus Reviews

"...Philip Barbara's deeply researched story makes you want to scream, 'Wake up Congress. Do something!'" -Thomas Ferraro, twenty-year Capitol Hill correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg

"A heart-wrenching story of altruism and faltering hopes."-John DeDakis, award-winning novelist, writing coach, and manuscript editor

Famous Wall Street billionaire Emil Scordato hears a US congressman tell reporters after the funeral Mass for a student murdered in a school shooting: "What's the difference between a cyanide pill and an assault weapon? You can't get your hands on a cyanide pill." After visiting his grandson Jack, who lies fighting for his life in an ICU bed, Emil is approached by an anguished parent and asked: "Hey, Mr. Scordato! What are you going to do about keeping the kids in this town safe?"

His grandson's coma, the death of sixteen students, and these biting questions force Emil to realize how his profitable investments in firearm manufacturers may be as much responsible for the scourge of gun violence in America as poverty and mental illness. Longing to atone for his thoughtless pursuit of wealth and driven by a fusion of altruism and guilt, Scordato embarks on an unorthodox crusade for gun safety that risks his fortune in a bid to outflank a stalemated Congress. Textured with penetrating insights into gun violence in America, The Hartford Atonement sheds light on mass murders through the lens of one man's unwavering pursuit of a solution.