The Painter is a novella that spans a quarter century in just over a hundred pages. Based on his experiences as a federal probation officer and Christian, with an evangelical calling, Lopez creates characters and tells stories rooted in the harsh realities of crime and punishment and the miraculous, redemptive power of the love of Christ. Through the eyes and heart of Giordano Bruno (The Painter), a capo in the Patriarca Crime Family of New England, Lopez takes his readers from the dark point of murder, in the name of business, through the halls of justice, imprisonment, depression, and prophetic revelation. There are no excuses for the sins we commit in the name of whatever rationalization or justification we can fathom in our minds. For Gio, it was kill or be killed. However, through an examination of one's life, we can discover explanations for the decisions we make and the actions we take. Through accepting these buried truths, which are often excruciatingly painful, God can help us follow the pathway of his plan for our lives (Jer 29:11) if we allow him to use them (Rom 8:28) for the good of all things.
Ray Lopez is an evangelist who ministers to the hardcore in fulfillment of a prophetic word spoken over his life. He also works as a mitigation specialist in federal death penalty cases, after retiring from a twenty-six-year career as a federal probation officer. He earned his MA in English at UC Berkeley in 1988 and is the author of three memoirs: Hard Knocks: Memoir of a Small Moment (2020), Hard Love: A California Memoir (2021), and Hard Faith: A Final Memoir (2022). The Painter is his first work of fiction.
“As a federal judge, I have had to sentence many convicted criminals to significant jail time after they pleaded that they ‘got religion.’ But Ray Lopez has written a dramatic book about a wanton murderer who really did get religion while serving out a lifetime sentence. As an evangelical minister and former probation officer, Lopez is uniquely qualified to do this, and he portrays the transformation in a beautiful, mystical way that rings of authenticity.”
—Frederic Block, author of Race to Judgment: A Novel
“Ray Lopez’s expansive knowledge from being a retired federal probation officer and working as a mitigation specialist gives him a unique perspective and a true voice that’s clearly evident in The Painter. Serving the past eighteen years of a forty-five year sentence in a U.S. Penitentiary has given me an ability to recognize the detailed reality of his storytelling prowess. Gripping, humorous, and spiritually inspirational, The Painter has perfectly balanced elements of an extraordinary novel.”
—Eddie K. Wright, author of Voice for the Silent Fathers: A Memoir
“Ray Lopez uses his years of experience as a probation officer to expose the evil culture of the criminal world, specifically of La Cosa Nostra. Lopez exposes the pretense of the good guys who fight evil by ‘cheating fair.’ The criminal’s deficient views of God as harsh and ready to punish influence the inner prison walls of their minds. Ray masterfully shows the only way to freedom.”
—Vincent Carbone, author of Distracted Driving . . . Crosses the Line
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