On Christmas Eve morning in 1933, the spiritual leader of Armenians in America, Archbishop Ghevont Tourian, is stabbed to death as he begins Sunday services in a New York City church. His infamous murder is witnessed by hundreds of parishioners -- among them, a newspaper reporter named Tom Peterson. The next day, this story is splashed on the front page of every major daily in Manhattan. And no wonder. Not since the assassination of Thomas Becket has such a high religious figure been slain in a house of worship. This gruesome homicide shatters the Armenian community and confounds the cops. Was it a terrorist attack to silence a political adversary, a KGB plot to discredit anti-communists in America, or simply a tragic turn in an ancient, bitter dispute? MURDER AT THE ALTAR is a work of historical fiction, although it might more accurately be called dramatized history. The book interweaves past and present accounts of these complex events, alternating between Now and Then chapters which are written in first- and third-person voices respectively. Much of the text is based on interviews with survivors, court transcripts and newly declassified FBI files. There are also actual news clips as well as some previously unpublished photos available to further illustrate the story.
About the Author: Journalist Terry Phillips is a veteran war correspondent. From the end of the Cold War to the start of the Gulf Conflict, he reported major stories for CBS, NPR and NBC/Mutual News. During the 1990s, he was based in Moscow and witnessed the collapsing Soviet Empire. He traveled throughout the now-former USSR, as well as to hot spots in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. Phillips was one of the first American reporters to live and work in Armenia following the 1988 earthquake, and to cover the armed conflict in Mountainous Karabagh. Among his other international datelines are Baghdad, Kabul, Mogadishu, Port-au-Prince, Prague and Sarajevo. Prior to working overseas, Phillips practiced his trade in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was a lead correspondent on the ground-breaking PBS science and technology series, Tomorrow/Today. He also covered myriad domestic stories from coast to coast, earning two Emmy nominations. Terry Phillips returned to the California heartland where, for five years, he was the moderator for Quality of Life, an interview/call-in program on the Central Valley's public radio stations. He continues to write and record for a variety of media outlets.