Luke Gherardi, a bestselling author known for his provocative and morally complex storytelling, returns with ‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’. The novel follows Cole, a mafia hitman grappling with survival, loyalty, and moral ambiguity. In our interview, Gherardi delves into Cole’s psyche, explaining that his violent actions aren’t driven by cruelty but by a deep need to belong. “Cole never had a place to belong, so he’d do whatever it took to be accepted. In the end, his violent actions are only a means of survival,” Gherardi revealed. This exploration of identity and survival challenges readers to consider the fine line between necessary evil and personal redemption. Recently, we caught up with Gherardi to find out more about him, his work, and what’s next. 

How does Cole’s involvement with the mafia shape his understanding of right and wrong, and do you think his violent actions are a product of survival, or is there a deeper moral conflict at play?

Cole’s violent actions start out only as a way to fit in. Cole never had a place to belong, so He’d do whatever it took to be accepted in whatever group he was involved with. If he ended up in the Catholic Church he would have been a priest. If he was in academia, he would have been a professor. In the end, his violent actions are only used as a means of survival. 

Your books challenge societal norms and often tread controversial ground. Have you faced backlash for this, and how do you approach writing stories that provoke strong reactions?

Before writing anything for this book, I spent a year and a half studying every American mass shooting, coming up with a(what I thought would be) controversial revelation as to why this is happening. I also read a lot about war. All of the ‘extreme’ or ‘radical’ ideas I wrote about? To my absolute shock, no one has challenged me or called me out on these ideas. Maybe I’ve figured out something new? Maybe I’m saying what everyone already knows and is too afraid to say out loud. All the issues I thought I’d have weren’t problems at all. 

I face backlash mostly on the language used. I want to make the dialogue believable, and bad people say bad things. There’s no sugarcoating in real life, why would there be any in my books?  

As a follow-up to ‘Children of Violence’ how did you approach evolving your storytelling style for ‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’? Was there anything you wanted to do differently?

Children of Violence was a collage of different characters, all coming together in the end. This story focuses on a group of friends, so it has more of a linear structure. 

With Cole’s desire for his story to be told before he dies, there’s a sense of legacy and regret. Do you believe even the most violent people seek absolution, or was this simply Cole’s way of controlling his narrative?

Everyone is the ‘good guy’ in their story. Even though Cole does terrible things throughout the book, his motives are usually rooted in loyalty, friendship, and Justice. Cole’s actions are always in the spirit of righting a wrong. His way of going about things is questionable. 

What can readers expect next from you? Are there any more stories in the pipeline that continue to explore these gritty, morally complex characters and worlds?

The next book is currently in the process of being written! It’s a love story, covering topics of young men in the modern dating world. It’s very different from everything else I’ve written before.

Now available on Amazon, ‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’ invites you into its intense world—get ready to experience every gripping moment!

Published by: Holy Minoza